The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-30
SPOOK ROBBED May PEPPER?
NO HUMAN PORCH CLIMBER DID
THE JOB, POLICE SAY.
TOOk Only Plated ware Medium Says
lie Left Behind Real ValuabIes when
He Found Out whose House He was
RObblng knew IN Could Find Him.

May Pepper, the medium. lost six silver
plated spoons and three forks on Sunday
evening from her home at 25S Monroe street,
Brooklyn. She saws that the lob was not
the work Of spirits, while the police, oddly
enough, hold the contrary view. That
makes il pretty hard TO sift out the truth
Of the matter, for Mrs. Pepper is well posted
on the doings of the spirits, vet the police
nave a good working knowledge Of burglars.
I'm Mrs. Pepper. smiled a large woman
with eyeglasses that were weighted " it'll a
gold chain. About the burglar? Why,
yes, certainly Oh, not at ALL Why. it was
last night. ] had finished services up ut
my church why, up on the corner it Is;
never heen there? an the ider came to
me that there was trouble at the house.
! said 10 the directors Of the church, Don't
let me 90 home tonight unguarded, please
So a company OF the Director came up the
block with sister and me. They were
headed by Mr.. Vanderbilt-yes. I'll show
you Mr.. Vanderbilt, he's upstairs now.
when We got in sight Of the house I
said, 'Lookl'
THE house was blazing from top to bot
tom-with lights. yes. Every gas Jet was
turned clear on. That can't be our house,
says sister. tits saidI; come on There
has been a young, slim man at the door,.
/ said: He broke in Several Of the direc-
tors followed me. showed them the mark
on the door where the Young man worked
it open with a ~penknife. You can work this
door open very easily with a penknife if
you know how. The lock il real bad.
Il went right to the sidebosrd and opened
the upper right hand drawer. The half
dozen plated tablespoons and the quarter
dozen plated forks were one He hadn't
taken anything from the left hand drawer.
Come here. Here's the drawer. See what's
in iti A ladle, jelly spoons, a pulverized
sugar spoon, gravy spoons and two fish
servers. Ye-es! All solid. NV. yes! Well
that young man didn'tstake a thing out Of
she upper left hand drawer. Wasn't that
p funny young man?
mo, this wasn't anything supernatural.
As | tell you, this was a BURGLAR tall,
slim young man. NJ, well, l might know
him IL 7 saw him. / could hunt him up
anyway. I'd just have 20 concentrate on
something he's handled. Oh. my! Why,
a few weeks ago. She brought me a jimmy
wrapped up, and l put it on the desk and
concentrated on il. Then / said: This ia a
jimmy that was left in your apartment
by a tall, slim, dark young man who lives
not many miles away And il turned out
young man OF the family downstairs, who
was quite a black sheep in the family. Yes,
and last week / ~recovered a diamond brace
let worth thousands OF dollar in the same
way. Why, you can ask the people in
IL East Sixteenth street. They'll tell you
l did. And l could get this tall young man
too, IL I wanted to, just by concentrating
on something he'd andled. Could run a
line right TO where he Is. Only what's the
use for six tablespoons and three forks?
~Now come up stairs. Now in here il was
all liz up. In here, too. And he had the gas
burning in this room. Here is my room
See here, these bills--bills lying around
on the dressing table. Re could ave taken
a lot OF bills. There was a fifty dollar bill
| lying there. No, he didn't take IL. Funny
pouring out. Rings and diamonds, hun
dreds OF dollars worth. He lever too one.
| At first I thought he had taken my new
| brooch, but I soon found I had mislaid it
myself and afterward I found it.
Eyes, il does seem odd he didn't take
anything but the plated spoons and forks.
Now I'll tell you Just what I think. That
Young man looked at these things and
meant 10 take them. He meant to make
q bundle. Then he looked here in this
dressed TO me. Well, he read some Of these
letters and found out whose house he was
in. Then he new that II he took anything
I could trace him. l could draw a
line straight to where he was hiding. Those
fellows know IL. So hen he Just beat it
beat a hasty retreat He even forgot to
turn out the gas lights. We found them
all burning"
Mr.. Vanderbilt was brought forward
mid said that he saw the lights all lit az
ate party returned from church. Inside
hu saw the sideboard and writing desk in
disorder. Mrs. Pepper explained that
she had ~telephoned TO the police for pro-
lection, but not with any idea Of having
them recover any lost property. She
cared nothing for the plated ware.
The Gates avenue police station records
showed that Mrs. Pepper had announced
that her house was robbed on Sunday
night OF valuables worth Sl5S. The 81,
it is understood, represented the value
OF the six plated spoons and the three plated
forks. One dollar had apparently been
charged on for deprec'at on. The re-
naming matter of $50 was the value Of a
brooch, which was reported as missing,
but which later onScame the word, had been
recovered.
There was much shaking Of heads in the
police station. Men who would not quail
before any tangible perils, hung back and
bllnked.
st il no mortal porch climber that WAS
on this Job" muttered n OF the older men.