Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-06-22
BURsI.iRs METHODS.
A Gang of Professionals Believed to a
Been Operating in This City.


Beea Operating in This City.
To an organized gang of expert pro-
fessional burglars, it Is believed, can
be attributed nearly all of the rob-
berries committed in this city recently.
A quiet Investigation has been made,
and from what can be learned, they
are a shrewd set OF outlaws and have
succeeded in eluding the police only
by their sharp methods and well-laid
plans.
1t is believed the gang is divided
into two parties, one having head
quarters in Philadelphia and the other
in this city. Each gang has an ad-
vance agent or spy, who poses as a
mendicant; that is, he assumes that
role when he finds that he is detected.
Two men supposed to be spies for
these gangs have been traced from
place to place in different parts of the
city during the past few weeks. They
are very careful about their movements
and up to the present time have not
committed any breach of the peace
worse than trespassing on private prop
erty or begging; in fact, have done
nothing for which they could be
severely punished. They have been
going from house to house. during the
daytime, making surveys of the various
places visited. They make their OBJ
servations from alleys, yards, vacant
lots, &C., and when they find that
they have been discovered ask for
aims. The two men who have been
operating in this manner around the
city dress fairly we'll, and as they ap-
pear humble have not excited any great,
amount of suspicion. Sometimes they
start out with definite object in
view. There is particular house
which they are to visit and report
upon, but at other times their in
structions are to visit any houses in
particular locality and report the ones
which they consider the easiest marks,
together with the methods for attack
ing them. -.
These harmless looking spies go
about the city during the day, ob-
tanning all of the information possible
and attracting very little attention,
and at night meet the robbers at ap-
POINTED places, make their reports and
the robbers do the rest. From what
can be learned, the spies take no hand
in the robberies, and for this reason
it has been an impossibility. up to tho
present time, to fasten any of the
crimes upon them. On the other hand,
the burglars keep out of sight during
the day and out of tho clutches of |
the police at night,
As several houses have been entered |
immediately after policemen have been
in the locality, it is believed that the |
burglars, while in hiding, watch the
officers and attack houses only where
they know officers have just left the
locality.
The belief that most of the rob-
berries recently reported were committed
by the same gang is strengthened by |
the fact it has been noticed that the
method Of operation was similar in
nearly all of the cases. The gang has
evidently abandoned jimmies where
they can effect an entrance by boring
holes and Slipping bolts. Jimmies
generally make noise, but the other
method is not so liable to awake the
occupants of houses. After the burglars
IRE inside the houses they generally
,lose doors leading to the upper floors
% keep the noise from disturbing the
of sleeping roorns.
III of these facts havo been learned
the gang which is SUP
losed to have been operating here
ecently, but what becomes of the
'lunder is still a mystery. Articles
which have been stolen from some
louses in this city have been recovered
lere and in Philadelphia, but other
rticles have never been found. and
t is suspected that the professionals
end their plunder some distance away
,efore it is disposed of. At one time
{ was taken to Folly wood, where it
1as concealed until it could be taken
way by the agent of gang that
las then operating, but the police
nd detectives broke that gang up
ome time ago, and if there is
iding place in or near Wilmington
has not been located by the authori-
les.
The police have very little trouble
D running down local thieves and
sveral are now behind the bars.
The people should be. very careful
ow they encourage beggars who apply
t their doors for assistance