Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-03-14
THE CHINESE THIEF,

There are three branches of the art at
which the Chinese thief exccls, namely,
housebreaking, pocket-picking, and
chicken stealing. As housebreakers
they beat the world, but strange to say
they are not accomplished safe-crackers,
although instances might be cited where
they have demolished an ordinary safe
in very good style. But they cannot in
this respect equal the fine work of the
American or English cracksmen,"
whose jackscrew and Jimmy" will force
the stoutest and most " burglar-proof"
safe in the world. Looking at the
science" from detective's standpoint,
the prettiest piece of work" Of this
kind ever accomplished in this city was
perpetrated upon the brick wall of a
building on Washington street, near
Kearney. Three Cinnamon commenced
work upon the east wall shortly after
the store had been closed, and working
with padded iron bars forced their way
nearly through the two feet of brick,
and at dawn had punctured hole
about the size of -four barrel head and
a perfect circle the whole length. The
house breakers were under the impress
sion that they still had the thickness of
a brick to force, and placing piece of
canvas over the aperture postponed
further operations until the the next
night. Had the day been cloudy all
would have been we'll with the thieves,
but it happened to be bright, sunny
morning, and one of the workmen
standing at his bench was dazzled by q
single slender sunbeam shining through
the solid wall-as he supposed--a phe-
nomena so startling that he began an
investigation. He found that the cam
vas on the outside did not quite cover
the upper portion of the hole, allowing
the sunshine to penetrate to a minute
orifice that had been accidently Clipped
through the corner of brick on the
inside. The thieves had literally gone
a particle too far, and had they forced
their way on for ten minutes more they
would have succeeded in their object
before the store was opened. The
workmen Immediately gave information
to the police, and the next night the
place was watched, Officer Ned Ward
being cnsconced on the inside, guarding
the "hole in the wall, with double
barreled shotgun loaded with buck
shot. The wall pickers" commenced
their work, and in few moments had
effected an entrance. A white man
could not have crawled through the
hole, but naked Chinaman did crawl
through, and was promptly riddled with
buck-shot by the officer. The China
man fought game" and it was only
after long resistance that he was event
ullly captured. In the meantime, the
officers on the outside, hearing the ex-
plosion of the shotgun, " corraled" the
other Celestials, and tho skillful trio are
now serving long term "across the
bay"
If the Chinese are fine housebreakcrs,
they are better pick pockets. No pock-
ct, no matter how closely guarded, is
safe from their digits, which seem spec
tally adapted by nature for this light
fin ,ering. They hang around the en-
trance of the Chinese Theuter, among
the "check -grabbers, and are to be
found in all dense crowds in the Chi
nese quarter, or at large fire in other
parts of the city. 1t is partly owing to
the fact that Chinese pick-pockets are so
expert that the remainder of their coun-
trymen carry their valuables in pouch
at their waisband, beneath long blouse,
where the arm and hand of the pick
pocket is inserted only with great diff
Guilty.
The Chinese chicken thieves have
worldwide infamy. They have reached
the highest point in the art of stealing,
and woe to the ill fated hen-roost upon
which they have base designs. The
chances are that before morning every
barnyard beauty will grace the spit of a
Mongolian Maison Doree, and that not
a single unusual cry has emanated from
that hen-house, so subtle and wary is
the thoroughbred hcn-inveiSler.
The Chinese thieves are adopts at the
departments of stealing mentioned
above; but they are also good sneak
thieves, and passable watch grabbers,
but they do not understand garroting,
or the arts practiced by the confidence
meu.-San Francisco Cal.
Gay A citizen of Rutland, VT, has
given 81 900 to Bates College for the
endowment of q scholarship for the
benefit of female student through all
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