Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-03-22

news, so far as America is concern
ed, nothing but waste, whereas
glance at them now and then by one
familiar with the language would
often furnish news that is nowadays
wanted pre-eminently in that coun-
try
Waiting to ascertain for a certain
ty the news of the arrest (since
accomplished) of Combe and Lous-
tilot, the latter also deputy, and
which the press association have
wired briefly, and dropping into the
chamber set apart for the press, l
picked up a copy of the Berliner
Tageblatt Chow it got there past the
censor and the two lines of trenches
and troops 1 shall never telD and
found quite interesting news matter,
of which 1 merely mention the fol-
lowing items, as they bear upon the
food situation in Germany:
A Gentleman Thief
The Tageblatt contained a truly
remarkable story of youthful GRIM
inal who, veritable Rafiies or
handcuff king. simply did what he
Idesired in the high-toned West End
section of Berlin for year or more.
So numerous, in fact, were the
crimes now traced to him that at
first the capital police believed it
had to deal with a band of expert
criminals. This young pervert en-
tered bolted houses, secured his
booty, and managed to get away
without leaving any trace of his
coming, or going, save in the missing
valuables. Entering a fiat, he usual
ly would successfully pay his atten-
ton to several of them in one block.
In cafes and restaurants, where he
was in the habit of playing the
wealthy landed proprietor, richly
garbed, he had knack of hastily
possessing himself of his fellow
guests pocketbooks, watches, jew
elry, ETC.. all unknown to his vic
tins until too late.
Raffles, Jr., lived like a complete
gentleman criminal. He had two
dwellings, beautifully furnished with
the fruit of his midnight labors, and
with a wife in each, entertained his
casual cafe acquaintances with great
display of wealth and liberality.
Twice Was He Caught
Not long ago the police at last
managed to lay him by the heels, but
by some clever trick he locked the
officials who were engaged in exam
lining him into their room and coolly
walked out of the building. Late
that very night, however, he was
caught again. Police headquarters,
or, as the Berlinese with has dubbed
it, the Molkenmarkt, has a list of
the crimes laid at his door that
makes a document of extraordinary
variety, while preliminary exam
ination of his two residences has re-
suited in an estimate that the RaftleS
Junior actually has stolen property
to the value of no less than a million
marks. In one of his houses there
were found about 10000 marks in
bank notes, and war certificates to
the amount of $4,000 marks, not to
mention jewelry to the value of 200,-
coo marks.
Stolen pictures alone make a rare
and very costly collection, and evil
IDENTIFY the man had q fine taste in
rugs and carpets of oriental weave.
Not to omit the fact that he had
tremendous store of food in both of
his homes, coal and wood aplenty;
in fact, everything that is needed to
make a well-established home very
comfortable in these days of worry,
suffering and distress.
But now comes the most surpris-
ing part of the story of man and
his effective criminal work during
so long a period. Had the great
Berlin police no eyes, or were their
best detective officers all away at the
front? For Raffles Junior actually
had served several short sentences
for robbery, and his photograph all
the while had graced the famous
gallery of the Molkenmarkt depart
ment, which is located at Moabit, a
Berlin suburb, where there is situat-
ed the reformatory for youthful
criminals.