The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1905-06-24
TpA1NIMo CHILD BURGLARS,
Newest Devices Of the Modern CTaA'a'
inal Schools.

Newest Devices Of the Modern CTana'
iual Schools.
II has long been known that inc
modern thief or burglar trains cnAl-
dren very carefully for nefarlous
work. Only the other day a rfAlneF
of young thieves was sent 70 pr1Son'
ond such cases are continually crop
ping up. -. A.s,
Most ingenious are the metnoos
practiced by professionals, TO Ieacn
their pupils the art of burglary says
the London Mail Mere youngsters
make excellent subjects; and as 1t Is
obviously of Importance not to make
a noise when "burgling." the iads are
now taught to slide face downward Oh
the balustrade. 1t has been discovered
that in order to accustom them to TINS
mode of descent, special spiral-shaped
halustrades are sometimes constructed
and before the pupil Is pronounced
finished" he must be able to Slide
down a variety Of these balustrades
like creased lightning"
Another common practice among the
"burgling" fraternity is that OF gettlhg
orders to view empty houses from va
rious house agents. A number OF clever
burglaries are worked this way
Dressed up as a country squire, the
master" visits numbers Of house
agents, gets orders to view certain
houses, generally In terraces, as there
If he has a plan of the interior of one
house, he has a key" to the whole
terrace.
He accordingly looks over the
house, gets a plan Of the Interior and
quits. A few days afterWard his pu-
pills enter the empty house, and max
ing their way along the roofs enter
whichever house has been selected. In
the meantime the squire" patrols the
house outside, looking responsibility
personifed, and when the coast is
clear he signals, usually by striking
matches, so that the boys inside know
whether they can safely come out with
the spoil. One match means "alls
WE'LL" two matches danger.
\ well-known Scotland Yard official
a short time ago effected a clever cap
ture in this way. He noticed a man,
pipe in mouth, walking up and down
a street in the west end Of London
and constantly striking matches to
light his pipe. Strange to say, how
ever, no smoke emanated from the
pipe, and thinking something was
wrong, the detective concealed himself
and awaited developments.
A few minutes later the man struck
another match, and Ii a trice 4 bog
about II years old came out from the
front door Of an unoccupied house,
bearing on his shoulders a sack with
sticks of wood protruding from the
end.
The detective ''smelled a rat" and at
once detained the lad, in whose sack,
under the wood, was found over $4,000
worth Of Jewels. The country SQUIRE"
the boy protested that he had never
seen him, but it was afterward discov.
cred that the bucolic gentleman was q
well-known ticket-Of-leave man.
AS a general rule old penal servitude
men are the founders of thieves
SCHOOLS" Realizing that as they are
too we'll known to the police, their
chances of continuing a felonious ca
reer In a successful manner are very
slight they have perforce to procure
UNDERSTANDS.
Accordingly, by enlarging on the
profits accruing from burglaries and
pocket picking, they have little din.
Guilty In getting hold of boys with evil
propensities. Weeks and weeks are
then spent in instructing the noyices
in their new trade The initial lessons
are generally devoted to the art of
picking pockets