The Washington times., 1903-07-06
Yer, DARING WORK
! OF HOTEL THIEVES
,,ll Dressed, Well Inform
id, and Smooth Takers.
Ely, LOCK, BAR, AND BOLT
enious Contrivances by Means of
Which They Enter Rooms of
Guests and Loot Them.

Now that the dog days of summer are
Us sure enough. its pretty likely
reIl be an exodus of the small band
hotel thieves that makes Washington
stamping ground nearly every year"
lsed an old detective of the local
Frce, as he glanced at the Thermometer
Ind wiped his perspiring brow. Little
doing here at this time of the year
People gone away for the summer,
boarding houses closed-that is many
'of them-business dull, everything quiet,
exit the hotel expert. II won't do any
harm. though. to look out for any stray
thieves.
The thieves that make a specially OF
Questionable boarding houses and hotels
are a shrewd lot. and have to have their
wits about them to meet any emergency.
To great extent their success depends
upon a respectable appearance, an I'm
pressive address. and cool and daring
manner. They are divided into three
subdivisions-those that work in the
morning, those that operate In the af-
ternoon. and those that follow their ne
farious vocation at night Each has his
own characteristics.
y Following His Victims.
'Tt's a strange fact that the expert
hotel thief never wearies of his trade
From one place TO another he follows
his prey. and exhibits a persistency that
knows no faltering. He gathers his in
formation concerning the whereabouts
of his intended victims from the columns
of the newspapers announcing the arri-
val of hotel guests. The coming of pro-
ifessionai people, particularly we'll
known actresses who carry valuable
Jewels and sometimes large amounts of
money. is noted with care
Then the unsuspecting victim ar
rives. and registers at the hotel in ac-
cordance with the schedule. Fatigued
by travel. their first act is usually to
rest In preparation for the evenings
work. and while they are wrapped in
slumber the waiting thief steals silently
from his hiding place. opens the door
of the room, and loots the place with
out making the slightest noise.
''As many as a dozen rooms have
sometimes been plundered In one night,
and the theft mas been entirely unknown
to the watchmen about the place. Their
methods are modern Instead OF climb
ing through the transom OF room, they
open a door with the aid of a gimlet
and piece OF crooked wire, or similar
instruments. He can carry his entire
outfit In his vest pocket, and is not
halted by the common bolt and bar.
Sliding Back the Bolt.
For many years the police and de-
kective forces throughout the world
were bafied by the method of shooting
back the old-fashioned slide bolt. There
Fere no marks on the door to show how
ne entrance had been effected, and
aturally the mystery has given rise tc
knany unpleasant complications Clerks
have been falsely accused. guests have
been looked upon with suspicion, and
the management has been censured FOL
not protecting the property of the room
ers.
But. strangely enough. this method
of opening a door Is strikingly simple
although il was only after persistent in
.vestigation that the police solved tho
mystery. On every door, you know, the
bolt is invariably fastened either above
or below the regular key lock. piece
of bent wire inserted through the key
hole made the bolt worthless. and /;
> turn Of the knob was all that wal
necessary TO enter the room.
An UnpIetentious Kit.
''An expert hotel thief can enter
room in a/few minutes. His operating
fntruments consist OF a pair OF small
nippers, a piece OF crooked wire, and
piece OF silk thread. First he inserts the
nippers in the keyhole, and catches tn,
end of the key. A quick twist OF tn,
wrist shoots back the lock bolt. and
another turn leaves the key In such
position that II can be easily displaced
Should the occupant OF the room be dis
turbed by the noise Of the key dropping
on the floor, it becomes necessary fol
the thief to stop his operations for few
minutes to allow time for the intended
victim 10 fall asleep again.
1.-The exact location of the bolt 1,
found by pressing against the door This
done. the thread is then attached to tn,
bent point Of the wire so that it forms
a loop and the ingenious continuance II
pushed through the keyhole until 4
strikes the fastening. The looped head i,
used to throw the bolt into place; tn,
= string is moved sideways until it strikes
the pin. and then the bolt is slid back
at is highly necessary for the board
ing house thief to be a smooth. pleasant
talker. and 10 have a pleasing personaIi
~ He must make acquaintance quickly
and should possess more than the usua
allotment of shrewdness He sometimes
CLEANS all the necessary informatio,
about his victims from the landlady o
the boarding house. and after engagin;
rooms IL is not difficult 20 ascertain VIII,
has money and Jewels and who has not
PAUL DU CHAILLU