Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-17
SECOND STORY" THIEVES
HOW THEIR DARING RoBBERlEs ARE GENERALLY CARRIED OUT.

ARE GENERALLY CARRIED OUT. Jobs That Are Done Only After Careful
 Plannipg-Jewelry the Peculiar Plum.
 der of the .'Second Story'' Thief-Isarcly
 Caught at Work.
 The most effective work at present among those who steal for living, is being done by what is technically known to the trade ak ''second storyn men. Robberies by this class of thieves have become alarmingly frequent. and there have been many cases reported to the police, few of which have been made public, because the thieves have not been caught and it is 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 ''covern for a long while, and this city has been free from their depredations Where they have come from so suddenly is mystery.
 Their work is first class and they must be good men, experts in their line. Their efforts arc characterized by boldness and dash that must make old t'Troy" Dennis smile in his grave. "Troy" is still treasured in the minds of thieves, well as detectives, as the king of the ''second story" workers He was cool, daring and brave, and had a chivalrous strain that would not permit him to injure any one weaker physically than himself He died with his boots on. While climbing pillar in Fiftieth street he loosened heavy stone, and it fell on him and aattened him out like piece of paper.
 After Dennis the famous men are Long John Garvey and "Jack" Reilly, the leader of the Murray Hill gang. Garvey walked through skylight in Brooklyn and had the flesh pretty we'll scraped from his bones and was killed. Reilly did a neat job in 'sclean- ing out' a Lexington avenue house. He took the stolen goods back for reward The amount did not suit him and he removed the goods again. It will be many years yet before he can practice his profession. He is now making shoes for the state With this 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.
 A GOOD "sEcoND sroRY'' MAN.
 ssSecond story" thieves are technically de- scribed as a cross between a burglar and a sneak thief. They are usually tall, slim fel- lows, possessed of great strength and nerve. They take pride in their calling and look upon Q highwayman or pickpocket as be- heath their notice. Comparatively few thieves have the grit to follow this line Their number is thus limited, and they be- come well known and respected by the fra ternity. They are known as the sslong chance" men in the thieves vocabulary 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. It is a rare thing for them to work alone, unless they turn up broke in a strange place. One of the gang makes special business of locating places to be robbed. He picks out house with a front stoop and portico, or heavy stone work around the front door, or else where there is 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. Jewelry is the peculiar plunder of these thieves. Sometimes their attention is attracted by the names and de scription of jewelry worn at social gather ingS. The habits of the inmates of the house are studied with great care and Q note is made of the number of servants and their method of working. When any of the family 1SstVo OlI0 1OuSO 1 plLCl Oil UdhcS u SOOu look at the jewelry All this takes time When enough has been found to indicate that it will pay tho house is said to be "planteda and time is set for the work Winter, when night comes on early and quickly, is the "Second storya mans season. The ''piper off never does the stealing, as he l may have been seen in the neighborhood and could be identified. At dusk the thief ap- breaches the house. He knows what the people within are doing in a general way The gong that sounds for dinner IS tho 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 et hand to give the thief warning after he has got inside
 FINE WORK WITH A ''JIMatY." Time is given for the family to get thor oughly interested in the good things before them, and then the thief, with 0 glance in every direction, starts on his journey Thieves are bold, of course, but they never, | it is said, undertake job without just lit tie quivering around the heart at the begin ming.
 l The climber follows the plan which has been previously marked out as the easiest l way of gaining admittance, either in front or rear. With soft, stealthy, catlike move ments 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 | fastening with wire. Once in the house the thief takes out Jimmy" which is about a foot long and has a claw at one end. He takes ill everything ill the room at a glance Tho light is usually burning dimly He does not touch it. Bureau drawers the doors of closets and wardrobes fly open at the touch of the jimmy, as if it were 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 everything that sparkles or shines is taken. It is tested afterwarI If decent haul is made on tho second floor the thief quietly departs as he came, put if he is not satisfied he will go higher and take his chances Once 1 in the street again the thief goes uncon- cernedly away so as not to attract attention, and then gets under s'cover" and waits until the robbery is stale before coming out. 'sSecond story" thieves are rarely, if ever, caught at work. In the olden time, when the men in this line were all known, It was usually easy to get them after o robbery. They are all new>men at it now, and the pc lice are at a loss which way to turn to cap ture them.-New York Tribune.