Connecticut western news., 1886-05-12
A TALK ON THIEVES.
What a City Police Inspector
 Knows about Them.
No Bolder than other Men, but Helped
 by Timid Peoples Fears

by Timld Peoples Tears
 sMany people have on idea," said h. spector Steers recently, 'that burglars, and other lawbreakers, whose line of busl- ness is attended with personal danger, are built on a different pattern from the average human being. They are supposed to be without fear and to carry in their natures large amount of terrifying mate- rial, ready to be set off at moments mo- tice. They are supposed to be rough gruff and careless of human life. This is true in some instances, but in the great majority of cases thieves differ little in these respects from the ordinary citizen. They don't like to work, are lazy and their organ of acquisitiveness is not regu- lated by cultivated conscience. It IS difficult to understand why man with wife and family, who moves in good so- ciety, has an income large enough to live in comparative luxury, and is respected by everyone, becomes thief. He has everything to make his life happy, and yet will give it all up to have little more money. It looks good deal like disease which comes over @ man, and he cannot help giving up to it's influence. Prisons are full of just such people.
 ''Thieves when committing crime al- ways have in mind way to escape if de- tected. They do not want to be caught or killed. They will take desperate chan ces to get away. If a life stands in their way of escape, they will take it, not as a matter of hatred or pleasure, but as part of their education and trade. But this in every case is only last resort, and no thief will add murder to his crime unless certain he can get away. As rule they are not to be feared. A show of nerve will always unbalance them. This applies particularly to the police man. Even though they know that they have an advantage over man who wakes up suddenly in the night and finds a stranger prowling around they will re- spect and fear him, if he doesn't show any sign of fright. Scared people help along their business. But policeman is on an equal footing with thief in re- gard to being awake and armed. If he is possessed of the real genuine nerve, the case is soon settled, and the thief will us- ually surrender without trouble. Bluff will not do. A thief can see lurking sense of fear in an officers heart, and will make things lively if he finds it. A quiet determination on the officers part, that indicates supreme confidence in his
 own ability to take his man or men into
 custody, as if it was an every day affair,
 is what takes the starch out of the bold
 est rascals.
 'Poicemen frequently get into tight
 places. When they get out of them
 alive, and think what they have gone
 through, I have seen the most stout
 hearted of them shake little. A gooc
 man will never know his danger until it
 is over. If he should stop to think wher
 there are many chances against him, he
 would be likely to lose his grit. H.
 must think and act like flash. Hunt
 ing for thief in dark house is wha will try a man. The recollection o places have been in at times during m, long experience as an officer will brin, on chill of fright. we'll remember lively burglar went after many year ago. An alarm had been given, and had him located in the second story of high building. He was calmly pickini out the most valuable articles to talk . away when I surprised him. He was tall sinewy and slippery fellow, and a J the first sound made he made leap a if shot from cannon. Up the stairs h flew like a streak, and l went after hin
 He evidently knew the building; I di
 not, and hit every obstruction I coul find. He gained the roof when I ws halfway up the stairs leading to tn
 scuttle, and when got there could jus , see his figure in the darkness going lik , the wind. I followed him without hes , tation and when he got to the side of tf ,, house he stood second and then jumped I was going so fast that I went right o the house without knowing where Q would land. It seemed in the confusio
 as if went down fifty feet, before 70 struck anything. Then I landed squa1 T on my feet with force that nearly shoo 70 my teeth out. I thought for momel < that had fallen between two houses.
 was right on the thief's heels and befo1 he could take step, I caught him. , was sore from that fall and did not p1 Q tender grip on the fellow. He did n rs struggle and took him in quietly. IT ? next day went around to look at u
 houses, and found that had jumpe , from one roof to another, distance from fifteen to twenty feet. I never g
 over the shock from that jump. N ev ankle was severely sprained, and thoug ,o many years have since passed, the ank
 is still barometrical-indic an a .t preaching storm and is exceedingly pal a full at times in damp weather.-Nt .I York Tribune.
 go She Thought 1t was Later. he There was no clock in the hotel parlo l boJ o%oh