The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-12-27
WHY CHICKENS BOOST H1aa.
How Expert Chicken Thieves Steal
and Avoid Detection.
From the Washington Star.

From tie Washington Star.
ayes, this is a good season Of tire year
for chicken thieves" echoed Detective
Block the other day. when reporter spoke
70 him about that class Of criminals
But" he added, there hasn't been SO
many cases Of chicken stealing lately as
there used to be. Reports Of that particu-
lar sort of stealing are few and far between
Now and then. however, three or four fobs
are done IN as many nights, ard then moth
ing IS heard from the chicken man
for long time. This is just the time of
the year for them TO operate. but
this year there seems TO be a scarcity of
such thieves or els chickens are not SO
plentiful Those who are called chicken
thieves do not Coufne themselves 70 robbing
chicken houses, but they steal all sorts OF
fowls, turkeys, duc1s or chickens. And,
strange 10 say. this class of offenders CON
nne their stealing chiefly 70 fowls Seldom
40 they steal Other articles, and very few of
them, indeed, are a4-round thieves
How do they manage % rob q house of
all lis fowls without Masking noise enough
10 arouse the owner OF the fowlsF7 the re-
porter inquired
Easy enough was the reply. $40 use
their language, tley charm tle fowls be-
fore they attempt 70 leave the premises with
them. even II their heads have 70 be taken
OF. Ne thieves VINO are claSSei arnorC the
good ones, or those who thoroughly under
stand their business. seldom Ia se away a
live chicken, unhaSs the number captured is
very small Sometimes" continued the de-
tective. ''the thieTes use sulphur 10 Strangle
the fowls with, sni i acts like q charm.
They use box OF blCe-head matches. which
they dampen and rub against their hand so
that the fumes OF sulphur that ariSe get into
the lungs OF the fowls and prevent them
Tr-,r~N win
alarm whatever. Than the burglar stretches
IN his arm AID collects the fowls one by
one
"Eve-ybOdy,7 said the detective, "cans
steal caickeaS There seem 20 De some
peculiar qualifications necessary to make a
man an exper. st the business. An expert
thief knows veil the necessity Of always
keeping %. Of sealiing water on the stove
81 home, 50 tha- when lie returns with his
plumber he can get the feathers OF them and
prepare them for market as SOol as possible
Then he knows that the means of identified
zion bsvs beel destroyed. Often when
such ? robbery Is committed early in the
morning the chickens are On q bench in
market before t6eY are cold
Many 4 night on nv tours through the
city l have scAelled smoke from burning
feathers s1d been satisfied that the feathers
were plcze1 from stolen fowls and were
being burned 70 destroy their value as evil
dsnca
In order - convict 3 chicken thief il is
necessary 70 catch him alroSs in the act or
else catch him few minutes after he has
mmittei tie theft he hiss an advantage
over al other classes Of thieves IN being
able 70 destroy the evidence against himself
IN 8 very few minutes And they are
harder 70 csccA- When thew start out 10
make haul they always locste the officer
On he beat sCd The sergeant on duty before
going. and ley can pretty well judge Of
ths officers Whereabouts when their JOB is
finished
''The-e was noted chicken thief here
occs who operated long time before be
was cGuSot. and he did his Stealing in such
3 systematic manner that its wonder he
ever did get caught. But he was often sus-
psctsd and watched He kept clear OF the
Officers for s long time. bat 3 job wss finally
DIT up o. hin aud he SAs captured After
locating tSs plsca re intended 10 rob he
would re1lsl1 II some secluded place until
be heard the sergeant on Ihs beat blow and
the o1ics- szsws-. In that way he could
+ easily locsts bo.h man. ami than ne would
maze s break for the piacs where the
+ chickens we're. After getting them in his
osE lie would remain there uotil the hour
E q midnight. Saen ne knew the Officers were
+ changing 81 tns station. ami then he woali
rll bona
But Cce night we hal his house watched
sid 5s ca--e running slong. Over the fence
into lbs yard rs t9rew s large bundle and
Z tcs1 he went - tue house. Mhsa enc OF
f re oAss-s Questioned him as - what he
f threw lDt0 tGs yard ha decias 81 that be hsd
E %. been Or: e tie 1CuSe and that he had
f besl working al tbs evening. he was
f SHOEMAKER Or trade and was hammeriaG
away - = pair O shes when we entered.
T TIE bundle cs had thrown over he fence
was examined AM il proved 70 he bag o.
E cElcke-s
'-Tcsvs Vas Acosher cid cola-si man WI
wzs to-d o. cAieks-s. he always carried a
I bag vita hin zn1 2, Vas CITED remarked
TIA. Z - -. @SWl ;.s lag chieksas ~oald
Wax --.1 q.
~I.s s-1EzlA-. cozci11Sd tie officer,
''s1A. Fr1p -s al .sxs sle1 desperate
E cez1ers .1r sDG4 aGloaus q plumber, aAa
Nls1 E@e p-ss-lllfy q 5 long term u I'm
+ pTislaGe-. That sart z sealing Ia tie
E-gss lll-s . fa,1 ~ i6a LglssbEezki.s
ar, 49, - E--z---n p4-Alty : ssTsl
T ysars
LrFv-E htre1rz azs q ss1sarF Was 80 Is hzr
. rF- a. s-- ~ c.--F gay So 49, % 1er
Ea2sT
aa@er - MaE as3es htaiau
- wa14if e. II sac.
Sc 49, ~ r. rsls q sF.teHg
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