The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-03-13
THE HEADY BURGLAR
METHODS HE USES TO PUT THE PO-
LICE ON THE WRONG SCENT.

Two Cases Where Goodness and Pres
ence of Mind Were More Elective
Than Fleetness of Foot In Evading
the officers of the Law.
'The crooks of Chicago don't believe
in the running game in attempting to
escape when caught at work." said q
Chicago detective who was in Wash
ington last week, "and I'm rather In
clined to believe that they've got the
sensible end Of it. A man who starts
to run away from one or more police
men. no matter whether he is swifter
of foot than a deer, is bound to be col
Jared 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 or by
other cops, and he has to take chances
on the blind alleys that he's liable to
run into. The crook, caught red hand
ed, who keeps longest out Of the
clutches of the police, Is the man who
uses his head and who doesn't run. To
Illustrate:
"a few months ago a well known
Chicago housebreaker, who has put in
numerous hefty stretches at Joliet, de-
cided to crack a crib on Prairie ave-
nue., one of the swagger houses Of the
| town. He found that the whole fam
lily occupying the house were going to
the theater on a certain night, and he
| figured on all of the servants remain
ing below stairs after the family's de-
parture He made second story job
OF it, climbing up porch, and he got
in without a bit Of trouble. 1t was
really something easy, and the fellow
simply got pockets full Of jewelry.
The thing was passing of beautifully
when maidservant walked In on
him while he was rarsacking the dress
ers in one of the ladies' Eou-!oirs She
let out scream and wer a-kii ng
down the steps to where the rnensefv-
ants were The crnok si0ped E0T iAe
front door on the second noor and s'ip-
ped down the same pQrch stanchion
that he had used in climbing 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 pei;c-.
Now, if that crook had started to run
there is no manner of doubt that he
would have been headed off, and be
would have stood more than an even
chance of being shot into the bargain
if not by a cop. then by some citizen
or other, for since the reign of footpad
terror in Chicago a few years ago a
majority of the citizens who stay out
/ Ic+ ~, ,~I,4 olv nd vvff
them. Well, this thief didn't do any
running stunt at all. There was an
undertaker's wagon standing In front
of a house 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 q
J leisurely manner, gave cluck to the
: horse and started to drive off at a lazy
trot just as couple Of officers charged
around the corner. He pulled the
| wagon up to talk to the cops.
! "'I guess somebody's been killed
, down in that house, the way they're
. yellin,' he said to the cops.
, "'Have you seen any one running BY
] hereY the policeman asked him.
"'Well, just as hoped aboard the
/ wagon there was duck chased out OF
D that house and screwed down the othel
4 way replied the thief, and the police
men took up their lope and started fol
, the robbed house. The thief drovt
down Prairie avenue with all the lei
+ sure in life. He abandoned the Wagon
e after going a mile, and took q dowI
] town car l nailed him q couple o.
t months later when he was drunk, OF
Isuspicion of having hand In a certail
= job, and he was boastful enough t
e own up to it and to tell me how he't
r got away on the occasion I've told y0l
r about.
d "Stin more recently there was an
/, other well known Chicago second stor.
q man caught in the act Of going througl
8 house on one of the prominent boule
r wards. The butler came in on him
g and he punched the butler a swift on
and backheeled him. Then he walke
swiftly out of the house and down tn
steps, a number of the other servant
= meantime appearing at the basemen
!. door and bowling. Down In the mex
# block big gang Of all night men wer
q engaged in putting in new sewer pipei
q The crook didn't take up any sprfn
II but he just made for the scene Of th
II sewer pipe operations at good wall
h ing clip. He was got up pretty roughl.
II and he jumped into the first ditch b
n came to, after having caught up pic
Y that was lying ON the brink, and star
e ed in to work.
x "There was Swede In the pit ther
n with him, but the Swede had the prof.
er Scandinavian stolidity, and he didn
II pay any attention to his new diggin
d companion. The crook piled his pic
a. there for an hour, while cops plowe
ID around all over the street looking fc
20 the robber. When the excitement ha
,e all died down. he dropped his pick an
a. stole silently away. There was rum
III this ones head, too, when one of m
= sleuth pals got him, and he told chestil
ID Of the neat way he had given the col
k. the slip. So many of the Chicae
7e brooks are adopting similar tactic
in nowadays that it is rare for a Chicae
,e policeman to get a run for his none,
,e in the half literal sense"
Star.
A Pig For an Emblem.
The emblem of the county of SUISSE,