The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-23
THE POLICE AND THE FENCES,
I-NVRJTTEN Law FOR RECEIVERS
OF STOLEN GOODS.

they Give Up Much Loot Every heat'
Yet Grow Rich-Why They AFRO Ar
IoUed 70 Continue In BuSlneSs-Less
Pront In ThleVing Now Than Formerly
sTbe New York police come pretty near
knowing where TO find all the thieves
fences when they're on the hunt Tor stolen
pronertv.s said a veteran detective OF the
Uaadouarters stan. 'The fences are really
of great aid TO the police Of big town.
That ia why they are not put out OF busl-
ness The HEADQUARTERS detectives re-
ever hundreds Of thousands Of dollars
worth Of stolen property every year from
the fences.
sThe proprietors Of the fences who are
generally themselves crooks who retired
from active thiovery 10 60 into the more
nro6table and loss risky business OF buying
nm the loot OF their former pals rarely
make any attempt to hide their bought-up
thunder from the detectives. When inc
nolioe catch a fence proprietor In the act
~ holding out on them-that u, conceal
Ir q The loot that he actually has In his pos
session at the time OF a search-he M
mediately finds himself in trouble =,
sHs q piuched, bounded around ana
sent over the road as a receiver OF stolen
goods, Not only that, but he Is forever
debsrred from again starting in business
in New York as a barterer with thieves
For these reasons 1t happens only once
IN n great while that fence proprietor
will take a chance on trying to 1901 ue-
toctives who are out on swag hunt
sHow do the fence proprietors get rlch-
.,d most Of them are rich-when they're
on such close giving-up terms with ue
nolice7 There's no problem in that.
sIt's all a matter Of quick action on the
part Of the men who run the iences' ~
they're real sudden about II they can get
rid OF the plumber they buy from inc
thieves, at about one-tenh or even one
twentieth It's value, lefore the detectives
swing along and ask questions.
sTbe detectives touring the fences IN
searoh Of reported stolen property simply
INQUIRE OF TIE fence proprietorsi
Have you got this swagf'
sThev make It a sort OF point not TO ask
such a question as this:
s'Did you have this loot, and get rid OF
hY
sThus the amount OF loot the quick.
acting fence proprietor has TO surrender
n in verv small proportion TO the amount
~ stua that he gets rid Of at huge prohts'
Moreover, considering that the fence pro
nrietors drive the most inconceivably
sharp and grinding bargains with the
thieves, il is no very great setback to the
them when they are compelled to surrender
oocasional hunks Of swag to the police
sWhen a thief brings 20 fence, say,
u al MIA n NnnHo
tor does not, In these days, tuck II away
ON a back shelf and keep Il shelved until
s,,oh time as he can make leisurely dis
position Of IT, He knows that at any
minute the Headquarters men are liable
10 drop around and ask him II he has the
Junk In his possession.
sInstead Of putting It away, he generally
makes A sudden trip to some other city
with the loot neatly packed away In his
luggage. and gets rid Of it in bargains
With dealers In these other cities with whom
heis ON close business terms. These dealers
! NV the way, are Of COURSE, in a way, runners
! OK second hand fences themselves, but
! they are, nevertheless nearly an the Owners
! Of presumably legitimate business estab-
IL a fence man finds it inoonvenlent
! 10 make a quick trip out Of town 70 dispose
! OF the silver plate, be puts II In the melting
! DOT Immediately he gets II, so that by the
! lime the detectives arrive with their in
| ouiries the silver plate In converted into
Dor bullion. Nor Is fence man, In such
A case. required by the searching sleuths
10 state that he has had the silver plate
and converted II into bar silver.
sThe bar silver may be In plain view
OF the detectives while they are asking
their questions, but when tho trusted fenos
man tells them that he hasn't the silver
plate for which they are searching, they
let Il 20 az that, and do not AJAX him he
has had Il and melted Il down.
ESQ that Il is a sort Of mutual and well
understood give and take relationship be-
sAnother advantage enjoyed by the
| Quick acting fence propretors Of to-day
4 that very many big robberies are only
reported 10 the police by the victims aftel