The Sunday morning news., 1891-12-13
HOW TO TRAP BURGLARS
A Company That Helps You
to Do the Business.
HINTS FOR WISE DETECTIVES
Let Them Get themselves Con
nected With the Wires and
Then They'll Always
Be On Hand.

Inc S0Oer and lDduSCrlOuS burglar Is
each year encountering new difficulties
In the practice of his profe ,sion. In years
gone by the midnight guest needed only
to open a window to secure the wealth Of
silver the pantry contained, or to select
such articles in shop, and other places
that suited his fancy. Those days no
longer exist aud the burglar of to-day
who has kept up with the time fiads it
necessary to be a scientist, mathe-
matician, machinist and mechanical
draughtsmnu. He must also have a
knowledge of electricity.
This last essential requirement OF the
prosperous and enterprising burglir has
beeu caused bv the use OF electricity as a
tlief catcher. Burglar alarms are now a
necessity in every large city and they
have been the principal cause of the
great decrease In the number OF large
burglares aud the low ebb of the finances
of the eminent artists who operate on
banks and large stores.
In this city the managers of banks and
large business houses have taken advan
tage of The burglar alarm system to pro-
tect their property. In no two places are
the means for the detection Of an int uder
alike, Each contrivance is ingenious,
aud no person, not even the proprietor OF
the store. can enter the doors or windows
without being detected Then again
there are scores OF traps set in the store
which render it impossible for person TO
walk around without setting the electric
current in motion and bringing police.
man to the place.
ONE INGENIOUS DEVICE.
One place where he burglar alarm is
used Is Rochat's j.welry store. Each
night the valuables in this store are
placed In huge safe. When the safe is
locked a wooden cabinet Is placed over It,
This cabinet is full of wires which are so
arranged that ii a burglar succeeded in
gaining an entrance to the store without
detection he would not open the safe.
The very moment he should attempt to
do so he would disturb some of the wires,
which would cut off the circuit and ring
loud bell in the Office of the Burglar
Alarm Company. Should the intruder
attempt to cut through the sides or back
of this cabinet he would meet the same
difficulty.
In the dry goods store of prominent
firm in the city each night before the
place is closed scores of silk threads sc
fine as to be scarcely discernahle in day
light are strung ABOUT the store These
are connected with the burglar alarm,
aud should person gain an entrance TO
out breaking one of these threads. II. by
miracle. he did do this and hegan to
handle goods op the counters he woult
disturb other traps which would lead tt
his detection. So it is. Each place has Il
burglar alarm different from that in use
elsewhere
EXTENT OF THE BUSINESS
Mr.. Thomas Pratt, manager of q
burglar alarm company in his city. said
yesterday that he protected twenty-five
business places the year round. and In the
summer hundreds of houses that were
closed while their tenants were in the
country.
.sThe system we use," said Mr.. Pratt.
"is that of a single special wire grounded
at eacn end. 1t is impo sible to tap it.
The instant person touches any of the
trans connected with the wire circuit is
opened and an electric bell continues to
ring in our Office until We stop it. The
person who entered the store would not
know the alarm had notified u.s. AS soon
as the bell notifies us that some one has
entered Il building Charlie Mcbride. who
has special police power, either goes di-
rect to the place or else goes to the police
station and gets policeman to 60 with
him. Together they enter the store and
a careful search is made of tina premises.
III burglar is found there he is capture l..
dead or alive, as the case may be. It is
generally alive.
Every frequently we have tricks played.
on us bv tuose who use the alarm, to
make sure the service is good. They will
unlock the door of the s ore and 90 in aud
then wait to see If the alarm reached us.
The majority of the proprietors of stores
protected by our system leave a key with
Us so that we have no delay in gaining an
entrance
Charlie Mcbride, who has been in the
Inn r..
ings at night for burglars for fifteen years,
has had many cnriOus adventures