Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-01
did you ever again try to escape?" he

did you ever again try to escape" he
was asked.
Eyes, during the fifteen years term l
made several attempts BY digging through,
stuffing dummies, etc. But the beautifully
laid plans were all dismal failures. Once
| made very fine dummy, and even cut
| off some of my own hair TO give the Job an
artistic finish, but they tumbled to It."
How did you manage to get an extra
suit of clothes ?n
80, that's my profession-getting things
you know But the dummy was s
mighty good one, and it was kept for
long time as curiosity. 1t was so natu-
raj that oftentimes when looking at 1t
would actually take the dummy for N.Y.
| self and think | was the dummy"
The worker in darkness then launched
| into q free and easy discourse regarding
| his experience and the life of the burglar
| in general.
II have had long experience in the bus
iness,n he continued, land lave sees much
more of the bolts and bars than most men
care to see. l can say one thing, however,
! that many men in my line cannot say, and
that is, that in all my Experimentation
number many more than the law has any
knowledge OIL have never taken chances
on hurting any one.
ITO be sure, have frightened people
nearly to death sometimes, but it was a
mere b.uff-as it generally is with bur-
glar.
Il always hated to frighten the dear
| ladies, aud have made it g rule to be studi-
ously careful while prosecuting my bust
ness in sound of feminine snore. But
have frequently nearly choked with in
ward glee when some great big man was
sitting up in bed before me, shaking in his
mighty and trying TO persuade me that he
, didn't enjoy my company.
IL have never had a partner in my oper-
atoms. 1t is bad policy. Those who have
a lookout don't know their business
the lookout is apt to be observed and give
the whole thing away.
There are few finished burglars on the
coast. They are mostly green hands and 8
positive disgrace to the profession. Now
in the East you find many good ones
There they go IN more for big value-plate
furs, laces, jegelry, etc. These goods in
any quantity would be dead burden here
as it would be too hard TO dispose of them
For this we want big cities like New York
Boston and Chicago, where we can easily
find merchants who will pay IS per cent
of the value of the goods. Here mar
might not get over per cent, because the
BUYERS have become very timid, as so many
ness and through them many of the re-
ceiyers of the goods have become impli
Gated.
Detectives? Oh, they are not often any
good can enter house. cover up my
tracks on entering and leaving, and leave
everything as l found it-barring profes
sional appropriation-and the fly detective
will not be able to discover that any ont
has been prowling around. He will come
upon the scene the next day, in response t
a call, examine the house and yard care
fully and declare, with wise air, that thu
act was not done by any one on the out
side-and then poor All Foo or Mary Ann
or some other servant or member of thu
household, is under suspicion. No, thu
average California detective don't worry
me much.
1.-THE biggest haul I ever made was ii
Idaho. in '63 Mining camp; gold dust
$4,000. That's something like! A mar
in TIL line of business ought to clear $l5(
a day-but sometimes they don't"
Coogan then recounted a number of hi!
exploits A recital of them would max,
interesting reading for those who are curl
Gus as to the m0dts Operdadi of the success
full burglar, but it would amount to such
complete course of instruction in the ert 0
burglary that it would better be withheld
from the contemplation of our youth wht
have not yet fully determined upon thei
avocations.
The last Legislature, said Mr. Coogan
"passed law giving five years to maj
who should steal dog; making it burglary
in the first degree to steal chicken from {
chicken house attached to dwelling, anC
making it burglary for man to sleep in {
railroad car. The Legislatures are getting
pretty hard on us-too hard, conslderinl
the magnitude of their own stealings. They
ought to work on the time honored custom
of standing. in with their own kind ~
And with this parting and satisfactory
shot at the makers of the laws which b.
had so often trsnsgressed, the burgliny gen
tlenan gracefully bowed himself cut.