The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-08-14
EXPERT THIEEING.
HOW PRIVATE HOUSES ARE WORKED
9y INGENIOUS CROOKS.

4 @0&MG - ass y &MA&Wh3AGA ~
Deceive the Cautious-Calling For Arti-
cles yust Delivered--A Cunning Came In
Connection with Lost Articles.
During the cold weather of the early
part Of the year an eastern lady visiting
at q well known house in the heart of
the city ordered from q prominent fur
rier q costly wrap of Russian sable. Al
terations in the garment were necessary,
and as they would require time and the
lady was about returning east she re-
quested her hostess to receive the wrap
and forward it to her. The long box was
delivered on the promised day, and the
sable wrap was just being packed for ex-
pressage when the front door bell again
pealed sharply, and a message, purport-l
ing to come from the f~urrier, was
brought. 81
nc was to the effect that m alteration,
particularly directed, had been over
looked. The furrier requested the return
Of the garment and the mistake would
be rectifed that same afternoon. The
huge box was about to be intrusted to the
messenger when q fortuitons impulse
came TO It's guardian. She returned word
tothe messenger that she declined totake
The responsibility of permittipg anything
80 valuable to be taken away without Q
written order, but would herself call at
the furrier's the following morning.
That call confirmed suspicious. The
furrier had authorized no one to recover
the wrap. It was easy to draw conclu-
sions.
Again, and yet more recently, q lady
resident of West Walnut street found on
her return home one mild afternoon that
a valuable jewel watch had fallen from
it's chateIaine and left no traces behind.
That evening her husband FASTENED TO
have the loss advertised in the morning
papers. At breakfast the Lost and
1 Found" columns were carefully read.
The valuable chatelaine watch was de.
scribed in the "Lost" lines, and 10 the
Joy Of husband and wife another lad"
was found detailing the discovery Of a
lady's jeweled watch ON the street In the
same vicinity. Mr.. and Mrs. Smith, as
they may be called, were still discussing
breakfast and the lost watch when a
man was announced.
about q lost watch" SO ran his mes
sage, picked mp the previous evening
ON the pavement below"
my watch, I'm confident" she ex-
claimed, springing from her chair.
$50 you said a few moments ago, when
You read the Found advertisement" re
monstrated her husband. But she hur.
ried through the doorway, the caution,
BE careful what you say" ringing in
her ears.
"You lost q watch; I found one" SO
the Describe yours, please
Mrs. Smith did so, while the stranger
kept his left hand closed, seemingly, oyel
the lost .trinket.
aYour watch number that 4 mus
have = continued the man as she hnished
q brief but clear description. Quite I'm
pressed by his concise, businessike man
ner. she consulted q card On which she
had Intellectually jottsd down her treas
ure's number. The man repeated tha
figures slowly after her.
"After all, this doesn't appear 70 b
your watch he said coolly, exhibiting
cheap tinepiece of rolled gold.
Grumbing over the wasted moments
she. quickly donned her street snit anG
hastened to the neighboring house IRON
where the ..Found' notice had issued
She was met on the Threshold by thu
neighbor herself, whose excited greeting
was:
s.c. a. ea~%,,.a%a ErAovs
Of your beautiful watch. Bridget saw
shining on the pavement as she was light
ing the yestibule lamp. When youl
brother called 90 minutes or SO ago, w
were as pleased to give him the watch q
he was to get it. OF course we were care
full to have it described, which he dis
accurately, giving the exact number,
etc.
Mrs. Smith is still minus her prett.
jewel, but she has learned a costly Les
son.
The audacity of these house thieves l
often really amusing. They will 60 3
any extent and take the greatest risk q
accomplish their ends. One more exam
pie like the aforementioned, q true one
In a commodious down town residences
valuable ornament In the library is
bust OF Andrew jackson, cut in s0iia
marble by q master hand. The house
head, now in the great majority ranks
was q man noted for his wide sympathie
and generous views. 1t did not exeit
!, much comment at his house when On
j day, q couple Of men called and state
! that the colonel had directed them I
! carry the jackson bust to his Office, no
, far distant, where,i II was to figure 10 g
, early political demonstration.
The ladies Of the family were not Q
home, but an old Irish woman, who BIC
for years been D fixture In the kitchen
caught sight Of the bust as il was bein
carried out Of the door. She was q
tached to the family abe had served !
: long, their interests were hers, and Sd
managed to gain npon the two men, VIII
were hurrying down the street, bul
dened with the heavy marble.
You take that figger right back to u
house, Z commanded the aproned captail
take it back, or I'll call a perleec.
3 man. Ell the colonel wanted that 81
rer. he'd a-written fur it. You kerr