The Red Cloud chief., 1899-09-22
STEALING BICYCLES,
Smooth Schemes by Which Dealers
Are Victimized.
Cur,eus stories Of Thefts by Ne
speetabIe Appearing
women Are Engaged In
the Thtevfng.

NtTlhlh NbNA fhh
Ions tendencies make money by their
cycling adventures. They are those
who make II practice of stealing bicy-
cles and selling them for what they can
get. Four or five years ago, when the
price OF the cheapest wheels almost
euualed that of the best in the market
to-day, the business of bicycle stealing
was really in it's infancy. Men who a
engaged in various lines OF cr~ookedness
soon discovered that the demand Tor
wheels at "a low price furnished excep-
tional inducements for them TO make
bicycle stealing n regular occupation,
and the tactics they employed in order
to get possession of machines were
numerous and often extremely clever.
During the last two years wheel
stealing has been carried on to q great
er or less extent, but until this sum-
mer comparatively few complaints have
been heard from dealers and individo
ual riders since 1896. The thieves have
lately started out again in great earn
estness, and their modes of operation
differ m many respects from those pur-
sued formerly. Dealers tell some curl
Gus stories Of the way they have been
robbed by honest-loo&dng and sppar-
emily respectable persons who have
come to their shops ostensibly to buy OF
TO rent wheels.
Last week." said q dealer on the
West side, "a young man came into my
store and asked to see q new mans BIZ
cycle, with a p4-inch frame. He said
that his own wheel did not run smooth
ly and that he desired TO get another
one. He inquired my cash price for one
Of the best machines in the store and
then decided that he would like to ex-
change his old wheel for the one we
were examining. Where is your
wheel?' / asked. OF course I must see
IL before 1 can tell how much I will be
able to allow you for IT.
"It's five or six doors up from here,
in a repair shop said my visitor. The
repairer had one Of the wheels Of about
Ave minutes ago and was Strengthening
the front fork, which I bent a little in
an accident. II you will just step In
there for . moment you can zee it.
The msn's apparent honesty and
uncommonly frank expression OF
co~untenance made me less suspicious
that I would be generally, but I had al
ready had some experience with
smooth-talking individuals, and made
up my mind I would not be taken in by
them again. I was alone In the shop al
the time, but resolved, nevertheless, "a
see IL there was anything in the mans
game. So / agreed TO step over to the
other place with him and take q look
at his wheel. When we arrived there,
instead Of walking to the back Of the
shop, where the repair department
was, / stopped purposely about six OF
eight feet from the front door TO look
at q machine which, I remarked, had
u very odd appearance. A few seconds
later I walked out of the shop, and az
1 did so saw a man rush into my store
When i got there he was just coming
out with n new SIS bicycle and seemed
embarrassed when he met me face to
face.
~ was just seeing how easily this
wheel runs he exclaimed when 1 con
fronted him. If I can dispose of my
W bike, I'll come back in a day or 81
and buy this 1t is n daisy
"'Oh, yes said /, it's q beautiful ma
chine, but IL you had got it outside o,
this door when i saw you. you bet
would have your picture in the rogues
gallery His explanations were pro
fuse, but they didn't convince me of hi
honest intention. The fact is that h,
was watching for me TO go into tn
other shop, and the moment I did s,
he improved his opportunity"
1--WE do not fear the men thieve
nearly so much as we do the women,
said another dealer. IF. for example
a man comes in here to rent a bicycl
and we have any doubt as to his homes
ty, we fatty refuse to let him have II
But with women it is different. 4
woman may come in all rugged out 70
a spin and with her face covered wit
smiles. She has been told that GU
wheels are better than those in othe
places and she wishes to hire one for
couple of hours. When we inquire he
address she gives one that is a mile O
so away-too far, Of course. for us I
send around there TO see il il is genuin
adds that she is so and so and es
presses great surprise that we shoul
for a moment doubt her sincerity. w
tell her that it is against our rules I
let q wheel to anybody we don't know
and that we can scarcely make an es
ception in her case. Then she tosse
her head, snaps her eyes, and declare
that the whole thing is absurd and this
she is to be deprived Of a whole aftel
moons pleasure IN account Of OF
abominable system of red tape. Unds
such circumstances IL is mighty har
to deny the request, but we have to
so. II we didn't, it would be only
short time before our shop would I
in b hands of q receiver."-N. Y. Su,
A swell Dresser.