The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1903-09-12
PREFERRED BY BURGLARS
Money and Precious stones Come
First, Because of Small Size
and Great Value.

Did 1t ever occur to you that If yol
were burglar you would be worrying
as to what would be the most desirabl,
thing in all Chicago to steal? If yo,
are literary person you no doubt hav,
pondered many hours as to wha
would be the best subject on which t.
base story. IL you are ION change
you have worried hours as to whai
would be the best stock you could buy
and IL you are in business you have de-
voted your attention to wondering
what would be the best selling thing
you could put on the market Now a
burglar who 'burgles" for living has
to think about his particular line OF
business just as you do about yours.
Think of the gray matter a burglar
must consume in specializing on what
would be the best thing he could make
way with in single haul, says the Chi
cago Tribune.
Chief O'Neill, when asked what q
burglar would most prize in the way of
booty, replied Immediately that money,
OF course, was the best thing a thief
could steal. Other police officers coin
cided with the chief. They said that all
thief is after is money He steals dia-
monds, watches, silverware and other
articles not because he has a liking
for these things or because he wants
them for his own particular use but so
that he may take them to fence" and
turn them into money II he could steal
the money in the first place then he
would not have all the trouble anil risk
OF taking his booty to fence" The
people who run the place where
stolen articles are bought are Obliged in
their turn to take big risk in dispos-
ing OF their wares, SO that they never
pay the thief anything like the value of
his booty.
The highest bill made is $40 900 one
A $4,000 bill would be a pretty nice
prize for any thief, but there is some
thing better. The old riddle used to
be: What is hungrier than a bear?"
and the answer was: Two bears" So
the obvious answer to the query: What
would burglar rather steal than a
10000 bill?" would be, two $4,000
bills" But in this consideration of
what Q burglar would rather steal we
must confine ourself to single object.
Two $10,0 900 bills would be two objects.
But down at the subtreasury Office Treas
urer Williams will show you package
of bills which consists of 100 $40. 900
bills, and which is accordingly worth
just 100000. This is one object, be-
cause the 100 bills are bound by a paper
band around the center into neat pack
age. AS a $4,000 bill is no larger than
one-dollar bill, and as the 81 ,00O, 900
package is not quite half an inch thick,
t may be readily observed that here is
indeed the greatest prize that a thief
could get in Chicago. This package he
ould place in the inside pocket of his ,
,oat and walk around without fear of |
detection. OF course, he might have trou-
'le when he tried to get one of his $1O.-
100 bills changed, but that would be a
'isk he would have to run with any piece
Il stolen property.
The only articles of small size, such az
J thief could carry away, that come
nywhere near being as valuable as a
10000 bill are diamonds. But dia-
aonds worth $4,000 are not common.
nd are carefully guarded, and dia-
lond of great value has an individual
" Of its own and could be readily rec
gnized by its owner. The thief would
ave greater difficulty of disposing of
gem of such value. 1t could not be
afely gotten rid Of unless 1t were re-
ut into several smaller diamonds. which
'uld be stealthily peddled out in wide .
separated cities. But the man who
Id the cutting and the persons who {
Did the stones, as well as the fence.
ould all want small sum for the
SIX taken. SO that only small part Of !
le real worth of the gem would accrue
} the thief. Every object that thief
calls, except money, has more or less
an individuality, and is capable of q
ling described. All money looks alike. !!
Is seldom marked, except where a 9
ii is purposely used to entrap q de- !
utter. But the sum of the whole thing. !
'cording to the police, is that, as money
what the thief is really after anyhow.
would rather steal it in the first place.
ID save all the trouble of setting II !
lerwards by exchanging his other n
'oty for 1t. s
1