The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1916-11-16
BOLD CAR THIEVES.
Tricks Of the Clever Crooks That
Steal Automobiles.
DARING in THEIR METHODS.

ONIluUQ IN uUGtn4 VIZ
One Of THAR Pet Schemes is to Dis.
suise Themselves as Repairsrs and
Openly Tow the Car Away-ordi-
nary Safeguards Are a Joke 70 Them.
The man who steals an automobile is
one. Of the %cleverest mechaniciaas in
the country. He knows every make Of
car from the steering wheel to the tires.
and there IS scarcely any %precaution
taken BY the owner Of the car to. safe.
guard his property that the automobile
thief cannot beat.
Some car owners fondly imagine that
when they chain the wheel of their car
with a fairly thick steel. chain they
have made it impossible for any crook
to move the auto from its anchorage.
The simplicity Of this safeguard must
cause hilarity among the motorcar
crooks, for the ordinary steel chainFcan
be cut in a second with the appliances
that the motor thieves carry I'm. their
outfit. S
But most car; owners consider they
have made the car immoEabae by mere
" locking the switch box. It will inter
est them to know that the caesthieyes
can beat this precaution very easily.
The clever Inechanician 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 kim
dergarten to the car thief Il to connect
wires from the dry cell battery direct
to the ignition coil. thus starting the
motor without difficulty. i
Some cars have devices bysWhich 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 or with the
standing cal. For how can q car be
moved when the supply Of gasoline h
shut or Nothing easier. The motor
car thief carries with him his own mn
ply Of gasoline in ass1ask. with this
gasoline the automobile thief can neeo.
tiate a good run with the car BY con
meeting his flask Of gasoline direct to
the carburetor. Feeding the gasoline
to the carburetor through a rubber
hose, the automobile thiefsc m send the
car sufficiently Tar to enable him to put
the gasoline tank andathe.car In freegu-
Lar commission; and speed where he
viii toesafetyzandya sale. Ut -
But. the .c0mm0nest and therefore the
safest trick Of the automobile thief r. !,
qutres no expert mechanical knowl-
edge. It simply requires nerve, which
these thieves possess to an unusual de-
gree. This trick is the old one Of dr1v.
ing up in an auto that looks like d ga
rage repair wagon, hitching q rope to
the a that il: to be stolen and towing
it away. The thieves dress for the mart
In oil soaked overalls. When they have
selected the car to be stolen. picking
one that is in a side street and not Ike
~ to be under the eye Of a policeman.
who may have been tipped to witch
the car, the thieves come up to the
scene In. their old car, looking like the
ordinary crew sent for from the garase
to repair a car that Is In trouble or isn't
working as well as IT'S f%astidious owner.
would wish.
They alight from their own car and
make q great pretense Of examining
the q that they intend 70 spirit away.
They remove the hood and scrutinize
the motor. They get out . kit Of tools
and tinker for awhile with some part
of the machinery. If any one should
happen to be watching them or looking
on from a neighboring window all the
men do has the appearance Of natural
work By honest workmen from the
repair shop. Presently the men hold
a consultation, pointing to some part
Of the motor machinery, and apparent
" come to the conclusion that the car
cannot be started with the tools ct
their command. Then they hitch a
rope5to the car and tow It away ut the
end Of their own car. Could anything
be more simple?
How can you beat such q game ~
this? Carrying away part Of the ma
chinery does not prevent the thieves
from towing the car away. One sure
way to prevent robbery is to have the
car watched. The. policeman on that
patrol will keep an eye on it II you
are only going To 1aake q visit to some
Office building a4tscoming back IN I
short time. BuNteyou keep yopr cal
in the street the ertpHf day noaegssfa1
watch 1t. You are simply talstAr I
chance with the car thieves.
There are other ways of m1kI4sy$ths
path Of the motorcar crook. Steel
and difficult as possible. One motor
list believes he has solved the THE:
problem by having slot cut in th.
clutch pedal shaft. Through this b,
passes a bar which b locks. ola
his car has not been stolen. Anothe