Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-03-06
SECOND STORY THIEVES.
HOW THEIR DARING aossERIes
ARE GENERALLY CARRIED OUT.

ARE GENERALLY CARRIED OUT.
Jobs That Are Done Only After Careful
Pianning-Jewelry the Peculiar Plum.
der Of the second Story" Thief-RareI,
Caught ut Work.
The most effective work at present aInona
those who steal for living, Ia being done by
what Is technically known to the trade A
second story" men Robberies by this clas.
Of thieves have become alarmingly frequent
and there have been many cases reported 70
the police, few of which have been made
public, because the thieves have not been
caught and it 10 the policy of the police de-
partment to keep everything quiet when sue
cess has not attended their efforts, SECOND
story" thieves have been under ..coyerr for !
long while, and this city has been free from
their depredations Where they have come
from 20 suddenly Is mystery.
Their work Is first class and tbsy must n,
good men, experts in their line. Their efforts
are characterized by boldness and dash
that must make old 3Troy" Dennis smile in
his grave. TROY" Is still treasured IN the
minds OF thieves, As well a. detectives, as the
king Of the second story workers. He was
cool, daring and brave, and had e chivalrous
strain that would not permit him to inj,1re anv
+! ono weaker physically than himself. He died
with his boots on While climbing = piHar
In Fiftieth street he loosened . heavy stone.
and It fell on him and dattened him out like
piece Of paper.
AFTER Dennis the famous men are Long
John Garvey and Jack" Reilly, the leader
OF tne Murray ELL gang. Garvey walked
through skylight in Brooklyn and had the
fiesh pretty well scraped from his bones and
was killed Reilly did neat Job In sclean-
ing out" Lexington avenue house. He took
the stolen goods back for q reward The
amount did not suit him and he removed
the goods again 1t will ba many wears vet
before he can practice his profession. He /.
now making shoes for the state. With tbie
trio out Of the way New Workers. have been
able for several years to enjoy dinner In
comfort without feeling nervous about their
treasures in the upper stories
GOOD SECOND Story NAN
Second story thieves are technically de-
scribed as q cross between a burglar and +.
sneak thief. They are usually tall, slim fell
lows, possessed Of great strength and nerve
They take pride in their calling and look
upon highwayman or pickpocket a he
meath their notice. Comparatively few
thieves have the grit to follow this line
Their number is thus limited, and thew h.
come well known and respected by the fra
ternity. They are known as the ..lono
chance" men in the thieves vocabuIarv
They are all quick witted and intelligent and
DO not have the brutal instinct of many kinds
OF thieves who go around with murder in
their hearts. There is fellow feeling among
them and they never ''squeal."
Second story jobs are not done by rash
impulse, but only after careful study and
planning. Sometimes there are two partners
but more often three. 1t is a rare thing for
them to work alone, unless they turn IN
broke IN strange place. One of the gang
makes a special business of locating places to
be robbed He picks out a house with a
front stoop and portico, or heavy stone work
around the front door, or elsa where there
IS a leader, piazza or some other arrangement
that Will give foothold in the rear. The
business of the occupant is looked into.
Brokers are considered the best prey and
bankers come next. Jewery is the peculiar
plumber of these thieves. Sometimes their
attention is attracted by the names and de-
scription Of jewelry worn at social gather
ngs- The habits Of the inmates Of the house
are studied with great care and a note is
made of the number of servants and their
method OF working. When any of the family
leave the house a piper off" takes good
.ook at the jewel-y. All this takes time.
When enough has been found to indicate
that it will pay the house is said to be
planted" and time is set for the work
Winter, when night comes on early and
quickly, is the second story mans season
The tsplTt.r pffSt no tha,
nay have been seen in the neighborhood and
could be identified At dusk the thief an
proaches the house. He knows what the
people within are doing in a general way.
The gong that sounds for dinner Is the signal
for the climber" to slip on his rubbers. if he
has not already put on pair of shoes with
rubber soles. The lookout is stationed close
1t hand to give the thief warning after he
las got inside
FINE WORK WITH JIMMY
Time is given for the family to get thor
)ughly interested in the good things before
them, and then the thief, with glance in
every direction, starts on his Journey
Thieves are bold, of course, but they never,
It is said, undertake job without lust a lit
lie quivering around the heart ut the begin
ming.
The climber follows the plan which has
been previously marked out as the easiest
way of gaining admittance, either in front
Or rear. With soft stealthy, catlike move
nents he goes up to the second story, some
times jumping. and then raising his body
with his hands and arms If the window is |
locked it is only seconds work to slip the
with q wire. Once in the house /
The thief takes out q Jimmy which is
about a foot long and has claw at one end.
He takes in everything in the room at a
glance The light is usually burning dimly. |
He does not touch it. Bureau drawers, the |
loors of closets and wardrobes fly open at |
the touch of the jimmy, as if it were a magic /
wand. The thief works at high speed. with |
his ear listening for footstep in the hall.
There is no time to examine jewelry, and |
that sparkles or shines is taken
1t is tested afterward. If decent haul is
made on the second floor the thief quietly
departs as he came, but if he is not satisfied |
he will go higher and take his chances. Once
IN the street again the thief goes uncon-
away so as not to attract attention.
md then gets under cover and waits until
he robbery is stale before coming out.
Second story" thieves are rarely, if ever,
taught at work. In the olden time, when
he men in this line were all known it was
lsually easy to get them after robbery.
They are all new men at it now, and the DO
ice are alta loss which way to turn to cap