Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-29
BURGLARS CLEVER DEVICES.
some Startling Innovations Used by
the Ltght-Ffngered Gentry.


the Ltsht-Ffngered Gentry.
From Tit Bits
The old-fashioned Jimmy may do for the
burglar who operates in remote country
/ districts. The up-to-date Bin Skies has
| moved with the times and in order to re-
| lieve his neighbors Of their goods uses his
| brains as well as brute strength. What
| may be called the electric confidence trick,
J as recently practiced in the streets of Mad
rid. shows that its inventor is a man OF
genius well as crime
| This thief. who has just been arrested,
was distinguished above others of his pro-
fession by the perfection of his garments
and appearance. In a pocket OF his ele-
gantly fitting coat was concealed the secret
| OF his success. II was a powerful little
| electric battery Joined by wires to a metal
| lie plate. which he held in the palm of his
right hand. Approaching his intended vic
| tim with outstretched hand, he would greet
| him with the fervor of an old friend. Woe
| beude the unlucky man IL he accepted the
| proffered hand-shake. sharp electric
shock rendered him quite powerless. and
in trice he was stripped OF watch, purse
| and jewelry.
Burglars. also. have made electricity their
servant. The strong room OF q wholesale
| tobacco shop in st. Petersburg was found
| 10 have been broken into one morning In
| January last and 5000 roubles stolen from
the safe. The safe had been guaranteed
| burglar proof, but Il was found to have
large hole melted right through the door.
| 1t was discovered that the robbers had
/ torn down the electric light wires which
were installed in the building, and used the
current to fuse the metal. Needless to say,
| the men must have been skilled electric
I ians provided with elaborate apparatus. In
order to accomplish such a piece Of work.
| Burglary with a blow-pipe is the very
| latest form of crime. The safe in the Tot
| tenham Court road post Office was opened
| lately by means Of the intense heat given
! a OYN-lVlrORpn hlOW-pipp fla
burglars who did this job had al tools
| merely a bit of India rubber tubing and q
| cylinder OF oxygen gas. They fixed the
| tubing to the gas Jet, turned on the oxygen
| and obtained a heat OF 1000 degrees.
! enough to melt the steel of battle ship.
| The highwayman who has been relieving
postmen around Manchester OF their mail
Gags during last winter and spring used
| neither pistol nor bludgeon. Three-penny-
worth Of black pepper was his cheap and
| simple outfit. Getting near his proposed
victim under pretense of asking the way or
| the time, he would dash the pepper into the
poor fellows eyes and be off with the spoil
! long before the other regained his sight.
1t is supposed that the man. Bould. who
| was found robbed and murdered in Mere
| Heath lane was attacked in similar fashion.
for near by lay package containing
| pepper.
Equally simple as the last mentioned are
! the means employed by burglars in Peru
| to accomplish their ends. A sponge, a
bucket of water and a pocket knifc-these
ar. all the Peruvian criminal needs Houses
| IN Peru generally made of framework
| of bamboo plastered over with dried mud.
| The sponge and water are used to soften
| the clay, which is thus very easily re-
| moved, and then, with the knife. the canes
! are cut away till the hole is big enough to
| admit of the thief slipping through. Peru
/ Wan burglars, like their Indian counter
parts, will take not only valuabies, but
| furniture and everything else, stripping
the very sheets from the beds. They even
take bed clothes from under a sleeper,
m ali he desired Without
| waking by gently tickling him.
The chief of the New York police said
the other day that it looked as il he would
| have to call in the fire department to help
| him against the latest departure by pick
pockets box of matches Is their newest
weapon. They do not. however, commit
| arson in the usual sense OF the term, but
operate in tram-cars. actually setting hre
10 the clothing of passengers who are likely
| to have valuables about them.
| A fashonably dressed lady. with beau
.iful mink muff. was one Of the most re-
! cent victims. She had her purse In her
| muff and in a marvelously clever fashion
| the thief managed TO fire the fur. In the
| confusion he got off safe with the purse
| A tailor named Strumm suffered in SIM
| liar fashion. The thief set his overcoat on
| ire, and the poor man not only lost his
| money and his coat, but was seriously In
| jured by other passengers in their we'll
| meaning attempts to beat out the flames.
| The drugged cigar is an old weapon of the
: confidence man and train robber. Prof de
>iubernatio recently lost EGO by his accept
ance of such a gift, but In this case the
| owner of the cigar fortunately
| arrested A far more dangerous device Is
| the poisoned bouquet. The victim in this
| case is. as rule, lady. After she has
/ taken her seat in a frst-class carriage
| girl gets in and sits opposite her. The lat
ter carries a bunch of roses so exquisite
| that il would be beyond human nature not
| to admire them. Smilingly, they are pass
| ed over for a closer examination. A few
deep Shifts and the narcotic with which
| they are soaked takes effect. The lady
| dozes off, and wakes, perhaps. half an hour
| later alone with bad headache and minus
her valuables. What is, perhaps, the most
curious point about this form OF THEFT,
which has been largely employed on con-
I tinental expresses, is that, so far, the drug
employed remains a mystery.