The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-07-16

ganization of the business of steal ing automobiles has been reduced to a science.
 To properly suppress. both of these new classes of criminals it will be necessary for our legislators to alter to some extent the existing practice and existing regulations governing the motor vehicle. A brief discus sion of the methods and the systems of handling stolen cars will indicate the defects in our present law and may point to the proper solution of the problem.
 It is of the first importance to the automobile thief to be able to rapidly ceiVe for such car a cash payment, which closes the transaction, so far as the thief himself is concerned. It can therefore be seen that the dom mating influence which inspires the stealing of automobiles and about which the gang is organized is in ev- cry case "fence," or receiver of sto- len goods
 The fence is usually an automobile repair man or a garage keeper, ire quently occupying an apparently re- spec+able place in his community. The machinery necessary to the sue cessfuI handling of a stolen car is not as simple as might be supposed. On all cars appear numbers and manufacturers marks that make Identification possible and even easy. Therefore the stolen car must be inn mediateIy altered. The body must be changed, the makers numbers either altered or obliterated and the manufacturers marks upon different parts of the engine similarly treated; in fact, the whole character of the car must undergo complete change.
 These things cannot be accomplish ed except through the work of skilled mechanics and with the aid of a somewhat extensive plant The sto- len car thus altered must be dispos- ed of within reasonably short time. 1t is therefore necessary for the fence to have sub-agents who can aid him in providing a ready market. The risk would be too great were a fence to retain on his premises or under his control any large number of al tered cars, no matter how sklfully the alteration may have been accom- p1ished- Very frequently these agents are wholly innocent of the character of goods handled, but in most cases the general appearance of an altered car should be proof positive to the dealer that the ownership is at least questionable. No dealer can reason ably doubt that a car with altered or obliterated. engine number and up on which it is apparent that the body has been altered is a car the owner ship of which should be the subject of careful investigation.
 Tn the investigation made by the motor vehicle department-an inves- tigation ably assisted by the New York district attorneys ofhce-t is appa- rent that an organization existed among automobile thieves. The fence was the center of the. web in. which car after car was caught. Off, ten the various individual thieves would not be known to one another, but all were either directly or indi- a . which and the man to whom the sto- len cars were consigned.
 The system seems to have been very simple. On the streets of New York and Philadelphia cars were sto- len by the thief, who was usually, chauffeur who had sunk into the criminal classes. After stealing the car it was taken Immediately out of the state, and was generally brought by night to some smaller community.
 There a regular cash price is i'm mediateIy paid. depending upon the market value and desirabi1ity of the car. As a. usual thing the cash price paid to the thief, no matter how val uabIe the machine might be, would not exceed three or four hundred dol4 lars.
 In one case investigated by the de- partment specialization seems to have been made in Packard cars. The fence would purchase Packard bodies, either directly from the Packard plant or from dealers, and have them shipped to his place of business. Then the word would apparently be passed to the thieves, suggesting that a Pack ard car be stolen and the order would usually be filled either in New York or Philadelphia. The body of the car stolen would Immediately be taken off, and either destroyed or hidden in deserted barns A new body would be placed upon the chassis, and the engine number and other identifca.- ion marks would be obliterated, -rais- ed or otherwise altered.
 The car would then be placed with presumably respectable dealer some miles distant and sold in the regular course of business.