The Greeley tribune., 1906-12-20
oHEMEs OF THIEVES
TRICKS OF THOSE WHO OPERATE IN
JEWELRY STORES.


Are Broken-GettinE = safe That
Was Bolted to the Flooring.
A number Of jewellers were dining to-
gether and with the cigars the talk
turned on jewelry thieves and their
methods.
The first story was told Of an in
dividual who was seen lounging about
the plate front window of jewelry
store No particular attention was
paid to the man at the time, but the
clerks recalled the incident after the
robbery. In this instance the man ap-
peared a number of times in front Of
the store. One evening soon after dark
there was sudden crash, and rob-
ber was actively engaged In scooping
in jewels with a hooked stick. In
thirty seconds he was done and away.
Bystanders stood as if petrided until
the man struck out at run. Then
the store people and the bystanders
realized what had occurred and shout
ing Thief" started after the man.
The man dropped his bag. The pur-
suers stopped and seized the bag. They
returned to the store with the bag in
high glee, remarking incidentally that
there was no need in chasing the thief
because here were the goods. The pro-
prietor OF the store and all the clerks
had followed, but having farther to
go than the crowd, were behind and
were met by the people with the bag.
Proudly the bag was opened. 1t con-
tanned brick. The thief had dropped
it to check the pursuit. Realizing the
trick had succeeded, the crowd, head
ed by the statesmen and proprietor,
went back to the store, only to discover
that the window had been cleaned of
stock and the counters were bare of u
number of costly articles.
A policeman on duty said that after
the proprietor and clerks of the store
ran for the departing thief neatly
dressed gentleman, with all the airs of
member of the firm, gave directions
to two other men to get the stuff out
of the windows and told him (the Off
cer) that this was being done as pre-
caution against theft while the win
dow was broken. In some first class
stores there Is regular danger signal
week. When the danger gong sounds
one man takes his place at the door,
another at the telephone to send word
to the police. another with running
qualities makes for the door in readi-
ness to pursue, and SO on.
Among other stories told were some
relating to the tricks and devices of
the jewelry thieves. The robber often
works at night or sometimes during a
crowd by cutting out disk Of glass
near where some costly goods are
shown. He may reach in and secure
aomething ara h o6 befre detacted
IL he IL quick. Sometimes he has q
tong instrument hidden under his coat.
SO that he can reach in and pick up a
watch. Often again he uses simple
stick with slightly turned end. hook
ing into ring.
The process of crushing in plate
front during the intervals Of the pa
| troll Of the police, at the same time
making no noise, Is done by pasting
cloth or heavy paper on the glass. A
wood mallet is used, the hammer ends
being securely bound up in heavy
woolen fabric stuffed with excelsior or
kindred material. With this soft head
ed mallet it is possible to bang away
noiselessly at the glass until the pane
begins to crumble. Unless the plate is
usually thick an opening can be made
without much trouble.
| In recent years jewelry thieves, like
bank robbers, have rented quarters
near the place they intended to rob
1 vo fn or
the situation. In one case a room was
hired over a jewelry store and en-
trance effected to the store by means
of rope ladder dropped from the win
dow of the room to a window leading
| to hall in the store portion. In an
other case the bar spreader was used
to open the bars Of a window This
device consists of spirally threaded
shaft fitted into two blocks, with
central piece with bar for turning.
The blocks are adjusted between two
bars, the central piece turned, where
upon the spiral shaft causes the blocks
to expand sidewise, forcing the bars
open. Then the intruder can pass in.
A story was told Of the removal Of a
safe in which the proprietor of jewel
ry store was accustomed to put his
costly stock each night. It was not
large safe, but exceedingly strong, and
because Of its light weight number
of bolts We're put through the floor and
connected with the safe bottom. The
proprietor often said that thieves could
not take the safe unless they took floor
and all. Not long after the store was
entered. and, behold, the thieves had
sawed out the section Of the floor to
which the safe was fixed. The safe
was bound up with rope, the latter
passed under the separated section of
flooring, and, when the boards were
sawed through, safe, floor and all were