The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-02-22

Clever Devices by Which They often Out
wit the Private Watchman.

Early on recent rainy morning
polio eman STANDING in a doorway on
west Broadway saw ,wo men walking in
he shadow OF the elevated read. Each
carried I large and heavy bundle, aud
they paused frequently TO rest 1t was
not yet o'clock, and he policeman
thought it suspicious that they should be
carrying parcels at such IN hour, 50 he
hailed them.
Where are you going with those
bundles?" he asked. as no stepped out
Of the doorway.
Their only answer was 20 drop the
bundles and run at breakneck speed
through a side street The Policeman
pulled his revolver as he started in pur
suit and yelled 10 the men 20 stop. They
simply ran faster, and the bullets he sent
after them went wide Of the mark. The
runners were light-footed. and increased
the distance between them and their pur
suer 50 rapidly that the latter abandoned
the chase Returning TO the bundles he
whstled for assistance and with the ala
Of the policeman who responded 10 his
call ne carried them to the police-station.
There they were opened and were found
to contain a quantity Of silk dress goods.
Later in the day IL was learned that these
had been stolen from a wholesale store
I'm Worth street, for the owners came to
the station and identified them. The pre-
cinct detectives hunted for the thieves
for several days, but without success and
then Inspector Mclaughlin made an in
vestigation. He found that the thieves
had entered the store by means Of skele-
ton keys during the absence Of the watch
men. They had worked with neatness
and dispatch, and had left no clue OF
any kind as TO their Identity The In
spector concluded that they were experts
and that sooner or later they would
come into his hands.
store thieves of this class said the
Inspector to the sun reporter, "are among
the cleverest crooks we have to deal with.
Their methods are as slick as creased
machinery. and yet they have all the dar-
ing OF the burglar. They are always
original and as fast as one trick Is dis
covered they invent another Formerly
they used To work chiefly at night, but
now they nearly always operate in the
early morning. They frequently take
great bundles. so big II is all they can
do TO carry them. They walk boldly out
into the street with them and take their
chances Of being nabbed. The police rule
TO arrest anybody seen late at night with
a parcel which he cannot account for
is what made them abandon night opera
tiOns. They think they can deceive a po-
liceman better by waiting until daylight.
They pretend to be workmen, and ia
vorite excuse when questioned is that
they are moving.
Very rarely do they use force in enter
ing a building. If the latter Is not
guarded they pick the lock of door or
window and enter in that way When
there is a porter or Waterman around.
they usually concoct some scheme 10
get him away long enough for them 10
do their work clever trick. which
worked for a long time. but has been
abandoned for newer devices was this
One of the fellows would drop a f1ve-dol1ar
gold piece through the grating In front OF
the store into the basement. Then he
would arouse the Waterman and tell
him that while counting his money he
had dropped the coin. and wouldn't he be
kind enough 10 let him go down and get
1t? Nine times out of ten the Waterman
would either grant the permission or else
volunteer TO get the coin himself. In
the former case. the theirs pals would
contrive to unfasten n door or window
and ransack the place while ne would
be in the basement with the Waterman;
In the other event the thief would talk
TO the Waterman through the grating TO
delay him as much as possible while his
confederates were at work in the store.
II the Waterman could be delayed long
enough the goods were stolen at once.
II not the thieves secreted themselves
about the store and waited for a chance
10 get the booty and skip while the watch
man was asleep or in remote part Of
the building. Many a business firm has
been robbed by the gold coin trick, and
1t is worked occasionally even now
New York Sun.