The morning times., 1896-02-13
HOME CROOKS DOING ALL
No Outside Gentry Here, Says In
spec.or Hollinbsrger.
Through Thirteen Houses and the
Aggregate Is Quite Large

In spite OF the assurances of the police
to the contrary, there is clearly a well
defined impression in the minds of the
public that Washington is getting more
Inan lher share OF burglaTies and similar
crimes, while less even. than the usual
number of crooks are called TO account
Commenting upon this fact recently, Pri-
vate Detective James McDevitt, one of
the best known and most successful thief
catchers in this section of the country,
said that the city was fun of professional
criminals from the larger cities of the
North, most of whom are unknown 10 the
local police, and who are consequently
permitted 10 roam around at their own
sweet will, unInolested and unmatched.
Inspector Hollinberger's attention was
called TO this statement, and to the prevail
ing Impression of the present state of the
city from a criminal standpoint: and he
said:
NOTHING EXTRAORDINARY.
For my part / have been unable TO see
anything out of the ordinary run in the
number of suspicious people in the city, and
when the number of robberes of any con-
sequence that have recently taken place
here is compared TO that of any other city
in the East, it shows that we are proper
tionately way ahead. There have been,
IL is true, more robbei les than usual OF late
but there is not the slightest reason to
doubt that we viii eventually get the
people who have done the work. But who
ever il doing il, is either boarding or
melting the stuff. None of it is being
disposed of, and that fact is what prevents
US from obtaining any clew that will
help US land the thief.
only a few days ago, though we
arrested two negroes, James Daniels and
Thomas Winfield, both well-known local
crooks and we succeeded in proving thir-
Singly they did not amount TO very much,
but taken in the aggregate they repre-
sented quite a large sum. AT present the
only cases of any Importance in which the
| thieves have not been arrested or the
property found, are those of the Brazilian
minister, Mrs. Gen. Anderson, and Mrs.
| Curry. We are still somewhat in the dark
| about these, but before long the people
| who did the work will drop some clew
| that will enable us to trace them.
Il don't think out-of-town people had
ANYTHING to do with the work. think the
| large robberies referred to were committed
| by one man. and that man was local
thief 1t will be noticed that only about
as much stuff as one man could have car
| ried away without exciting suspicion was
! stolen, while if there had been two to-
! gether. certainly some OF the rest of the
| valuable silverware that was left in all
three cases, would have been taken. AS
soon as the stuff is secured il is salted away
| somewhere and that is the difficulty. II
| an effort were made 10 dispose OF il, we
could recover il, and trace the thieves, but
| as long as they keep the stuff salted and
| lay low, we can do nothing.
AFTER RECEPTIONS.
Most of the recent robberies have taken
place just after there has been reception
at a house On such occasions the thieves
1 hos he Sily
| and il is generally two or three days before
| it is cleaned up and packed away again.
! They take advantage or this delay TO sail in
| and make haul. Thieves keep well posted
| On everything that pertains to their calling.
| They make business ofrobDery, and watch
| the newspapers as closely for tips as the
| race horse man, or the stock broker does.
| They can always find out from the papers
when a big reception has taken place, aud
whether there was an unusual display OF
| silverwaTe, and ii is IL e Information thus
secured that enables them 10 make theil
| biggest hauls.
.Ur course, If the force were larger
some 0f the recent robberies would un
! doubtedly have been prevented. All Of th
largest ones have occurred in the north
west section, within the Third precinct
which is the wealthiest residence part o
| the city. In that precinct there is no
| one-third the number of men that Their
should be to patrol the territory, and a
result, it should not be wondered a
that big robberieS are SO frequent. Ever.
effort possible is made by this office Il
prevent robberies, and to capture thieve
and recover property after they are made
but when we have nothing at all TO worl
on, we can hardly be expected TO make q
very big showing.
'.In spite of all this, however, i do no
think the city is oyerrun with crooks"