The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-04-19
METHODS OF BURGLARS.
How They Dispose OF Bonds, Jewelry and
Precious Gems.


Precious Gems.
"A man must be good mechanic to
be burglar-a safe-blower, remarked
an old detective. He must have good
tools and know how to use them. Now.
if you had a drill and undertook to
drill hole through that stovepipe there
you would probably make mess of it.
How, then, is an unskillful man going
to make out when he has to drill
through the hardest steel? An expert
burglar must be a good mechanic, know
how to use his tools and where to work
on a safe. He has to do his work
quickly, and use a blow-pipe or
some other means of softening the steel.
The tools used by expert burglars, the
men who rob banks, are of the finest
workmanship. and kit costs $1,000 or
more. 1t takes some capital for one to
get start as a burglar.
DO these burglars get much of the
proceeds of their skill?" asked the re-
porter.
Now" said the detective, 1--WE will
suppose burglars rob bank safe in
Washington and get, we viii say,
100000 in negotiable bonds Chicago
d Northwestern, or something like that
bonds that are not registered. but
are numbered. The bank has list of
the numbers. They can not, you see.
dispose of the bonds in open market;
b,Yt thoxr will taba tho,,, ~ =, ,,,,,, ,x-,,o
will give them about one-third of their
value. If the bonds are worth par, he
will give them, say $50, 900 cash. That
is all they get. Now the man that buys
the bonds calls in another man skilled
in his line. who goes over them and
alters the numbers. For this he re-
ceives 10 per cent of the value of the
bonds, or $4,000. The man who bought
the bonds has paid out for them so far
$4,000. He may figure, you see. as a
respectable broker and easily handle
them himself After the bonds are
altered he calls in man known as a
layer down. 1t is this mans business
to dispose of or lay down the bonds.
For this he gets one-half of the profits.
He sells them at the full market value,
say 800. 600. and gets half of the $780,
900 remaining, after the money paid to
the burglars and to the man who
altered the numbers is deducted"
"But thieves who get diamonds and
jewelryP"
Wv ell, suppose" said the detective,
''that thief has got into mans
house and taken the mans watch,
worth, say. $3.50, his diamond stud
worth 500. his wife's diamond ear
rings. worth, say, $500, and perhaps a
diamond ring, too, making the value of
all about $1,000. He goes to fence,
who looks at the watch, calculates how
much the gold cases win amount to
when melted down. says he will have
to have new plate put on the works,
so as to alter the number of the watch,
aud finally gives $25 for it. He takes
the diamonds from the settings, ex-
amines them and weighs them, and
gives perhaps $50 for the stud, $50 for
the stones from the earrings, and so
on. making in all about $3.50 for the lot.
That is all the thief will get for his job
The settings of the stud and earrings
will be thrown aside. 1t is the stones
that are valuable. and, except in the
case of very large and valuable dia-
monds that are registered, no one could
swear positively to them after they are
reset. The fence, of course, has to
take risks, and many have to keep the
stolen diamonds for six months or
more. If tence becomes known,
thieves won't put any thing away with
him. If it is choice between two,
and one of the two conducts his busi-
ness so quietly that he has not been dis
covered, the thief will 60 to him,
though he knows he will get much
smaller sum for what he has to dispose
OF. "-Washington Star.