Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-29


Y Jerry often burglar finds among his
" loot a lot Of articles Of little or
no intrinsic value, but worth pos
sibly thousands Of dollars to their owner
Such articles II disposed of in the regu-
lar way to a fence or professional re-
ceiver Of stolen property would often net
but small returns, whereas the same ar
ticles If worked back" to the owners
through tactful negotiation might bring
thousands of dollars
Because of my ability in working back"
articles in this manner my. services we're
frequently enlisted by professional house
breakers in years gone by In this way !
came to know many of the most notorious
of them quite intimately. Then, too, was
ain" on several jobs myself II burglary
presented an exception to the general rule
that Crime does not pay" ] think, there
fore, that / would be In as good a position
as any one to testify to It.
AS a matter of fact, throughout all my
experience in the underworld the conclu-
sion was continually being forced upon
me that a life of crime cannot pay and
that the house-breaker, however success
full he may prove for a WHILE is bound to
lose out in the end.
The truth of the matter is that the
house-breaker, like every other profession
al criminal, is an inveterate gambler
When he is in funds he squanders his
money, and then when times are bad and
one lob" after another seems to go
wrong. he has nothing to fall back on. For
weeks at q time even the most success
full" burglars have found it hard work to
secure three meals a day During such
periods they lead the existence of out
casts
M
harassed by actual want, there are many
other things TO worry him The fear of
arrest is constantly In his mind. He is a
hunted man. II is fact that some burg
lars are occasionally stricken with remorse
for some of their heartless deeds. One of
the cases / speak Of to-day presents an
instance of this. Then. too, the burglar is
constantly jeopardizing his life and lib
erty in pursuing his dangerous vocation
The householder has no hesitancy in
shooting to kill when he comes upon an
intruder, and the burglar carries his life
in his hands.
Even with money in his pocket, there
fore, the professional hOuse-breaker is
constantly asking himself the question
Does it pay? Is the game worth the can
dle?" and from what ] know of the game
l feel warranted in saying that in nine
cases out of ten the answer is in the mega
tive. CRIME DOES NOT PAY
1t is fact that the horror experienced
by a householder upon discovering an in
truder in his room is far less than the tax
upon the nerves of the burglar himself
From the moment the housebreaker makes
his entry he is under the most intense
strain. The shock he experiences when
ne is discovered is enough to make even
the bravest quail AT the slightest sus-
picious sound he is ready to turn tail and
run. 1t is only when he finds himself cor
nered that he puts up fight. Then he is
backed by the courage of desperation, and
escape is the only thing he thinks Of
NO burglar ever encountered a greater
surprise than that which met Pete" Kel-
ley, the notorious second-story man, some
years ago | was not in" on the job in
the first place, but Kelley got me to work
back" some of the loot and that is how |
came to hear his own story of his remark
able experience.
This Kelley was a very clever second
story man. Some house-breakers obtain
an entrance by way of the front or back
door. Others climb up the porch and get
in by way of the second-stOry windows,
These are known as the second-story men.
and Kelley was one of the best of them
The particular job to which | referred
took place in Kansas City. Kelley took
II theatre one Dlgnt, ana tnere he saw
the wife of wealthy man of the town
Her display Of jewels dazzled him He
made up his mind to get them if it were
possible.
He followed the couple home and spent
the following three days studying the
habits of the inmates of the house.
Every time the husband or the wife left
the house he or one Of his pals trailed him
or her. As a result of this espionage
Kelley satisfied himself that the family pos
sessed no safe deposit vault or if they
did, that the jewels which the lady had
worn at the theatre, at any rate, had not
been deposited in their safe-deposit box,
because neither of them had visited the
vault
From all he could gather the household
consisted of the husband and wife and
three servants. Kelley had ascertained
that their usual hour for dining was seven
o'clock. Quite frequently they had com
pany for the evening meal and the dinner
was. seldom over before eight, giving an
energetic second-story man a full hour to
work uninterruptedly.
Kelley bided his time. On the fourth
day of watching he decided his opportunit,
had arrived. He had watched the house
from early morning being relieved at
times by pal in whom he had the utmost
confidence
At seven o'clock the mental picture