The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-31
VALET GANG
OF ROBBERS
New York's Society Set In
fliCted SoreIv
MILLIONS STOLEN AWAY
Member of Profession Tells
How 1t Is Done

Henry Lowe is my real name. 1t i:
to earn an honest living now, nor is il
the name L used when l work with oUl
well organized gang to make more thar
our wages as Wallets. Nobody in New
York realizes how much petty theiVing
ard very often bigger stealing, is done
by the buffers. footmen and Wallets OF
the rich.
Not one in q hundred cases is reported
1t is only in cases like those of Dunlap
and Turner, who got s57 900 worth OF
diamonds from the Burdens, or Reynolds
who got $4,000 Of Mr.. Belmonts stuff
that the public hears of the robbery
However, there isn't a day but some
supposedly honest valet or footman gets
away with $500 or more, drops out OF
sight for a time and is back at work
again under another name somewhere
else.
1 worked for Mrs. Cornelius Wander
bilt four years ago at Newport The
next winter l was with the Gerrys The
last place l had was with Mrs. Stug-
vesant Fish. Every one Of those families
had had things stolen without reporting
the robbery to the police. They would
rather lose a few hundred dollars worth
of siIverware than make a fuss. They are
too careful with their costly things to
leave them lying around loose.
In the first place, the supply Of good
Wallets and footmen is nowhere near the
demand. A good-looking, smart young
man has no trouble in getting $50 a
month and found. That means his mas
tiers clothes when they are worn a bit,
plenty 10 eat, all the whisky he wants
to nip from the pantry, fine living and
a good room.
All you have to do IS to speak with an
English accent and know your business.
Some clever Wallets often end up by be
coming their masters private secretaries.
and sometimes they are left enough in
their employers will to make them indie
pendent for life.
Now, plenty Of clever men come over
here from England every year to work
their little game. just as 1 did. Some
times they bring genuine letters Of re-
commentator; sometimes they forge
them. Americans are the easiest people
IN the world to fool In England re-
terence means something. Just tell a
rich American you used to work for
Milford This or Baron That, and he'll
take you without a word.
Some of the clever 'uns do it even bet
ter. Intending TO come to America they
get,a Job on the other side and really do
good work and never touch a thing.
Then they say they have a notion to
visit the States~to see a brother. or some
other cock-and-bun story, and so away
with a fine reference from their employer
whom they pick out for being known
here
They can get a job here the minute they
set foot ashore. Perhaps they behave
all right at their first place, because they
are laying their pipes to pun off bigger
fob later, when they can get first-class
American reference and be trusted to
the limit.
That was what Dunlap and Turner did
when they cleaned out the Burdens. They
came with frst-class references. worked
In another house. got better letters still
sud then went to Mr. Burden. There
they were trusted with everything. After
the Job they stayed along until suspicion
Steve O'Brien, then running the detec-
tive bureau. never guessed that they
had anything to do with the job. 1t was
a clever London jeweler who gave them
away when they were trying to get rid
of the stuff
1t is easy to understand that ANYBODY
who has money enough to keep Wallets
and footmen has thousands of dollars.
worth of stuff easy to steal lying around.
You can't be locking UP silver-backed
hair brushes. mirrors, forks and spoons,
bonhon dishes, salvers, fruit dishes. com
ports. vases and the like every time
they're used. OF course the big pieces
OF plate and gold service are always
kept at the safe deposit.
The lady OF the house isn't going to
keep her stick-pins in a safe, nor her
brooches or any of the hundred pieces Of
tewelry she wears daily. OF course her
diamond tiara and her big necklaces are
kept out of danger. usually. Neither is
the master going to send to the safe de-
post when he wants his pearl studs every
evening. or 4 diamond pin for his era
vat in the afternoon.
I got my share but II was never big
enough to excite suspicion. When a
man has forty scarf-pins he isn't apt
TO miss one for months. Nor arc half
q dozen silver forks moreor less any
thing TO a lady who IS accustomed Ia
dining one hundred people
Mrs Astor's is the hardest house Il
get anything in in this town. Her head
butler. Haig is too clever for any Of the
small fry He runs the big house as
a captain would run his military cam
pany. Every man has his duties and
must account for every piece OF silver
ware or 3ewelry In the rooms where he
works Haig runs the big house Just as
they run the registered letter department
ut the postoffice. Nothing ever gets out
Of sight
Mrs Cornelius vanderbilt keeps the
same men year in and year out She
knows every one OF them and all about
them. and even when she is away for
months at a sine every man is kept
on fun pay. The result is she isn't rob-
bed. other people. when the entertain
ing season let lot OF their men go.
and so they have TO take anybody they
esn get when the season starts up again.
Mr.. Fish has one OF the biggest re-
tfnues OF men servants in the city. While
there has never been a bis haul at her
house plenty of small stun has mys-
teriously disappeared. The Gerrys are
very careful. bat I've seen stun with
tAeir crest in several pawnshops-"
Should rich men bond their Wallets as
they 90 their cashiers. runners and pay
ing tellers?
wa the police be able TO break ND the