The herald., 1897-02-08
The BURGLARY SEASON
The Time for the Householder
to Be Wary
PLENTY OF PILFERERS
But The Expert Seldom Fav0rs the City
With His Presence
Inferior Offenders In Reality Sneak Thieves.
Origin Of the Term-lncresss Of Crime
Despite Educational Advantages

The city of Los Angeles Is just in the
middle of the burglary season. The
long dark nights afford the festive bur-
glar opportunity to pursue his vocation,
ard, when not actively emplayed, to work
abroad to mark out in advance objects
which he judges suitable for his enter
prise.
The burglars title is not derived from
early slang or thieves latin, but is a sur
vival from Anglo Saxon Jurisprudence,
in which burg breaking, or breaking
into castle or fortified inclosure, and
presumably carrying off stock and cat
tie, was recognized as distinct offense,
superior to that of raiding cattle from
the open fields. In either case. how
ever, the punishment of the thief was
the same-namely, death. AS early as
the tenth century the citizens of London
had formed themselves into a guild for
the purpose OF hunting down thieves,
and in connection Herewith was kind
of mutual insurance fund, which spread
the individual loss from theft over the
whole community. The prevalence of
cattle raiding in the western states gave
rise to somewhat similar organizations
in recent years, the provoking condi-
tions in either case being the same.
Such being his origin, the burglar is
d factor in the social condition of
community, and this class of criminals
are, strange as it may seem, recruited
from q class better educated and OF
greater mechanical skill than the
cracksmen of old, or those individuals
who follow other walks of crime. The
robberies of safes and strong rooms, of
jewelers. stores and other places of
treasure, require careful preparation,
and involve the possession of many tools
and implements. Wedges of the finest
tempered steel of varied sizes, drills,
capable of biting into the case hardened
steel of the thief proof safe, the jack
screw to work upon the purchase, in
geniously effected in connection with the
drill which tears the side of a safe
away in layers, these are some of the
tools used. Or, maybe, the "councilor''
is used-a Jimmy or crowbar of polished
steel, with sections to screw on and
increase the power of leverage, while
the still more formidable alderman" of
the same species, completes the work
of destruction
Such robberies are the work Of con-
siderable gangs, who must be able to
wait and watch for an opportunity The
fashioned professional term. must be
"readied' by scouting and watching.
The attempt must be timed to secure
the largest amount of plunder, and as
its execution is a work of time and con-
siderable labor, it is only such places as
are left for the night, and especially be-
tween Saturday and Monday, that offer
large chances Of success.
Burglars pursuing their profession on
such high plane as this are infrequent
in Los Angeles. the effort to break into
the First National bank being the only
case of note for some time In that case
however, work was carried on in ex-
cavating underneath the bank vaults
for months, and a heavy expenditure
of money must have been made in order
to purchase the tools necessary to carry
the scheme to completion. Breaking
into any premises constitutes the crime
of burglary, but the crime is divided
into two classes If the offense charged
has been perpetrated between the hours
of sundown and sunrise, then it is bur-
glary in the first degree; at any other
hour the crime is in the second degree.
Most of the burglaries in the city, how
ever. are perpetrated by men working
without any specific plan, but only in
tent upon laying hands upon something
which can be readily sold. According to
the ethics of the profession these oper-
ators fall within the category of SNEAK
thieves" rather than burglars. The lat
ter lays heavy odds against himself,
oftentimes carries his life in his hand,
is determined and ofttimes desperate.
The former take few chances and cut
and run at the first outcry. Charles
Sears, who has during the past week
been convicted of two burglaries, is a
fair example of the latter class who
work infinite damage but depend al
most entirely for success upon the alb
sence or timidity of the inmates of the
house into which they break.
Unfortunately it does not appear that
the spread of education has any effect
in checking the increase of these classes
of crime Nor has the severity of SEN
tence inflicted by the courts done any
more to it. The terrors of long term
in the penitentiary serves only, in the
case of the desperate burglar to incita
him to make sturdy resis-
tance to arrest and to add
the crime of murder to that of rob-
berry if in danger of capture. Indeed,
1t affords food for thought to tie moral
ist and the philanthrophist, as we'll as
the criminologist, in knowing that the
criminal class in the United States has
increased with rapidity altogether out
of proportion to the population. In Eng
land the reverse appears to have been
the case, for the last twenty years the
number of persons in prisons has fall
len from 10000 to 5000. No country in
the world expends so much money in
the cause Of education as the United
States, and yet these forms of crime
which are repellant to the well balanced
mind are not infrequently perpetrated
by men having enjoyed average educa-
tional opportunities.