The sun., 1908-07-26
HORSE THIEVES kREBUSYHERE
ABOUT A HORSE A DAY STOLEN
rs THE CITY'S RECORD.

|
] Clever Schemes to Dispose Of the Booty
4 Reeoveries Are Few--Bogus Coscii.
| man Confessed TO Havin. Helped
Steal 900 Iforses-Some Odd Cases.
ann sorry, madam, but / must ask you
TO wait for that order until can send IL
! by messenger boy. Our horse and wagon
! have just been stolen The grocer hung
up the telephone and turned to customer.
II expect that lady viii think the story
about the stolen rig only an excuse for
delayed delivery he said, 4for few people
have any thought that the ancient rural
/ industry Of horse stealing 10 thriving one
| in New York just at present.
"0ur driver went into house Id Nine
teenth street to deliver some goods. He
was not gone five minutes, but when he
came back horse and wagon had disap-
peared. He ran along Nineteenth street.
then Fifth avenue and Broadway, but he
could not see them. A thief had made
away with the whole outfit in block be-
tween two OF the greatest thoroughfares Of
the city and near one Of its busiest corners.
Billy the Kid In his boldest mood could
hardly have beaten it.
Horse stealing is an avoeation more
usually associated with broad preiries and
miles Of unsettled land than with the
crowded streets Of q big city. The horso
thief Of Wild Western romance and nneio-
drama In always urging his stolen beast
on at o terrible pace, while In the distance
comes the determined posse, iariet for
the execution Of speedy Justice hanging
from the saddle Of the foremost ridet. II
would be difficult to picture such romance
-. -. a Ia, a nn
ping on a grooer's wagon or doctors gig
and trying to get away from q bicycle
policeman But horse thief associations,
neighbors and irrigation bitches are work
ing wonders In the once wild and wocily
West, and with many Of its romantic char
aoters tie case of going TO farming or
seeking new field OF operation.
II wouldn't gay that New York has drawn
any Of the Vests most skilful horse thieves,s
said q detective who has had o number Of
that kind Of thefts to INVESTIGATES. 'but we
have certainly some new talent nom sor1s-
whore. One month recently there were
| twenty six horses reported stolen III New
York, another month the Exceptionally
| large number Of thirty-hve was reported.
don't think that II would be an exaegera-
| tion to cay that we have an average Of
one stolen horse every working day.
From the .skill shown In getting away
with the property would cay that It II
| the work OF well organ lied gang. The
great majority Of cases show q well laid
plan not only in getting possession of the
animal but also in disposingi Of It. The
thieves have o way OF doing one community
at time that 10 most puzzling. . For In
stspce. few weeks ago 1t was lower Third
avenue that was the centre OF their opera
-. Th.v toolr q horaa t,aios,sins "a
hons' AA0y ~A eGe ~
as% sn''S S. sSiIs r. nss.s Bros i Six.
teenth street, next from shopkeepsr near
r.,,t.snth styent and then from Hoora
,ssxssn E,,ysnth and twelfth. Ths nsxt
week we heard from the sang's operAsicu
on the upper West side II looks very
,,,,,ch :. II ttsv make n st,,dy Of oue mart
~ ~. a.. - -, th.,, ~. :. r,,,,. : ,-;th
OF no o'sy a.. 49, -. - 80 49, ss,,.ss s,.s.-
| make thsif raids.
sAs curious a. 1t may esem, tksrs d
| III, . 80 IL. ,,.rc.,t. - ~ stoisn 49,
reoly o.' y. -. -. - .Ns..' -.
recovered tnan OF smost any otns1 Prop.
hsye hard work making away with horse
~. ther. n "A yn.y,v r,oIioa and .,,oh
.n.,sh ,s..,,. =, -. i,nn ~. -.r,,,+ q,
tnorousn neans oL spaoaSns ~ 'uo .ep1s ra o.
- 81 49,
against theft reports that OF ten stolen
horses In tive months only one was re.
covered; another assocauon reporw nat
Of twenty-five stolen nags In the same
time not single one was recovered.
IT Z IN gsttny away with me goods
best or worst as you chooee TO put II. The
animal ID rushed on INTO New Jersey, Long
Island or somewhere up State and sub.
naitted to, the process OF disguist9g that
dishoneet horsernen can employ 90 cleveriy.
and when 1t comes out OF the hands OF
the noanipulator even the former owner
hair has been bleaohed. the tail docked.
name trimmed IN an unusual way; fstiocks
legs that would nislead any attempted
identiaers.
THE horse is then ready for market:
It may be brought back TO the city and
sold right under the nose OF the, police
at come OF the horse naarkets and good
profit realized. Many Of the doctored
animals. though, are sent over to Phila-
deiphia or cold along the way acrose New
Jersey. The stolen wagon gets similar
treatment. The name and all rnarksScf