New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-10
Insurance Man Says He
Never Tried to Recover
Stolen Property.
THIEVES IN ONE
YEAR GOT $1,000, 900
Green List" and "Pawnshop
Squad" Abolished Owing to
Fear of Publicity. II Is Said.

! While praising Commissioner Mckay
/ for the restoration Of the lineup at
! Police Headquarters. burglary and bond
| ing companies lot Il be known yesterday
that there we're riffs in the lutte that
must be patched mp before the music
PLAYED AT Headquarters would be OF
quality to be appreciated.
| All the burglary insurance companies
/ which raised their rates recently because
| OF the great number Of robberies in the
city were hopeful OF good results from
! the return 20 oldtme methods Of apply
( ing the hardwood finish" TO gangsters'
! but-and this Is the noint-they agreed
! that unless further departure were made
from the system that bred crooks under
| Waldo there was likely TO be another
lift in the premiums. These facts were
made known:
| Last year 5000. oo0 in 1ewelry and silver
ware was stolen in this cIty-and most or
the thefts were kept from public kno"l-
edge
No effort was made 10 trace the stolen
goods by searching pawnshops or send
ing out lists.
Private agencies. representing victims
OF robbery, went over the heads OF the
police officials and recovered most OF the
stolen goods.
Waldo was in the habit OF warning In
surance companies to keep from the
newspapers the names of prominent per-
sons robbed and the amounts stolen.
| The green lists" containing descrip-
/ tons OF articles stolen and usually sent
each day TO all pawnshops in the CITY,
were stopped nineteen months ago by
Waldo. who at the same time abolished
/ the "pawnshop" squad.
/ The insurance companies have the
names of more than 800 persons who have
been robbed in the last few months.
The loss of some insurance companies
in this city ran over 81 per cent OF tho
premiums. and one company suffered
| 200 per cent loss in Manhattan.
Investigation by The Tribune verihed
many Of the statements made by insur-
ance officials. particularly in regard to
the condition Of pawnshops and the small
care taken to recover stolen goods.
Frederick r. Shepherd, superintendent
of the Eastern burglary department OF
the London Guarantee and Accident COM
many. explained the situation with regard
10 the recovery of stolen property and
what the police were doing.
Long ago | gave up hope OF getting
results from Waldo" he said, so went
over his head and sent out my own lists
70 paynshops. OF all the incompetents
have ever dealt with Waldo was the
I,..I he
that used to go 10 paHnbrokers every
dav and aid in recovering stolen goods
He gave as a reason that newspaper re-
porters used to obtain the lists and print
stories Of robberies This was bad. he
thought. because the. crooks would theh
know the police were looking for them.
tell YOU there was a man who used his
| head.
shortly after the lists were stopped
| q nd the number of thefts increased, with
practically no recoveres, Waldo took
the pawnshop squad off duty ano ceased
botherlng about recovering stuff from
pawnshops.
For over a year. up 10 the coming
of Mckay as commissioner, less than
per cent OF stolen property was recov-
cred by the police. Some Of the jewels
stolen lately are literally big enough to
take a bite out OF. A few weeks ago
Commissioner Mckay began sending out
ten men to search pswnshops. TINS mas
done some good. but the numbe? OF men
is too small There should be hlty men
engaged in this impo~tan. WORK as there
used to be.
IF the lists were put in vogue AGAIN
and the old pawnshop squad reorganized
{, is my belief and that of insurance Of
eciaIs that the amount of goods recov-
cred would increase enough 10 ADMIT or
a lowering OF insurance rates.