Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1907-01-17
BANK BURGLARY IS NO LONGER
A PROFITABLE PROFESSION
From an Editorial i'm
the New York Sun......

was "owid," his leg was injured and
amputation was necessary, so that he
was obliged to use a crutch in retri-
butive reality.
Years ago the hat trick was
favorite among sneak thieves. Two
prosperous-looking men, one wearing
tall hat, would enter a grocer shop
and tell the proprietor they had made
bet as to how much molasses the
hat would hold. They would ask him
to fill it with the fluid, and If he COM
piled they would clap the hat half
full of molasses on the head of the
unsuspecting tradesmna and rife his
shop at ease. An old trick, 1t has not
been worked for long time, but as
such things travel in cycles its reap
pearance may be looked for.
William Stetson, one of the tribe
of "Bill the Brute" was not un-
attractive man in looks, who made It
rule to steal the price of his break
fast before he ate it. In gang of
sneak thieves at least one was most
respectable, even prepossessing. in
appearance. He posed as banker.
a merchant or an investor, to dis
tract attention while his partners
stole. Sneak thieves seldom used
firearms, depending on a quick eye,
manual dexterity, unflinching cour-
age and their presence Of mind to
carry their plans through. The oc-
cupation is toilsome and difficult:
were it not criminal 1t would be un-
attractive. In spite of large sums
stolen, the thieves lived in poverty.
Mr. Pinkerton says:
Like all criminal occupations,
sneak robbery does not pay. l do
not know of one of these professional
sneak thieves who is to-day prosper
Gus, and If we were to search into
the circumstances of those who have
crossed the Great Divide we would
find that their last living days were
spent in poverty-that they died
poor, many not leaving sufficient
funds to defray funeral expenses.
were buried by subscriptions of
friends or by police officials who per-
sistently followed them during life
and who frequently informed them
what the end would be, but the
criminal instinct was there and could
not be eradicated.
'Most of the bank sneaks still alive
are either in prison, living on the
charity of others, or active in other
lines of crime. Had many of these
so-called sneaks devoted their talent
and skill to honest pursuits they un-
doubtedly would have developed into
good citizens and been credit to the
business world"
With the monetary rewards of the
occupation small, prison constantly
before them and the police after, 1t
is difficult to understand why these
men, some of them of unusual intelli-
gence, persisted in their ways. Mr..
Pinkerton once asked an old and
famous sneak how he got into his
trade. The man as boy had
hooked change from the till of the
country store in his native place, and
pies, cake, tobacco, pipes and such
small wares from its counters. Once,
on the eve Of the Fourth Of July, he
stole a supply of torpedoes and fire.
crackers from the shop. Some of
the torpedoes fell to the floor. Their
explosion betrayed him. He was ar
rested, convicted and sent to prison.
There he met older thieves, who COM
pleted his corruption. This story
might be repeated with slight varia-
ton of many professional crimi-
nails" Society has yet to learn how
to bring a young offender back to
the right path. In many cases the
punishment for the first offence con-
firms a weak-willed man in wrong
doing, and subsequent police perse-
cution prevents any long continued
attempt at reform. Civilization has
failed dismally to provide an intelli-
gent and scientific method Of treat
ment for the criminals who are such
mainly by reason of accident or op-
portunity.