Evening star., 1898-01-15
Fine Art of Getting Off With Porta-,
BILE Property.
The Way Good Animals Tempt
the EviIIy inclined.
GOOD STORIES OF STEALING
Frcm the London Spectator.

| was one OF norse-steallng, in which the
Judge and prisoner discussed the social
| aspects Of this offense. Fifty years ago.
remarked the Judge, you would have been
hanged for this Then perhaps fifty
| years later 1t won't be a crime at ALL" was
| the prisoners rejoiEder
| 1t is just possible that this suggestion
may come true. though not on the lines OF
| evolution suggested by the Yorkshire horse
| thief. Already the bicycle offers the same
| temptations which induce one particular
| and well-kncwn form of horse-stealing, in
| which tie thief Is seized with a sudden and
| irresistible desire to possess himself of
| property which is ''one better than port
| able property, inasmuch Ii will carry
| him far from the scene OF his crime. But
| apart from this paroXysmal form pro-
| fessional AMI organized horse-stealing is
| common now as seventy years ago. when
| the stage coachmen used 70 aid the Bow
| street runners by looking out for stolen
| horses, which they passed when driving
| their coaches. On the whole II is more COM
mon than dcg-stealirg, because there is a
| greater demand for the class of horses
| usually stolen. and these are purchased by
buyers not nice in inquiriug how they were
| come by.
| A Life Work.
| Still 1t is rather surprise to near of a
| man of sixty-one who has spent thrty-one
years of his life in gaol for horse-stealng-
1
| victed four years ago. and sentenced 10 4
| three years penal seryitude He usually
| stole valuable horses, and was believed TO
| have means of disposing Of them at a good
price. The animal which led to his last
| conviction was valued at t4o. and was
| stolen from field near Stanmore. When
| recovered it was well disguised. with tail
| clipped and name ''hogged" so II was most :
! unlikely to be recognized. Ii is most
| wise TO leave out at night in any field
| within short distance of London horses
| of the class which can be put into light
carts and gigs. unless the gates are soidly
! fastened and the fences wired. The follow
! ing Is a typical case: A Stahleman and z
| laborer were indicted for having stolen n
| horse, the property of baker. The baker
! used to turn his horse out i'm a field att
| Tottenham, and one morning found that It
| had disappeared The baker went 10 the
| cattle market next day. possibly to buy
| another horce. but probably thinking that
| his own might be on sale there. He saw 1t
| Being driven there, was introduced to the
| soi-disant owner. bought ii for four pounds,
| took receipt for it. and then handed over
| the horse and its vendor to the police. The
| result was the man who sold it. and the
| stable boy, who had only been requested
! to fetch. the horse, were found guilty.
| The frequency of his kind of horse-steal-
| ing round Lordon may be judged by any
| enc who will real the notices OF horses
| lost. stolen, or strayed," posted at the
| police statiors.
| For FroIic.
|
| cart to sailors on leave is obvious. especial
| ly when the animal is standing invitingly
| in the street, apparently only needing a
| driver. This explains the occasional ap-
rearance of sailors under the rather sensa-
| tionai charge of stealing horse and
| trap" But the story told by seaman
not men-o'-war's man-who was convict
| ed at the Preston sessions paints the horse
| in the light of tempter. and himself the
| victim. The prisoners account of the
| nSapfiOp b.4fta
| narrative form than the report which We
| tranScribe, which ran follows: THE
| night was fine, and the dew falling. Pass
| ing through Garstang L came across the
| mare and as it seemed TO be going the
| same way With myself logged along
| together. I called at the farm house and
| asked IL they knew the owner, but they
1 did not, and borrowed piece of sacking
| and a bucket of water and bathed its back,
| which was sore. and proceeded, after be-
| ing advised to turn the animal adrlft. When
| / came TO two lane ends | tried to drive the
| animal away, but IT knew who had treated
| 1t well, and followed me. Had / wanted TO
steal a horse / could have stolen horse.
! gig and splendid set of harness two miles
| lower down the road" Yorkshire has al
| ways been noted for the interest OF its
| population in horses.
| Quick Recovery.
The following paragraph, which appeared
| In a London paper, is somewhat remark
| able: THE mystery of the disappearance
| of Mr.. Craig's mare 'Noiseless was solved
| Saturday by her recovery from a livery
| stable in Leeds. The missing stable lad
| has not been caught. Saturday morning a
| person, believed 20 be him, offered the
| mare for sale for fs. The possible pur-
/ chaser, having viewed her, promised to buy
| if the seller would call again for the money,
| but the latter appears to have grown sus-
| picious and was not seen again. The police
| being Informed, telegraphed to the trainer.
who at once sent over his head lad. and
| the mare was identified. The theft was ef-
| fected on Wednesday night after 10 o'clock.
| and within twenty-four hours the animal
1 was in Leeds, fifty miles off. She is none
| the worse. however, except that she has
/ been underfed-"
The fascination which demonstrating ex-
| ercises the ina gina tions of small boys
| might be illustrated by numbers of recent
| instances; but Judging by the ages of the
prisoners In some cases, they do not Seem
| to grow out of the habit when they APP
proach years of discretion. The Juvenile
| first offender generally, though not always,
| takes 4 cart well. At one London police
| court a little boy, aged ten, whose head
| only just reached the dock rail, was charged
| with stealing pony and a set of plated
| harness. He Rad taken it from field and
| ridden it about the streets. 1t was a cream
| colored pony, and attracted some attention.
| Another "oream-colored pony and bay
| mare were stolen by two schoolboys from
a field near East Ham. They made sad
| dies of their coats. and reins of shoelaces,
| and were duly taken up by the police.
| On a Lark.
But this kind of thing often becomes Sc
| rious, in the case of four lads who stole a
| horse and cart from outside public house,
| and drove about London for three days
feeding the animal food which they
stole. When they had worn its shoes out
| they left it on Plaistow Marshes, took an
other horse, and were arrested when har-
Messing this to a cartt These are only
'larks'' on an unpleasant scale. But the
| business side of professional horse-stealing
| tends to development. largely because of
| the facilities which the great importation
of cheap Canadian, Russian and Oregon
horses offers for mixing stolen animals
with genuine foreign importations and SELL
\ ing them IN droves. Not long ago. regular
| stolen-horse exchange was discovered in
Essex.
The horse stealers are, however, a good
oeal handicapped by change in popular
feelr g. The government used to hang
them; but the well-known story of Mar
garet Catchpcle shows that the populace
were by no means horriffed by the crime.
We recollect, too. a less well-known story
| told us in boyhood which indicates consid-