The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-11-08
TOM LTNCH's STORY.

Thieves, I Suppose" said Tom,
"have all sorts of notions as to why
they steal Few Of them, perhaps,
will agree with me. I believe that a
man has the right to take unto him.
self any property that may be in the
possession Of another, but which is
not being used by the owner at the
time of the theft. This draws the line
at picking pocket. l would not steal
anything from another's pocket. But,
if I entered mans house and there
found in a drawer a $1O0 which he
had taken from his pocket | would not
hesitate to steal it on the theory that
it was property out of use at the
time.
1T seems to me that if man boards
money, or other valuables, he Is sim
ply depriving the world Of what be-
longs to 1t. Thereupon, 1t becomes,
not only my privilege, but my duty to
interfere and to compel him to put
the money, or the valuables, into the
channels of circulation. This view, l
admit, conflicts with the law. But if,
in following out my theory, am will
ing to accept whatever consequences
the law is able to inf1ict, it is the bust
ness of nobody but myself. The law
may catch me and restrain my liber-
ty. 1t cannot convince me that I am
in the wrong or that the law is in
the right.
IF all the property in the world
were equally divided and each person
had his share | would not be thief.
| do not believe there would be any
thieves.
when I look around ME and see
one man who has cool million in his
safe, say that he must have got it
by stealing the wealth that belongs to
someone else. 1t may be. if I am able,
in turn, to steal his million l would
have more than my share. But at
least I should take great care to put
the money into immediate circulation,
instead of boarding it. When l have
advocated these theories in court in
defense of burglary charges judges
and lawyers have pronounced me
crazy. But l have always come back
at them with the statement that the
only mistake thief makes over the
rich man is that the thief is forced to
do openly what the rich man accom-.
plishes in secret.
You will understand me now when
speak of being proud Of a certain
piece of work in my line. Well of all
the tricks have pulled off am proud
err Of the robbery Of a certain great
New York wholesale house than any
other, even if it did land me for a fif-
teen-year stretch. am proud of it as
work of art. It was all Of that and
would have been masterpiece but for
the one little slip in the cogs that a
thief never counts on, yet so often en-
counters.
1.-The idea came to me one day
when 1 was passing the wholesale
house of .......... & Co., on Church
street. The night Waterman was jus>
going on duty. looked at him in
establishment. 1t was none other than
Sam Snyder. one Of the smoothest
bank burglars who ever held a candle.
How Sam ever succeeded in getting
job as night Waterman was a mys-
terry to me. Talk about setting a thief
to catch thief.
"Of course knew that Sam was on
to some lay and this made me pretty
sore.
Il had pulled Sam into many a soft
Job and 1t ground me that he should
20 off unbeknoWnst and set up in bust
ness for himself without saying a
word to me about It,
Well walked on to Billy the Bites
place on Thompson street to have a
drink and think it over. Who should
see sitting there at table but Sam
Snyder himself.
"'you- beat it over here from your