Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-09-24
Must Be Gentlemen of "Parts" to Rob
City Houses,
THE ART OF THE ACTOR Is NEEDED
Thieves of the Night and Their
Many DISCUSSES,
MAKE THE LAW HELP
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

PARIS, September 10, 1895
The thieves who break through and steal
so frequently in Paris form professional
| body with several branches.
| First. there is the plundering of summer
| villas in the suburbs during the winter sea-
| son, when they are left unoccupied. Then,
| in the city, there is the footing of apart
ments or houses from which the Inhabitants
| chance to be absent After this, in order of
| Importance, comes the getting away by
| right with the stock in trade of some small
| shopkeeper. Finally, there is the vulgar
| breaking into rooms by day night and
| making eff speedily with whatever the thief
may fad to lay his hands on. Great bank
robberies and feats of safe-breaking do not
| seem so well known as in America.
| To a foreigner the wholesale plundering
| OF villas, which goes every year, is the
most astounding branch of the trade.
| Paris to the north and west is encircled
| with thousands of comfortable houses seat
| cd well back in their snug gardens, and fur
| nshing the quiet delights of the country
| within an hours reach of the noisy city.
| The Partisan leaves his villa only when the
| emil froStS OF autumn drive him cityward,
| and his furniture and bric-a-brac remain
| behind him. He locks the doors carefully;
perhaps nails patent burglar-proof shutters
against the windows; then he hires some
| gardener of the neighborhood to make d
| daily round and keep eye on the house
| 1t seldom happens that a family is left
| even in the gate lodge.
| Knows Where He Goes
| 1t is the burglars business to know in a
general way all the villas of the rich Par
| lsians within his range of operations. One
| of band-for this wholesale kind of bur-
| glary requires band of men-gets himself
| up as a common laborer, and easily finds
| occasion to talk with some of the servants
/ iS lgff IIa
| learns fairly well what treasures are likely
| TO be found, and sometimes he is able to
| get acceS for himself by helping in some
| Job, and thus becomes familiar with the
| situation of the different rooms When
| the house is finally closed for the season
| the hrst thing is to learn how faithful a
| watch is kept by the guardian. After a
| lew days the latter, with the unsuspecting
| confidence of a country vilager usually
| begins neglecting his daily round Some
| tunes the house is left merely locked and
| barred. A very simple device gives the in
| formation which the burglars need A dry
| leaf is carefully inserted into the keyhoIs
| OF the lock of the outer gate. A week
passes and the leaf is still there; evidently
| the coast isl clear.
II, however, faithful watch has been kept
| IL is necessary to see that the guardian is
| occupied elsewhere during the time that
the house is to be entered This is no DIM
| cult matter. The burglar workingman
! makes his acquaintance finds out his hab-
| lts-if he drinks, if he is fond of ladies' So
clety; and on the decisive evening the guar
dian is having a good time which will Of
| fectually keep him from his duty If nee
| essary. some woman of the band will have
| been brought on from Paris to help in this
! part of the work.
| Dress as Movers.
In the dusk of evening the burglars
| dressed in the uniform of demenageurs-the
| men of companies who take charge of mov-
| ing household effects-drive up to the house
| with their van. They open the gate and
| boldly enter the grounds. A passing VIII
| lager or peasant will hardly dream of ques-
| tioning them, and should he seem too Gu
| rious they will soon secure his absence by
| asking him to lend hand at some heavy
work Moreover the knowledge already
obtained of the rich mans name and habits
allows them to answer confidently enough
| to diSarm ordinary suspicion. 1t must be
remberered, also. that much of the heavy
moving Of goods of all kinds between city
and country takes place during the night,
account of the great size of the vans in
use. From the door of the house, which
has been opened by skill or violence, car
pos and curtains and chairs, linen, glass
ware and china, silver, pictures and curios
all are triumphantly embarked for Pars
In lootng a city apartment matters have
to be arranged somewhat differently. Here,
too, a band of trained men is required,
well as carefully laid plan, which it may
take weeks to mature. l do not know that
these burglars. by the wholesale, so to
speak, have yet initiated the Paris beggars,
who publish journal of their own contain
ing list of places where their trade is
likely to prove productive. But il con-
stantly happens that burglars, on their ar
rest, are found with the columns of the So
ciety papers which chronicle the going and
coming of rich people.
For example, some well-known man OF
wealth has gone with his family to Nice
or some other autumn winter resort A
pretended errand by a messenger in uni
ffrr witty eo1i
lead the concierge to disclose the state In
wi ich the apartment has been left VIII he
leave his message with the servant in
charge of the rooms? Or perhaps shall the
concierge send 1t by post? In the latter
case the coast is clear. and only the con-
cierge or janitor at the great door needs
to be reckoned with. This is not impossi-
bic, even by broad daylight. The janitors
of these great houses, where a dozen fami-
lies unacquainted with each other occupy
whole suites of rooms, not an intelli-
gent class; and they know little or nothing
of the different families whose common
street door it is their business to keep. Be
fore consulting the concierge, the mess9n-
ger has probably brushed past and up the
stairs, so that he has learned the DISPOSE
ton of the house.
Robbers Invoke Law.
A few weeks since. three men, showing
the badge of the detective force informed
the concierge of a house in the fashionable
prosecutions had involved a certain mar
quis, then absent from the city. 1t was
necessary for the government to make a
search, and, possibly, to carry off papers
and the like. Respect for the law and its
agents Is deeply rooted among the lower
classes, and the concierge Immediately ac-
quiesced. While one of the pretended Off
GERS kept watch over her at the porter's
lodge, the others mounted TO the rooms, |
gathered up jewels and silverware, cut |
TSf1 Ntf1rI1 frnrr mir fro, oY15l
Il ans ported all safely to parts unknown. 1t |
vas only after some reflection and talk |
with her friends that the good janitor's |
picions were at last aroused. Then the |
terant of the apartment was summoned |
home to find himself well robbed 1t was |
suspected that noted burglar, much want |
ed by the police had engineered the stroke /
1t was desirable to lay hands on him at his /
own place. as some clue might then be i
found as TO the whereabouts of the plum
der For many days thu detectives went /
about showing his photograph, which was
in the rogues' gallery, to the concierges of |
houses where ii WAS Thought he might no |