Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-03-09
nEsPOILING HOUSES .

y very dmldDle ana lnlcillScNI gentle
man who is in a position to know, re-
Gently said in the hearing of Dispatch
man he believed that vacant houses here
suffered more from thieves than those Of
any other city in the country.
Whether this be exactly true or not,
the fact is indisputable that he who
leaves his house vacant. even for
day, runs great risk of having it robbed
of Icad-pipe. CRATES, gas-fxtures, etc.
To such an extent have these robberes
gone many persons say candidly that
they cannot afford to put their money
into real estate i'm Richmond.
Objectionable as is the excessive valua-
ton placed upon real estate here
at the last assessment we much doubt
If the evil thus done is as obnoxious 10
investors as the evil Of despoiling vacant
houses
What can be more veXatious than for
a man or woman who owns a house TO
visit the property a day or two after
it has been vacated and find that $40 or
so worth of stuff has been carried off
and sold to the junk-dealers or others
for a dollar or two? But bad as these
cases are. we doubt if they are so pro-
yoking as where ones house has been
despoiled by ones neighbours boys in pure
wantonness. To such an extent have
these things gone here they operate to
depreclate the vate of real estate-resi-
Dental real estate, especially.
OF the existence Of these evils we
think there can be no sort of doubt.
But should any one have mlsgivings as
to the facts as we state them. let him
interview any real estate agent or con-
siderable owner of residence property
here. and he will hear a story much
stronger than ours.
Now. what is the remedy? Are we to
sit i'm stupefied silence and have our
propertv plundered and wrecked, and
investors discouraged, or are we TO try
10 create a public sentiment which Will
bring relief? 1t would seem that the
latter would be the sensible course. But
the work can only be done by organiza-
ton. Property-owners will have to or
ganize and take measures so that such
thievery will become very dangerous TO
the thieves. Prosecutions must follow
without reference to the fact whether
the boy-rogue be the son of worthy
or an unworthy citizen.
We erieve &c have to say that some
Of these acts of vandalism and roguish-
ness are the works of boys Of respect
able parents. These boys can carry on
their work with the least fear of ar
rest. In the first place neighbors who
see depredations committed by such boys
will not report them. In the next place
junk-dealers feel that they are perfect
" justified in purchasing "plunder" from
boys of such standing.
All this must be stopped if we wish
20 make real estate investments here
profitable. Not day or night goes by
without some house being despoiled
either in pure wantonness, or for gain.
Yet. the number of convictions IS small.
Whose fault is this? We think it rests
upon the whole community.
The chief thing for US to do is to
arouse the public to The enormity OF the
evil. The next is to create a public
sentiment which will insist upon having
these boys reported whenever they are
known to have been guilty of the offences
I'm question.
When this time comes we shall find
neighbors giving information to the
police. Then We shall find the police
reporting the boys. And then we snail
see these bad boys punished as the law
prescribes. But until then, we fear the
work of -plundering will 80 on as
it has been going on for years.