Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-11-30
STEEL QUEER THINGS.
Nothing Seems to Be Immune From
Thieves
Chicago Tribune.)

thing In the limitless universe which II
is physically, mentally, or otherwise i'm
possible to steal The police records show
that everything under the sun is coveted
of men.
From the tallest building to the nimsi-
est fancy of poets dream, nothing
seems to be immune from the designing
ingenuity of thieves. They steal noun.
tains and matches, oceans and orchids.
entire railroads. electricity, thought and
love. Not necessary are the gold and
diamonds and sapphires of earth first
in the sight of the INSCRIPTIONS person.
LOT water and air. commonest of ali
scarce that they must needs be stolen
the narrow confines OF this terrestrial;
masterful ambition. and the example in
the matter OF breaking away from mere
y mundane robbery already has been set
1t remained for Chicago thief to steal
section of the solar system He broke
INTO Walker Museum at the University
OF Chicago one night. not u year ago.
and carried Off n mass of meteorc iron
Weighing nearly fifty pounds. One of the
members OF the department Of geology,
VINO was intimately acquainted with The
meteor,s history. observed with some.
h heat that the burglar would have to
purloined one of the Creators comets"
From Grand Island, Neb.. comes the
rails. ties and rolling stock Ii happcfied
mat two lines controlled 10y different
colpanleS ran Tor some distance side by
side, One of the magnatcs. desiring TO
puiid Il spur TO his line but feeling de-
TERED by the high price of steel. inau-
Snrated bold policy In the fair name
of expansion His men ran an engine on
TO ihe enemys track in the dead of night
and slowly drew away the entire number
OF cars owned by the road. In the wake
of the train the laboreis stealthily re-
moved the rails and ties. and when day
miles away. Owing to the difficulty in
convincing the Judge that it was possible
TO steal n railroad In single night tho
president OF the unfortunate line was al
most refused n writ of replevin for his
Whatever future discoveries I'm the nsv-
GEOLOGY OF kleptomania may bring forth
the frcalSish manifestations of that form
OF degeneracy must always remain anus
ing. ii not mysterious. TO those unprci,l-
diced individuals whose property has not
whose morality in other respoSts is mnst
risidly patterned after the decaloguc find
themselves In the hands OF the police.
terence between mcum and teuin No
ma how commonplace or worthless
other person is sufficient reason to the
kleptomaniac for stealing 1t.
The department and other big stores
are me principal victims of irresponsible
persons with thievng propensities Near
~ two-thirds of the cases OF larceny re-
corded at the Harrison street police sta
ton are estimated to be the transgrcs-
sons of otherwise respectable citizens
whose palms itch with covetousness The
cases are generally settled out OF court
By the relatives OF the unfortunate cuI-
Erts. y former member of the Worlds
cupied a cell several times during the
last year as result of her pcnchant Tor
stealing silks in State street stores.
Button-hooks ana the unlawful appro-
pria, thereof landed Mary McKinsiey
In the Harrison street annex n month ago.
Detectives who searched her lodgings
found trunk filled to the brim with
button-hooks of every size and descrip-
ton. No two were alike and the collec-
"a 1ui ti.,ct
of feminine glove fasteners 10 the most
massive and masculine shoe hooks The
tives of several stores as mysterious
freqnenter of the, toilet article counter
hook up sher sleeve that discovery was
n aImGs5 bnmled, In like manner ELLA
as she told the police.
The. late "old IIoss" Hoey made him
self famous by stealing a d-hot stove
nightly in one OF his plays. but Lieuten-
ant Andrew Rohan. OF central detective
cd the comedian with the idea.
Several years ago" said the police
man, some thieves took Il red-hot stove
out OF Nat at West Harrison and Robey
streets. \ family was moving out of the
same building. and the head of the house
worth taking TO the new home. He hap
pened TO notice new cook stove In tho
next nat There was no one in the
no guardian OF its safety. The movers
picked it up and put 1t on the wagon
would have gone we'll had not the hot
stove set fire TO the wagon two blocks
a a2ioy The S fire depar,iment had to be
lowed caused the stove to be returned
to its owner"
wood police that a junk man had stolen
q large kettleful of boiling water from
n msn p hSg ssseo THE The
in Kettle in Seeleys back yard, and
when the owners back was turned had
secured and made away with kettle.
Two months ago the Masonic Temple
narrowly escaped being flooded with
on two floors We're ruined. 1t was dis
covered that. thief had unscrewed
giving the water a 2-inch outlet. Frank
CSooper was arrested and the faucet
.. 4 man who gave his name as John
CHM was brought to the west Lake
filled with the enameled letters used rs
signs on windows. He had over fifty of
the letters and all were "Cs;".. 1t turned
out that CHM had been calling on his !
sweetheart that evening lie had made
her a proposal of marriage and been re-
to himself. He drowned his sorrows in |
the flowing bowl, and having arrived
the peGudte nS degree Of insPTaon
night in prying "Cs" from the windows
of stores.
The Chicago police are searching for |
man who steals board sidewalks. His |
depredations already cover n large part
openness that team and wagon require |
He steals the sidewalks from unsettled
portions of the city and then persuades |
or forces people TO buy them. Driving
up to a house which is edged only by |
the Il naked street. the man asks the owner
meets with a refusal the thief replies |