Connecticut western news., 1910-10-20
A Wave of Crime, rContinued from page II

have time tables showing the most ad- vantageous times for arriving at and leaving a town, and frequently they will have their whole course laid out weeks in advance.
 "I have known a gang to crack as many as 25 safes on one trip. It is cus- tornary for such gangs to begin up in Maine or Vermont. and to work down through New Hampshire and Massachu- setts, ending up in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
 These men are apt to choose the fall of the year for their work. From the the time the cold weather sets in until Christmas they do their best work. It is getting too late for them to sleep out of doors. They also find that they must have warmer clothes and better food.
 "When it gets really cold they begin to quit the work. Their work, risky at best, is toe much of hardship when they have to work amid snow and ice. They stop at this time because they are just as human as other people-perhaps a little more so.
 "They are the most desperate class of men have ever run up against. Most of them are -blooded in the extreme. They will not shoot man unless they have to, but they will shoot rather than stand the least chance of getting caught. and when they have killed a man they do not feel much reniorse. It is pure nonsense to waste pity on men of this stamp.
 "There are, however, fewer safe bur glaries committed nowadays than there were formerly. The day of the safe breaker is passing. For one thing, safes are much harder to crack than they for merly were. The modern safe is built with two shells, an outer shell of very hard steel and an inner lining. The safe breakers first move is to get his charge inside the outer shell. For this he may have to do some boring. Possibly he can use nitro Rlycerine. If there is any
 crack he probably can do so, as it.hows as freely as water. But even when he has once got the outer part of the safe opened it takes good while to open the inner. And as there has been one ex- plosion already there is chance that his enemies may already be at hand. Increased police protection is another reason for the falling off ill bank and postoffice robberies. A counter reason to this, to be sure. is the fact that the thief has perhaps better facilities for getting away.
 "The automobileNis becoming his fav- orite method. Itis justright for him and his pals--bank breakers usually travel ir fours. They can make good time with l the automobile and they have no trouble about waiting for trains. They car travel at night and usually manage tc use the country roads. Occasionally they are intercepted by telephone. Thu l seldom happens, though, because no one wants to run the risk of wrecking ar auto containing innocent people. So once away from the scene of robbery tht yeggs' chances of getting away ar' |; about as reasonably safe AS anything in
 the bank burglary business.
 Chief Watts believes that robberies art
 more frequent in autumn than at other
 times. "The reason why there are more thefts at this time of year than at other ? seasons" he says. "may be attributed tC \ several causes, first, because the dayi are shorter, and it is easier to rob jus . after sunset second, because thieves like
 to come to the city when they are driver by want to seek shelter and clothing. "It is hard to generalize about the do , ings of thieves" he continues, "by judg
 ing from Boston statistics, because the
 ways of the city thief are apt to be fal
 different from the one whose field of ac
 tion is the country. l think, on thC = whole. though, that they are more ap to come into the city at this time o T year. In the summer they go to the sum f mer residences of rich people, and wher the latter return to the city the thieves na urally return also. Of course, ther, , are some who make a practice of rob !, ping empty city residences in the sum mer mouths when they are vacant, bu
 the police now nave t.Ioso houses pretty . we'll watched"
 Deputy Superintendent Warren of tn, Y Boston police force has an interestiu;
 classification of the different sorts O
 thieves. First, he says, "there is thu . flat thief. He toes his work in the flats !, often in the summon time, when every '. budy is ont nf tho ~Ay.
 Then there Is the second-story work
 ST. The fall is peculiarly oppOrtun '' time for is work. He takes his Adde
 aud goes out to tle suburbs. 1t is aoou J 6 o'clock. By this time it is already T dark. The family goes dow l to supper
 He takes his ladder, climbs to the sec
 ond story window, and gets in his worl L before the family has finished eating. n "Then there is the pickpocket. Ther Il are a good many of these, and they lik IS to work on the street cars. When yol 5. get on car and three or four fellow
 on the platform push you about, thel
 look out for pickpockets, for they vii
 be sure to get you. They can tell b, j. looking at a man which pocket he keep 1 his money in.
 d "If you're just an ordinary persoI
 they'll look for it in the inside coa