Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-09-24

dared TO buy the loot, they would stedI
lust the same, and bury the instruments
in the ground.
IF the little thieves annoy you the big
ones. who. perhaps. should be called rod
bcrs, excite your admiration r. r sVilS
months l had bungalow IN Alldpdndu
while completing my neld notes Not Idl
away was a storage yard, ana among lne
stuff was a steam boiler to go WIN %
horsepower engine. one night this boiler
was stolen. You may figure 1t out that II
would take a big truck, two horses, ana
i've or six men to load and move that
boiler on what may be called the Euro
pean plan. How many men the natlVe
gang numbered / never knew, but Whdt
they did was TO work beams under thtI
boiler and pick IL up and walk off with IL,
and IL was found In a yard mile away.
1t had not been sold, and could not De,
but the idea was TO steal IT, ana q pan
was made and carried out. At a foundfy
I'm the same city some iron Orders welgh-
ing 1000 pounds each had been construct,
ed. Native thieves stole one ana carried
it four miles into the country and buried
H. The gang numbered ten, ana the
police arrested the suspected leader;
he was firm I'm his innocence until
q whip was applied to his native back.
When asked why he stole a thing which
he could not possibly sell he replied that
he couldn't help II. On one OF the brancn-
es OF the Gauges, in the province OF Oude,
a European built a saw-mill TO get out
contract
with native help, and made funny mess
Of it. The natives began by stealing his
lumber as they hOated II down the
stream. They could not sell II. but they
hid it in the jungle and left 1t TO rot.
Then they stole nuts, bolts. shafting,
pulleys, and saws and the day before l
arrived at the mill they actually stole the
water wheel in about six hours one
night they lugged off the log carriage,
two circular saws. and ton of shafting.
IN. l.I 10 a M
the boat was hidden away in a creek.
Thirty or forty men worked like Trojans
for five or six hours without the slight
est hope Of reward. simply 10 steal Their
plumber could not have been sold for a
cent, and they knew it. While the owner
Of the mill was away TO invoke the aid
Of the law the same gang stole the water
wheel and carried it two miles into the
jungle.
"As for slick thieves. India has 'em by
the thousands. No white man can APP
proach a Hindoo in pocket-picking, and
all the bolts and bars won't keep a burg
lar out. For a time I had quarters at
Jypur with q government agent The
bungalow had just been erected, and spe-
cial precautions had been taken against
thieves There were times when the
agent had gOOdly sums In his possession.
and on a dozen different occasions at
tempts had been made 10 rob him In the
new bungalow every door and window
could be locked The strong room was in
the middle of the house. The walls were
bricked up on the inside, and the door
was of iron. Chained TO the floor was an
iron chest and. Of course, the chest had
a lock- With this room between the sit
ting-room and dining-roOm ii appeared 10
be perfectly safe. especially as our SER
wants were Europeans. The house was
never alone by DAY, and at night there
were four Of US in II. One morning 1t
was discovered that an attempt had been
made to enter the strong room by cutting
l.n1a 4nh hn
was clear of the ground. and but for the
brick and cement floor the fellow would
have got at the box What puzzled us
was how he hit off the spot so exactly.
He couldn't have done better with a
tapeline and full liberty TO use H.
The hole he made was repaired and lit
tie said about the matter. Just a week
later he returned. BY climbing tree
working his way along he struck the cX-
act spot from above. IL was matched
ROOF. and with his knife he cut out a
square hole. The interior Of the bunga-
low was ceiled, or, al least, the rafters
were. lie cut hole through this
wooden ceiling without noise, and was
then able TO drop down into the strong
room. He first tried 10 pick the lock of
the chest, but falling, in that he deter
mined TO take the chest out. He had TO
file through link of big chain, and then
ascend and so for a rope. The chest
weighed l15 pounds. BY means of his
rope, dllef tuldFHDS the hoits ne Bol IL
up and out on the roof. He had to de-
scend by way of the tree, but he did 1t
with that safe on his back. He also got
over an iron fence nine feet high, and
had carried the safe full mite when he
was arrested by patrol
After the fellow had been disposed Of
a new strong room was built in one cor
ncr Of the parlOr. IL was a closet just
large enough To hold the safe, and made
entirely Of boiler plate There were two
locks on the door, and a bell was ar
ranged TO give an alarm in case stranger
nodded. There was bedroom OF TINS
parlor, with the door always open, ana
my friend and / slept there on cots. one
night, two months after the other rob-
berry. two thieves came after the chest.
They entered the room over the top SASH
Of a window. and, working In the DARK
and within IS feet of two sleeping men.
picked both locks with stout piece or
wire. Before attempting TO open the door
they disabled the bell. The chain on the
safe ran through both handles. and was
secured 10 q big eyebolt screwed 10 the
iron wall They unscrewed this bolt, and
were then ready 20 take out the safe.
Fearing TO open door. they cut out the
panels OF one. and safe, chain, and eye
bolt all together were passed through.
The dead weight was over 300 pounds.
IN was In getting the safe over the fence
that they made noise enough TO arouse
us, and one OF them was shot and killed
as he fed. They had worked In mat
parlor for four long hours without dis
turbing ms. II would seem as II they
must have made some little noise with
the safe and chain. especially In passing
them outdoors, but we hadn't been
awakened though both were light sleep
ers. II was probably better so. asked
the captured robber If he knew we were
there. and he smiled blandly as he re-
piled
1--WE were bending over you before We
began at the door. Oh yes, sahib, We
knew that you were there.
And did you drug us with anything"
"'Not at all, sahib. There was no
need
but suppose we had been aroused%
! asked.
1--WE had our knives-you would have