Milford chronicle., 1888-03-30
SAFEGUARDS AGAINST THIEVES.
A Reformed Burglar Tells Householder
How to Protect Their Property.


How to Protect Their Property.
First of all, may say that the house
holder especially if his house is situated
in the suburbs, should count as next to
nothing the protection afforded by the
night policeman on his beat. 1 don't
mean to insinuate that the night police
man neglects his duty. l believe that as
a rule. he performs it as well as he is able
to, and it may be pretty safely relied on
that at each time he passes a row of vii
las he.will cast the light Of his bulls eye
over the front garden, if there is one,
and over the house 'front.' and the lower
windows and street door. If there is no
front garden, he will see that all is right
and tight in the area aswell. But his
beat is a long one, and it is probable he
will not pass that way again for an hour,
or perhaps longer. SO that if there is a
Job afoot all that those engaged in it have
to do is to hide and see the policeman off,
and they then know exactly how much
time they have TO get through their work
before lie can make his appearance
again.
Speaking from my experience, and
from That of others with whom I have
I i
least a fourth part of the number of pri-
waite house burglaries that are success
| fully committed are assisted by servants
But speaking Of ordinary work it is the
female servants who are made useful.
and that quite innocenuy on their part.
! Masters and mistresses have no idea what
easy simpletons many girls in service
are, or how easily they are induced to
/ betray the secrets of the house. And not
only girls. but women, cooks and house
maids, who are old enough to know bet
ter. A smart chap. with plenty to say
and with money to spend, has but to
scrape acquaintance with the kind of
servants / am abiding to when they are
out for church on Sunday and meet them
few times afterward, and he can learn
all he wants to know respecting the val
liable stuff in the house and where it is
kept, and the ways and habits Of their
employers and when they are at home
and when away.
It's not often the burglar himself who
in this way goes a-tishing for useful in
formation. Generally speaking, he is not
what may be called q ladies man. >"
He is very well in his own line but he
hasn't got the good looks or the insinuat-
ing ways that go down with the fair sex.
That part of the programme IS intrusted
to the ''sweetstuff man. He is an affa-
bic, we'll spoken young fellow, very re-
specially dressed, and so respectable in
his manner that even if he was caught in
the kitchen with the servants at houses
where followers are strictly prohibited
his appearance would disarm suspicion.
It should not be forgotten that the
burglar has no particular desire in the
pursuit of his calling to run his head into
more danger than is necessary, and there
is nothing that is so much to his liking
as parapet work-getting in at attic
windows that are screened by the roof
parapet. Not one householder in a score
gives a thought as to the security of the
attic window. He will have his street
door iron plated, with patent lock on
it, and chain strong enough to hold an
elephant, but q catch that can be pu.
back with bradawl is good enough fol-
the attic window, and all the time il
is quite as easy to enter by one
way as the Other-if the houses
stand in a row and one of them
happens to be empty. This is one
of the opportunities the fraternity
are always on the lookout for. Nothing
can be easier than to enter an unoccu-
pied house at the basement, and once
within all a man has to do is to walk up
stairs and get out ON to the parapet, and
there, well screened from view by the
coping, he can creep on his hands and
knees, and by means of the attic win
dows get into any house he has a fancy
for. If it is winter time, and after dark,
he will have no difficulty in taking stock
of the front windows before he makes
the ascent, and 50 asceEtaining which Of