Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-03-19
NUMBER 3S.
From our New York Correspondent
Our New York Letter.
ONE CLASS OF THIEyEs.-A PRETTY oPkkA
TION.--A THEATRICAL INCIDENT.
NEW York, March Q, 1875.


ONE CLASS OF THEvEs.-A PRETTY OPERA
TIoN.-A THEATRICAL INCIDENT
NEW YORK, March Q, 1873.
! To the Editor Of the Free Press and Times:
ONE CLASS OF THIEVES.
The ingenuity employed by the thieves OF
this city Is something miraculous. Were
the same talent and energy expended upon
legitimate pursuits, it would make every
one of them independently rich and Of some
use to the world.
The favorite dodge this winter Is peddling.
\ woman appears at an area door with a
satche, Of small goods, pins, needles, ,Or what
not. BY hook or crook she gets up stairs into
the main hall, and then her object Is accom-
| plished She tries hard to sell, for she wants
all the time possible Nothing escapes her
eve She takes the measure of the ball 80
accurately that she could walk blindfolded
to any given spot She takes in the position
of the doors, the kinds of fasteninss inside,
and if left moment to herself she gets an
impression in wax of the key hoes. The
position Of bolts OF other iastenings are oh
seryed-in short she comes away with an
accurate photograph in her mind Of just as
much of that house as her eyes have beheld
All this may be for the purpose Of plumber
to the amount Of a S25 oyercoat, or it may
be for a general raid upon the house. Ii the
house contains valuables en5ugh to make it
worth while, this information i impaired To
professional burglars who, with the infurna-
ton thus obtained are enabled to get into
the house in twenty minutes. II not 20
promising a house, there ERE Mt least over
coats, umbrellas and oyershOeS in the hall
to be captured, and sneak thieves make
use Of the knowledge. In the latter
case the time and talent Of the We
man and of the thief who operates with her
are employed for days and days on the mere
chance of plumber To the amount of S225 or
$50, which, from the very circumstances Of
the ease must be sold Tor ouc-iourth its
value The parties interested do not make
fair days wages at their business. There
is no class 50 poorly paid a. the thieves, and
vet once in they never get out. There i
fascination in It that holds them there for
ever Send one 10 Sing Sing-make him labor
hard for five years. aad discharge him, and
in q week ne i back at hi~ DID trade,
kuUNl ll- Inc tilAiiAt~ ltt AasNN~ VI AtAt' tibii
and the certain penalty that will follow. 1t
is an exciting life, and once embraced is sci
dom relinqui~hed.
NICE OPERATION.
There are great many ways OF making
money besides stealing It. but the way a
Mr.. Nelson, Of Brooklyn, got capital to 90
into business l. about the neaie-t Tor an
homes, enc. MIR Nelson went to a Mr..
Herring and purchased block OF lots for
So. eco When the deed was being made
he requested that the price paid should be
stated at 800 900 and a. there could be no
objection TO it. it was 50 done. The papers
were perfected and placed in the hands Of q
third party till Mr.. Nelson should pay the
..ij COO Then Mr.. Nelson went TO big
lie insurance company and said be wanted
To borrow seventy thousand dollars On a
block Of lots in Brooklyn which be had pur-
chased Of Mr. Herring. The insurance COM
ranv Investigated the case and found that
the deed represented Consideration Of
100000. They had the property appraised
and were willing To take loan Of so 900
on il. and instructed their lawyers to draw
u, the papers \ mortgage OF the proper
~ was assigned 10 the company. Mr.. Mel
son received S70.ud0. lie paid Mr.. Her
ring : Is eco and had $4,000 20 use in his
bu,iue--. which De needed. Mr. Nelson
ought To be Immediately made Secretary Of
the Treasury. lie would pay oil the Ma
,ional debt in three years.
~ INCIDENT IT IHEaTRE.
! most painful incident occurred at one
Of the PRINCIPAL theatres Of the city the
other night, \ young and very beautiful
girl in the ballet corps, who, during the run
Of spectacular piece had personated an
angel. died >lllenly in tie theatre in her
stage jres-. She was arrlyel in all the
spansle~ and rauze Of a staee-ansel, and
when struck with death was about to take
her place in the scene. The excitement was
intense, a. NAV lie supposed behind the
scenes. There were TWO hundred people in
the piece. and in five minutes the entire
company was assembled around the inani-
mate form of the girl. The women cried
and wrun. thcir hands, and the men. "alheit
unused to the melting mood. " could not re-
strain their cmO;i0us But the piece had To
90 on all the same Another angels dress
was improyiscl AMI pct upon another girl.
/ the bell ran-. up went the curtain, crash
wen. the orchestra. and On went the riece,
the audience never dreaming that the smil-
inc faces before them were wet with tedrs.
ant that in d.essing-r0Om lay corpse.
The girl died Of absolute starvation. Her
salary wa, the regulation ore Of 50 per
week, on which >he hal To support FIVE per-
sons. She va, beautiful, and could have
sold herself for 4 high price; high enough TO
have Aal all the comforts Of life and even
its laxuries. but Sic preferred hunger and
cold t. shame and >in, and 81 died She
had been sick fol weeks, but had not had y
physician. for she could not Tag Cor the ser
vices Ofune