Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-28
CROOKS WITH LONG HEADS

1.-THE crooks of Chicago don't believe in
the running game IN attempting to escape
when caught at work" said a Chicago de-
tective. who was in Washington last week,
and I'm rather inclined to believe that
they've got the sensible end of 1t. A man
who starts to run away from one or more
policemen, no matter whether he is swifter
of foot than deer, is bound to be collared
nine times out of ten,' whether he makes
his dash at midday or in the middle of the
night. He has to take the big chance of
being headed off by other cops, and he has
to take chances on the blind alleys that
he's liable to run into. The crook. caught
red-handed. who keeps longest out of the
clutches of the police. is the man who uses
his head and who doesn't run. To Illus
trate:
"A few months ago a well-known Chi
cago housebreaker who has put in numer-
Gus hefty stretches at Joliet decided to
crack crib on Prairie avenue-one Of the
Swagger houses of the town. He found
that the whole family occupying the house
were going to the theater on a certain
night and he figured on all of the servants
remaining below stairs after the family's
departure. He made a Second-story job of
1t, climbing up porch, and he got in with
out a bit of trouble. 1t was really some
thing easy and the fellow simply got pock-
cts full of jewelry The thing was passing
off beautifully when maid servant walked
in on him while he was ransacking the
dressers in one of the ladies' boudoIrs. She
let out a scream and went a-kiting down
the steps to where the men servants were
The crook sloped for the front door en- the
second floor, and slipped down the same
porch stanchion that he had used in Climb
ing up. He was pretty quick, and he was
a couple of doors away, on the sidewalk,
before lot of servants burst out of the
house and began to yell for, the police.
Now. If that crook had started to run
ic no ma Of a. rh hot hn
have been headed off, and he would have
stood more than an even chance of being
shot into the bargain-if not by cop, then
by some citizen or other. for since the
reign of footpad terror in Chicago a few
years ago majority of the citizens who
stay out late o nights pack guns around
with them. Well, this thief didn't do any
running stunt at all. There was an under
about five doors away from the one he had
robbed. No one was in the wagon. The
crook saw his chance. He stepped aboard
the wagon in a lesurely manner, gave a
cluck to the horse and started to drive off
at lazy trot just as a couple of officers
charged around the corner. He pulled the
wagon up to talk to the cops.
guess somebody's been killed down in
that house the way they're yellin',' he said
to the GODS.
Have you seen any one running by
here? the policemen asked him.
Well. just as l hoped aboard the
wagon there was duck chased out o. that
house and screwed down the other way
replied the thief and the policemen took
up their lope and started for the robbed
house. The thief drove down Prairie ave-
nue. with all the leisure in life. He aban-
doned the wagon after going a mile, and
took downtown car. l nailed him a
couple of months later when he was drunk
on suspicion of having a hand in a certain
job, and he was boastful enough to own
UP to it, and to tell me how he'd got away
on the occasion I've told you about.
Still more recently there was another
well-known Chicago second-stOry man
caught in the act of going through q house
on one of the prominent bouevards. The
butler came in on him, and ne punched the
butler swift one and back-haeied him
Then he walked swiftly out OF the house
and down the steps, a number of the other
servants meantime appearing at the base
ment door and bowling. Down in the next
block big gang Of all-night men were en-
gagged in putting in new sewer pipes. The
crook didn't take up any sprint but he Just
made for the scene of the sewer-pipe op-
eratiOnS at a good walking clip He was
got up pretty roughly, and ne jumped into
the first ditch he came to, after having
caught up a pick that was lying on the
brink and started in to work. There was
a Swede in the pit there with him, but the
SWede had the proper scandinavian stolid-
ity, and he didn't pay any attention to his
new digging companion. The crook piled
his pick there for an hour, while cops
plowed around all over the street looking
for the robber. When the excitement had
all died down he dropped his pick ana stole
silently away. There was rum in this ones
head. too, when one of my sleuth pals got
him, and he told chestily of the neat way
he had given the cops the slip. So many of
the Chicago crooks are adopting similar
tactics nowadays that it Is rare for a Chi
cago policeman to get a run for his money,
in the half literal sense"