Bogalusa enterprise. [volume] (Bogalusa, La.) 1914-1918, 1916-11-09
TRICKS Of THIEVES
Safeguards Adopted by Automo.
bile Owners Are Of Little
Avail
FIND WAYS TO BEAT THEM
Automobile Thieves Are Clever Me-
chanlcians and Understand Every
Part of the Make Of Car and
Nothing Bothers Them.

Nothing Bothers Them.
The man who steals an automobile
is one of the cleverest mechanlcians In
the country. He knows every make OF
car from the steering wheel to the
tires, and there is scarcely any precau-
ton taken by the owner OF the car to
safeguard his property that the auto
mobile thief cannot beat.
Some car owners fondly imagine
that when they chain the wheel or
their car with a fairly thick steel chain
they have made 1t impossible for any
crook to move the auto from Its an
chorage. The simplicity OF this safe-
guard must cause hilarity among the
motor car crooks, the Philadelphia
North American remarks, for the Or
binary steel chain can be cut in Sec
ond with the appliances that the mo-
tor thieves carry In their outfit.
But most car owners consider they
have made the Cur immovable by mere
ly locking the switch box. 1t will IN
terest them to know that the car
thieves have found a way to beat this
precaution very easily. The clever me-
chanician who makes a business OF
stealing cars can cross wires SO as to
cause ignition and move the engine
without bothering with the switch box
at all. A method that is kindergarten
| to the car thief is to connect wires
from the dry cell battery direct to the
| ignition coil, thus starting the motor
without difficulty.
Some cars have devices by which
the gasoline supply can be locked, and
this is regarded by some owners as
| placing a hopeless barrier in the way
| Of the thief who would run OF with
| the standing car. For how can car
be moved when the supply Of gasoline
Is shut of? Nothing easier. The mo-
tor.car thief carries with him his own
supply of gasoline In bucket. with
this gallon or so OF gasoline, carried
in q bucket, the automobile thief can
negotiate o 15.mile run with the Cal
by connecting his bucket OF gasoline
direct to the carburetor. Feeding the
gasoline to the carburetor in this way
through q rubber hose, the automobile
thief can send the car far from thf
scene of it's former station; sufficient
ly far to enable him to put the gaso
line tank and the car in regular com
mission and speed where he will tt
safety and a sale.
But the cOmmonest and therefor
the safest trick of the automobile THE
requires no expert mechanical knowl
edge. 1t simply requires nerve, which
these thieves possess to an musua
! degree. This trick is the old one o
driving up in an old auto, that look
like garage repair wagon, hitchinl
a rome to the car that is to be stOlel
8 and towing it away. The thieve
dress for the part in oil-soaked over
alls. When they have selected the ca
to be stolen, picking one that is in
sidestreet and not likely to be unde
the eye of a policeman who may hav
been tipped to watch the car, tn
thieves come up to the scene in thei
old car, looking like the ordinary GREY
, sent for from the garage to repair
car that is in trouble or isn't workin
as we'll as its fastidious owner woul
wish.
They alight from their own car an
make a great pretense Of examinin
the car that they intend to spirit away
They remove the hood and scrutiniz
the motor. They get out kit OF tool
and tinker for awhile with some pal
Of the machinery. If anyone shout
happen to be watching them or lool
ing on from a neighboring window, a
the men do has the appearance OF ma
: ural work by honest workmen frol
the repair shop. Presently the me
hold a consultation, pointing to som
. part of the motor machinery, and al
parently come to the conclusion thu
the car cannot be started with tn
tools at their command. Then the
hitch a rope to the car and tow
away at the end Of their own ca
: Could anything be more simple?
How can you beat such a game q
:, this? Carrying away part of the MI
' chinery does not prevent the thievt
!, from towing the car away. One SUI
\ way to prevent robbery is to have tn