The morning news., 1897-03-28
CHICAGO THIEVES.
What They DON'T Know About Plum
dering II Not Worth Knowing.
From the Chicago Record.

dering II Not Worth Knowing.
From the Chicago Record.
If there Is anything in or around Chicago
that is not liable to be stolen. just name it.
Think Of the things which seem to be be-
yond the garnerlng of thieves-air, sun
light water.
Why a man on the West Side tapped
his nelghbor's ventilating shaft and stole
: fresh air for his workshop and became de-
fendant in damage suit.
Sunlight is the greatest luxury in town.
A tenant on the top floor OF an office build
ing put up an awning which shaded the
skylight and thus robbed the poor people
on the lower floors of their small allowance
of sunshine. He was denounced a thief,
and he had to give back the light.
AS for water, were not some wealthy
packers accused Of tapping the city mains
and using thousands of dollars worth OF
lake water?
Real estate is supposed to be safe from
hold-up' men and sneak thieves. but It
snt.
One day, several years, ago. Inspector
John d. Shea, then lieutenant, was sit
ling In a West Side police station. when
mis- friend and fellow-countryman, Tom
rully, came in.
Il have a new kind OF case for you,
Jack" said Mr.. Tully.
"Yes? What is it2"
They've shtolen me lot"
stolen your lot? How is thatT
"We.L they've shtoien 1t. and they
haven't. It's there and yet 1t amt there. "
IL seemed that Mr. Tully had purchased
a lot in an outlying street. He had no,
looked at the property for many months
| one day he went out to inspect his STRIP
Of land and see II the neighborhood was
building up. He found that his lot had
been excaVated to a depth of seven feet
so that Instead OF a building lot he had
a large cellar with puddles Of water and
a scattering of tomato cans and broken
| bottles
Any man can be a burglar or a footpad
| but Il requires an ingenious and inventive
person TO steal real estate and growing
/ crops.
Did not a band Of pastoral thieves de-
scend upon a ten-acre patch Of timothy
hay southwest Of the stock yards?
They came with a moving machine, a
horse rake, forks and wagons. They
made hay while the sun shOne and hauled
| il away on racks. When the owner OF
! the land arrived TO gather his crop he
| found only a few stray ieavings Hun
| dreds OF people had seen the thieves at
work, but no one had suspected anything
| There were no arrests.
More than one truck farmer has had his
| field OF cabbages stripped bare In a sin
! gle night and this, too, within the corpor-
| ate limits OF city where policemen are
supposed 10 be on patrol duty all the time
In some parts of Chicago and especially
\ during the cold weather, an unoccupied
| house vii. be demolished In less than a
week unless Il Is guarded. First, the
| fence pickets are taken. then the side
walks disappear, then the clapboards and
/ window sashes are pulled loose. In more
I than one instance a house has been razeo
TO the ground and used, piece at time
| for hrewOOd.
The subdivision boomers. who lay side
/ walks on the prairles, find that they must
use cement A wooden sidewalk goes foi
| kindling wood
Building sand left In piles Is Liable TO b,
loaded up and hauled away Bricks have
market value, also, and young trees car
be taken up and transpl0