, 1875-07-18
HORSE STEALING.

Complaints have been made at this offce frog
time to time during the past two weeks that l,
epidemic Of horse-steaiing has broken out in thi
| city, and that the malady has been fostered b.
the neglect, il not the active cooperation, OF tht
Police Department.. This charges ara true in
measure az regards the epidemic. but so far as
| the Police Department is concerned it is made
to bear responsibility which perhaps does not
OF right belong TO them.
One Of the busiest centres Of the city ia the
Chamber OF Commerce building. The great Chi
caso institution, the horse and buggy. is there
to be frequently found with every variety OF the
article On exhibition. There arc over hundred
! buggles to be seen at one time in
! the immediate vicinity Of the building.
Their owne:s drive up to the cnrbs.one.
either hitch do not hitch their horses accord
! ing to law, and dart OF, forgetting not only
! whether proper precautions arc taken to prevent
| this involuntary departure OF their horse, but
even where the animal was stationed. Arrivals
and departures are SO numerous that the officers
in charge find it difficult in tho extreme to keep
track OF the vehicles. Their difficulties are null
tipIied BY the moods OF the average Board of
Trade man. II news On Change is bright, he
fsels happy enough to jest OH the most unseen
- topics, and wnen asked as he gets into h;s own
buggy, what his business il, will doubtless re-
tort with facetious Injunction to ths officer Of
the law to apply his leisure moments to the
otA1J u A4A+At1A1t III fdIlQuS lOIU8 alQ With 1lf
ferent objects. When news ia not bright, he
is ready to ferly 10 8 msnner likely TO unnerve
acy policeman. Tho peeter soon gets discouraged
and readily SLOWS stranger to assume the iines
without aqueetion- The stranger il. in nine
cascB out Of ton, 4 youth bent on mischief, ns
the record OF recovered property SHOWS. Ninety
per ceut u the buEglea and horses stolen arc
found within tTenty-four hours in different
parts OF the city, somewhat the worse for wear,
but evidently taken with no intention OF keen.
thHH. Tt1hy ara n in. all
street corncts, sometimes hi.ched, but more
often at large. The theory Of tho police is that
theg are taken by boys who thus steal buggy
ride for themselves and their lady friends, rb1ch
their paying for. The dcspoiled owner on |
discovering his loss Immediately botakes !
himself to police headquarters, aud !
leaves description Of the missing horse, We |
hlcle aud harness. With the clerk in the detective
department. The description is te!esrapbed to I
every station in the city, and, in nine ca.es out
OF ten, Is above stated, the missing prope.t, is
returned in twenty~four hours. II sometimes
harPens that an hour after complaint has been |
mado the owner returns with a queer look of
chagrln and triumph to announce that - he for |
got where he left his buggy" or s.fa,eud |
stepped INTO it without his knowledge" or .'the
policeman took it to tie station for not being |
htched.' This is by far the larger number u
p'lce fail to mako report OF the
recovery Of tho property, Officer James
Morgan takes the case in hand. Horse
la:nesa. and buggy ara found sometimes togesh-
u, sometimes separate. They are generally
l1ven out into the country and kept there until
III opportunity Offers for selling them, return
ng tnem with a guarantee Of no questions |
.aked, or Of having them sufficiently altered to
laty Identification Harness il generally found
ast 4 hunt among the pawn-shops, where
heft OF all kind ia encouraged. gauerally results
q the discovery OF the missing article.
The wagon is occasionally sent to
Eagon-shop or paiut-shop, and the
odY aud running gear interrhanged with tho
supplementary parts Of other wagons, or treated .
0 coat Of paint. which etfectuatly removes ali .
races or former ownership. There have been .
eyeral cases OF horse-steaIipe curing The nssr
no OF three weeks in when the property has
OF been recovered, but in nearly every instance,
hether stoen OF borrowed" merely, the mirs- :
lg animal with attachments has been restored
It's owner. Thefts are more COMMON from |
;ables Or barns; involuntary loans arc made
q the curbs1oue.