Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-10-27
HINTS BY A BURGLAR
"TOM THE DODGER" TELLS HOW
HOUSES ARE ROBBED.

Housch oIders often Help the Thieves
by Ncg1ccting Second Story Win
dow Fnstcnings-A Good Substitute
For Ladders.
Thomas Simpson, alias "Tom tho Dodg.
err who is known in police circles all |
over tho country, was in town the other
night, but he got away before any of the |
'ny coppcrs" got on to him. He met SOW
ernl persons in down town resort. and |
after indulging in n few drinks he became |
confidential in his talk. Toms hints to |
householdcrs were quite interesting
Among those who listened to him was an |
OK detective, who had often locked him up |
years ago
"You see" said Tom, "thc public them
selves assist us n great deal or mon in my
line wouldn't DO able to bring off success
| fully one-tenth of tho jobs they do now.
! For instance however careful housckeep. |
ers and their servants may be with regard |
to window fastenings on the ground floor,
as rulo they pay little attention to those
of rooms up stairs, for even when the fas-
| Jennings are in good order they are often
! left undone Now, man who knows his
business never tries the ground floor for an
entry unless no Is perfectly well acquaint-
/ tu WIN tIlt run vi tuc HDuSt UGu tlle
habits of the household, and oven then he
nearly always enters by one Of the doors
for which key has been procured or tho
! lock and bolts of which can easily DO
| forced
| what Is the best window fastener
| Well there amt mono any good, unless
| it's two wedges forced down between tho
snshes ono on each side of the window.
| The screw to fix tho sashes. MS we'll MS the
other safe lodges, can easily be undone
! by cutting out piece of glass. Now, the
wedges, II you 'tumblcd' at once that they
were wedges, could only be got at by cut
ting two holes in the glass, and then, IL
properly fixed, they can't be shifted with
out making moro noise than wo caro- about
doing whlo on business. Moro especially
is this tho case II n bell with a coil spring
is attached to tho window
"Tho last time / was 'coppcd was
through ono OF them coil spring bells
but not on n window. 1t was like this:
Tho house went for was occupied by
an eccentric old man, well to do and own
ing tidy lot Of plato. Tho 'spottcr' ON
ployed managed to get around and walk
out with one of the servants and from her
he learned that the master was very s,is-
picious of the doncstics, laying traps to
catch 'cm giving way dripping or odds
and ends and so on and making oil of EN-
go to bed before he did.
| "Well, felt rs II this was rather
ticklsh job, but rs I'd got n key made to
fit tho back door decided to risk it.
did and got into tho house as easy as
winking.' Reaching the drawing room,
where / knew tho plate was kept, | hauled
II from the cupboard, and as everything
had gone off so well, sat down to have
rest before packing 1t up. Walking on tip.
toe is firing work. you know. l hadn't
sat there five minutes when bang felt IA
crack on the head, and l knew nothing
more until found myself tied hands and
feet and two policemen standing over mo
"Whcn my trial came on, and not until
then, discovered that my capture was duo
to the fact that the master Of the house in
order to find out II any Of the servants
came down stairs after he had retired had
placed cotton across the passages and
staircases about six inches from the ground
and attached it to coil spring bell fixed
in his bedroom. In my journey up stairs
had without knowing it broken the cot.
ton and sounded the alarm. Yes, 1t was
neat cop
Arc th1Se more attempts at burglary
and houscbreaking during tho dark days2
Yes, but why? Just then tho not overpar.
ticular rough laboring class get hard up
and they are open to take to anything
from purse snatching upward, II there is
even remote chance Of making money
Tho consequence is that directly an oppor-
tunity offers to carry out burglary they
go for it'-go for it without taking any
precaution and relying on brute force, the
knife or oven tho revolver to effect an
escape If disturbed. That is why there arc
| ,tnl Il l,,,
so called burglars just at that time of the
year.
"Of course the particulars as to rooms,
valuables, locks, windows and habits OF
those living in n likely house, together
sometimes with wax impressions Of keys,
etc, are obtained by tho spotter, u man
who has nothing to do with the actual
burglary, but takes u share in the haul
nevertheless. A 'spotter' may be anything
from hawkcr calling at tho servants en-.
trance, tho gas man como to take tho
meter, q water inspector to SEQ IL there Is
any leakage or simply the (for the tino
being) devoted follower of one Of the SEW.
ants.
".Just remark about ladders In lar 20
establishments have particularly noticed
the care with which all ladders are locked
up, while just around tho corner, perhaps
lying in tho open, are the clothes posts
used for drying or sun airing tho clothes
from tho laundry, Now, it's as easy to
swarm up good square clothes post to
reach q first floor window, and when in "a
hurry it's a lump quicker to slide down
one than down ladder.
II tell you what will shake the nerves
of n burglar rs much as anything and
perhaps make him drop his tools-that Ii
kicking against sheet of crumplod news
paper carefully laid in tho passage got
bad that way myself once and mnde
such noise that immediately bolted.
But if you yourself arc frightened Of
burglars paying your house a visit" he
concluded confldentially, "tho best tip
can give you is to lay in little yelping,
swapping dog-one that will rouse every
body directly door or window is tried
and let him have the run Of the house in
sdo every night, That's tho best safe
guard there is "-Cincinnati Enquirer
ZnnHwill on Poe.
DOc yyoa doubtless occusipunllv drunk