The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1911-05-10
THE WOODY WEST OUTDONE
HORSE STEALING IN NEW YORK
CITY Is A SCIENCE.
More Horses Are Stolen There in
Year Than in Four Western
States in Ten Years.


NEW YORK.-Not the wild and
woolly west, but this city with its
great police powers and its highly
organized civilization is the most
fruitful field for horse thieves in the
country. The amount of property
stolen by horse thieves in this city
| in one year probably exceeds that
stolen in Kansas, Nebraska, Colora-
| do and and Texas in ten years. This
crime is so easy of execution and so
| hard of detection in great city like
New York that detectives have been
able to make but little Roadway in
checking it and recovering any of the
stolen property. On an average five
horses and wagons are stolen in the
city every business day. To place
the amount lost every year is diff
cult, but it is estimated that proper
ty valued at from 100000 to ST.
100000 is stolen. Ordinarily the
theft of a horse from the streets at
tracts little attention. The thieves
have way of changing the appear
ance of both horses and wagons, and
the task of recovering the stolen
property is rendered extremely diff
ficult.
No Mans Horse Is Safe.
A few years ago an association was
formed for the purpose of insuring
against theft of horses and delivery
wagons on the streets. But so num-
erous became the thefts and so rare
ly was the property stolen recovered
that the association was forced out
of business. 1t is learned, however,
in vague way that the headquarters
for the thieves were in New Jersey
and Connecticut. Horses after be-
ing stolen were run into these states
and there disposed of. The New
York police were powerless to follow
the thieves across the line. In most
cases there was only suspicion that
the thieves had gone into another
state; in few cases was it possible
to collect positive evidence.
No mans horse is safe in the
streets of the city today, according
to former officer of the association.
The horse of the big department
store is as likely to disappear as the
horse and wagon of the small grocer
or butcher. Detectives say that the
theft is easily covered up Within
six hours after the horse and wagon
disappears a transformation is made,
which is SO complete that few owners
can identify their property. The
horse is shorn of it's name and tail,
white legs are dyed a color cores
ponding with the body of the horse,
and cases have been known where a
stolen horse was described as having
a bobbed tail, where the horse when
finally recovered was found to have
a very beautiful tail attached to the
former stub.
The same with the wagon. A gaily
painted wagon is soon transformed
into a dilapidated peddler's wagon.
The top is removed, dashboard
knocked off. and a dirty drab or
brown coat of paint reduces the
wagon that cost from $3.50 to 5000
to one that, when the thief sells it,
VIII not bring more than $50
The stealing of horses has become
serious problem for many business
men. Within a few weeks one Har-
lem grocer has lost five horses with
'AANAA NoSoOlIos anu NlJulu IHe same
period another concern in the same
section has lost six The value of an
average delivery horse ranges from
$3.50 to upward of $500, so that few
business men can afford to stand
such constant losses.
The police, however, have been
successful in running TO earth some
OF the thieves. One leader of band
of horse thieves recently got four
years in the penitentiary; another
got II years, and two others, con-
nected with a third gang, got 10
years each.
In their search after thieves the
New York police located a farm in
New Jersey which was conducted for
the receiving of stolen property.
They recovered 55 horses at the
place and landed the owner of the
farm in the penitentiary for a long
period.
~