The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-08-04
THE VACATION
CITY BURGLAR
A Gang Of Providers Who
Keep Posted on
Society.
Several Houses in the Fashion
able Part Of the City
Visited.
Dwellings Ransacked With Profess
sional Skill and in Most OAR
ing Manner.

The Society burglar" is the new name
given by the police to class OF profes-
sional house providers who have during
this summer made themselves conversant
with the doings OF the Four Hundred.
The custom Of the festive society house
thief" is to become acquainted with the
residences of the fashionable people either
through the medium of the servant or
some of the tradespeople who call there
and then lay their plans to raid the house.
With the knowledge already gained of the
house at which the servants are absent
nothing is easier to the expert at house
breaking than to gain an entrance
through one of the back windows. Once
inside the course is clea1. so far as the
family is concerned, and the thief can take
his time in his examination OF the con-
tents of the storerooms and closets.
This class of thefts has been very num-
erous during the summer all through the
Western Addition.
One OF the latest housekeeping raids
made by the festive society burglar was
at the residence of Jacob Isaacson, 9O4
O'Farrell street, the proprietor OF the
drugstore al the corner of Geary and Lar
kin streets, whose family was absent at
the springs.
The house was in charge of the servant
girl, and during her absence one evening
last week it was visited by the festive
burg lar, and about thousand dollars
worth of property was packed up ready to
be removed, when Mr.. Isaacson and gen.
tleman friend returned home abont 8
O. clock in the evening. On trying the
front door to gain admission they found
the inside door-ehain made fast in such a
manner as to bar their entry. This, with
the upstairs rooms all lighted, caused
them TO suspect that something unusual
had taken place. They called the girl by
name, but receiving no answer fastened
TO gain an entrance by the back door.
While they were going round TO the alley
way for this purpose the thieves slipped
out the front door and made their escape,
running up O'Farrell street toward Van
Ness avenue.
An examination of the rooms showed
that every closet and bureau in the
house had been ransacked. As it was the
thieves carried away two sealskin sacques
belonging to Mrs. Isaacson, an overcoat
and dress suit belonging to Mr.. lsaacson,
| as we'll as two umbrellas and gold
J headed cane, which were in the hatrack
downstairs. SuS plcIOH is dttacueu " w.
young men who were seen lettering aboui
| the street IN the vicinity OF the house some
| time previous to the burglary,
Several other houses in the Western
Addition have been visited by thieves dur
ing the summer while the families have
been absent in the country. In ma or-
ity of the cases no complaint has been
made to the police as the parties affected
could not with any certainty tell the time
that their premises had been entered, and
as a consequence put up with the loss
rather than make any complaint with the
chances of not recovering their property
and at the same time be subject to the au-
noyance of dancing attendance at the
notice courts.