The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-01-18
AMONG The CROOKS.
How They Begin Operations in a
Strange City.

How They Begin Operations in {
Strange City.
Intelligent people, who have Civ
en- the subject a few moments
thought, often wonder how thieves
and professional robbers come into
town in which they are compare
tive strangers and do their work
with as much ease and grace as in
town of which they are familiar
with every nook and corner.
The only disguise thief assumes
when he gets into tight quarters, is
a kind of self-restraint that has a
tendency to give him an unusual ap.
pearance. When a crook comes into
a town where he has no pals OF
pointers to guide him in looking
for '.job," it Will take him eight or
ten days to get on the clay of the
land" and work in an intelligent
manner. Only in the cases of those
who look forward to doing protract-
ed work in city does that apply.
If he be "housema an" land only
the smooth finished of their kind
can make a success of that line J, he
will secure lodging in some respect
able locality outside of the district
which he intends to work, or may
stop at one of the frst-class hotels,
if he is unknown, and will devote a
large part of his time, both day and
night, to going carefully over the
residence part of the, city before
opening the battle. He will take a
careful survey of the fastenings that
are in general use for windows and
doors, the probable location of the
sleeping apartments of the family
in one particular house and their
usual hour of retiring.
A graft that is usually employed,
is going from house to house in
quiring for "Mr. Smith," or an
equally mythical Jim Brown" or
selling burglar alarms, furniture
polish, etc., his object being but to
get glimpse of the workings of the
house. Next he will probably keep
watch on the police patrolling
that part of the city, and before he
goes to work it is dollars to dough
nuts he will know their beats as
we'll as they do themselves. These
seemingly trivial, yet indispensa-
BILE, preliminaries gone through, he
will "get down to business" first
securing a room in some safe part
of the city for the storage of his
plunder. Then look out Amy nigh,
after that may witness him jumping
out and burglarizing a half dozen
houses. This he may keep up but
one night, or may continue it until
the amount of swag will pay him to
leave town.
AS a general rule a good house.
worker will only work two nights
in succession in each city. The blue
coats are on the qui vive when {
series of burglaries are committed
extending over period of several
days, and an arrest or his farewell
visit" would almost necessarily
mean a conviction for the preceding
offenses.
A crook, if he is at all fly or cup
to the game" will never dispose OF
the plunder in the same city that il
is "taken off" in. 1t is either sent
to the "fence" direct, or to some pal
who will carry it there for him
Very little is realized by burglars
from the things they steal from
| dwelling houses. A $500 sealskin
sacque will probably net $25 for the
"boss." Diamonds are nearly as
good as the cold cash, as they are
taken out of the setting and sold to
jewellers or diamond brokers, who
usually pay their full value. How
ever, if they are of unusual size and
brilliancy, it is not thought safe to
put them on the market for some
time after they are stolen, and con-
sequently many curious hiding
places are devised in which to Sc
crete them until the proper time
comes for them to be disposed of.
In western city several years ago
man was arrested on suspicion OF
having been implicated in series
of burglaries Of which the police
and detective force Of that city were
unable to get at the bottom. They
we're convinced, however, by the
manner in which the work was done
that the operator was "profesh, .
and a thorough search was made Of
the suspect. They discovered moth.
ing unusual about him, until all ex-
animation of his neckweal was
made, and as the officers were going
through his necktie one of the num-
Der noticed thas the scarfpin which
it contained was exactly like one he
had lost several weeks previous
He examined it more carefully, and
was struck with its unusual weight
1t appeared to be an ordinary gold
ball attached to pin, but the ball
was so heavy that an investigation
was deemed advisable. The pris-
oner naturally protested against
such action, saying that the pin was
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