Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-09-10
STEALING. ], ! BICYCLES.
Smooth Schemes by Which Dealers
Are Victimized.
Curious Stories Of Thefta by Re-
spectacle Appearing Persons
Women Are Engaged in
s tho ThieytnR.

cheaper than riding in street cars, it is
certain that some persons of,unscrupu-
lous tendencies make money by :keir
cycling adventures. They arc those
who make q practice of stealing bic;-
eles and selling them for what they can
get. Four, or five years ago, when the
price Of the cheapest wheels almost
equaled that of the best in the market
to-day, the business Of bicycle stealing
was really in it's infancy. Men who had
engaged IN various lines Of croolledness
soon discovered that the demand for
wheels at a low price furnished excer-
tional inducements for them to make
bicycle stealing a 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 great
er or less extent, but until this sum
mer comparatively few complaints have
been heard from dealers and indivit!-
ua1 riders since 1896. The thieves have
lately started out again in great earn
cstness, and their modes Of operation
differ IN many respects from those pur-
sued formerly. Dealers tell some curl
GUS stories Of the way they have been
robbed BY honest-looking and appar-
emily respectable persons who have
come to their shops ostensibly to buy or
to rent wheels.
Last week." said a dealer on the
west side, "a young man came into my
store and asked to see n new mans BIZ
cycle, with q 24inch frame. He said
that his own wheel did not run smooth
~ 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 l must see
it before can tell how much I will be
able to allow you forit.'
It's five or six doors up from here,
in repair shop saie! my visitor The
repairer had one Of the wheels Off about
tive minutes ago and was strengthening
the front fork, which I bent little in
an accident. If you will just step in
there for moment you can see it,
THE mans apparent honesty and
countenance made me less suspicious
that would be generally, but l had al
ready had some experience with
s1nooth-tallting individuals, and made
up my mind would not be taken in bv
them again. was alone in the shop at
the time. but resolved, nevertheless, to
see it there vas anything in the mans
game. So agreed to step over to the
other place with him and take a 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 or
eight feet from the front door to lool,
at machine which, I remarked, had
j very odd appearance. A few seconds
later walked out Of the shop, and as
did SO saw q man rush into my store.
When got there he was just coming
out with new SIS bicycle and seemed
embarrassed when he met me face to
face.
~ was just seeing how easily this
wheel runs he exclaimed when con
frontcd him. II I can dispose of my
own bike, I'll come back in day OF SO
and buy this one. It is daisy
oh, yes said 7, it's a beautiful ma
chine. but # you had got it outside of
this door when saw you, you bet I
would have your picture in the rogues'
gallery. His explanations were pro-
fuse, but they didn't convince me Of his
honest intention. The fact is that he
was watching for me to go into the
other shop, and the moment I did SO
he 1pnroyaf hic oprnrtpp;4v
We do not fear the men thieves
nearly SO much as we do the women"
said another dealer. ST, for example,
man comes in here to rent bicycle
and we have any doubt as to his homes
ty, we fatty refuse to let him have it.
But with women it is different A
woman may come in all rugged out for
spin and with her face covered with
smiles. She has been told that our
wheels are better than those in other
places and she wishes to hire one for a
couple of hours. When we inquire her
address she gives one that is a mile or
SO away-too far, of course, for us to
send around there to see if it is genuine
adds that she is so and so and ex-
presses great surprise that we should
LOT moment DOUBT her sincerity. We
tell her that it is against our rules to
let wheel to anybody we don't know,
and that we can scarcely make an ex-
ception in her case. Then she losses
her head, snaps her eyes, and declares
that the whole thing is absurd and that
she is to be deprived of a whole after
Moons pleasure on account of our
abominable system Of red tape. Under
such circumstances it is mighty hard
to deny the request, but we have to do
so. If we didn't, it would be only
short tine before ON. slc1, xx-o,,ll h,