New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-22
PLAGUE OF BICYCLE THIEVES
MANY HARLEM WHEELS STOLEN.
DETECTIVES UNABLE TO CATCH THE ROBBERS
OR STOP THEIR WORK.


OR STOP THEIR WORK.
An organized gang OF bicycle thieves Is evidently mt
work this city mt present. and the police seem 70 DC
totally unable to stop their successful operations
The number Of machines which have been stoeh
within the last few weeks is astonishing, ana seem "
be on the Increase every day Cases are daily re-
ported at the different police stations, especially Oh
the West side OF the city, OF one or more machines
ranging In value from 800 to S175, having been
stolen and exceedingly small proportion oil them
are ever recovered. This sort OF thievlng has DC
come so common that several detective agencies
have made speciality Of trying to recover s'oleh
bicycles
"Thc number of machines which have been stolen
this spring Is simply astounding" said one OF these
detectives. Eve have never seen anything Ike IT,
and the list grow longer In proportion as the
season grows older Occasionally OF the thieves
Is caught but the percentage Of recovered bicycles Is
small"
He then showed the reporter description OF
machine which had been stolen only the day before
II cost the man from whom 1t was taken $40 Only
day or two before 1t carried of. and he had used
the wheekOnly once Just a day or so before that
man and his wife had bought two wheels and kept
them In the storeroom OF fiat house. together with
a number OF other machines. Goth the new machines
were taken, but the Others were not touched on that
raid Of the thieves. bicycling seems to be more
popular this season than il has been before In THIS
city and the neighborng towns. and In this fact the
thieves find rich harvest. good many new
machines are bought and the members OF The gang
WHO are stealing them appear to be well Informed
about many OF the purchases.
The inference naturally Is that the man who will
steal bicycle expects TO sell H. Under the present
system Ct the detectives who make business OF getting
back stolen bicycles 1t is difficult to dispose OF them
to the dealers at home, and consequently the thieves
have to send them to other city far enough
away to be sure that Of the notices which the
detective sends out will not reach the place. To H.
lustrate this more fully the following is copy OF one
of these circulars. which was actually sent out a
day or 50 ago. describing machine which was recently
lost from the storeroom of fiat uptown:
PLEASE POST CONSPlCCOUSLY.
In here "a cut OF the stolen machine Is printcdD
STOLEN
One 1890 Columbia Light Roadster safety, No.
diton Can be identified by slight scratch on both
left handle bar and handle- made by falling; - -
Any person giving information that Will lead 10
the recovery of the wheel will be literally rewarded
copy OF this letter is sent TO every dealer and to
every bicycle club In the vicinity N the city. Tho
fact that so few wheels recovered leads TO the
belief that the gang has confederars in other Cities
to whom the machines are sent TO be Sold and the
wheels which stolen In other places are brought
here to be disposed Of
Unfortunately also there Is another channel through
which the thieves dispose Of their stolen property
There are not few people In the world who. IL
good article Is Offered 10 them ut all exceedingly low
price, do not TO ask where 1t came from. No
doubt exists In the minds OF those who have looked
into the matter all tina, many Of the stolen machines
are disposed OF In this way There IS not the slightest
doubt however. that many Of the persons who ad
vertise wheels for sale through the newspapers are
the legitimate owners OF the property which they
offer for sale, and II is also equally true that
many Of the who buy machines from the ones
who advertise them do 50 In perfect good faith. aud
without thought that the wheels which they buy
might have been stolen The fact that homes, men
quite often take this means Of disposing Of their
wheels makes 1t all the easy for the dishonest
ones pursue the same course.
The difficulty which the thieves sometimes have Of
getting rid Of their booty without danger to them
selves is Illustrated BY the experience Of man,
who recovered his wheel In small parts through n
junkdealer. notice similar to the one printed
happened TO he sent to dealer in old metal. one
day a Young man appeared at the place Of the junk
dealer with the wheel and one or two other parts
Of bicycle and wanted TO sell them for what they
worth for old metal The dealer happened TO
think Of the circular and he consulted 1t. on tho
single wheel which offered for sale he found a
number corresponding with the number Of the bicycle
which the circular said had been stolen.
lie bought the wheel for a trife and asked
the seller how he came by il. lie replied that he
had found 1t In the garnet Of house into which his
family had moved recently. The dealer told him that
II he had any more such truck lie would be glad 10
buy It, The same young man returned several times
within the next month or two with different parts
of the bicycle, until he had brought the whole of the
machine which had been stolen, with the except IN
of a few small unmportant pieces which had been
lost In taking the wheel TO pieces. The machine
was put together and finally restored to the from
whom IL lad been stolen.
The condition Of affair which cOnfronts bicycle
riders Is exaspcratng. Many Of them III afford
to lose S133, and often the machine has been bought
by s"erieng so;d deal n ana the h los Of the
up riding entirely, lis he cannot an0rd 10 buy another
wheel The losses often fall on those who can least
afford to bear them. also. Many men and women,
such teachers, boOkkcepers and the Ike whose
poymcnt keeps them indoors most Of the time, have
taken to bicycle riding as means Of leathlul ex-
crc,e, and the fact Is undsput'd that the exercise
taken In this way has heightened many lives The
people who ride for the sake OF their health almost
always keep their wheels at their homes. not only
Or the sake OF economy, but also because II is more
convenient OF many persons Of this kind
with limited incomes live In flats. and their bicycles
are usually kept In the storeooms IN the Easements
fact that the thieves have had such harvest.
bicycle Is particularly portable article scarcely
anything which thief can get his hands on, outside
Of iewcry. will bring so large an amount Of money
for its size as bicycle of the first class Although.
as has been said, innumerabc complaints have been
made TO the different stations on the West SIDE
peciay those above Fifty ninh-st. the police seem
Of the evil growing less it is increasing every day
Several big dealers who make business both OF selling
anything to compare with the present
dltion Of affairs. One Of the largest dealers the
lower entrance TO Central Park said that he received
"a notice from one another Of the detectives who
make speciality Of recovering machines almost every
day and many other losses reported to his Office
through other channels.
No doubt" he said. "inendng buyers Of second
hand machines could do considerable In the way OF
detecting offenders Of this sort by simply making few
inquiries when wheel Is Offered 10 then by
stranger. All they would have to do would be 10
go 10 the nearest respectable dealer and ask 10 be
allowed TO inspect the circulars which he had file.
But the trouble Is. there n good many people
In this city. as well ms In other Places who do not
like 10 allow their cOnscicnces Ia cheat them ont OF
a good bargain. All honest dealers are OF cor-se as
anxious to stop this thieving anyone as IL In
lures their business seriously"
THE LAKEWOOD SEASON NEARLY ENDED.
Lakewood. n. j., MAY 81 (Specal-Thc season Is