The Washington times., 1919-09-28
CopyFight IOIo international Feature Services Inc.
(COntiHUsd from Last Sunday
CHAPTER VI
The LOOting of the Warehouses
lturs Service. Ine.

n preceding instalments of this narrative Of the
master criminals extraordinary achievements in
what almost is a new criminal science, they have
been given from week to week these pages number
of the interesting exploits Of this marvellous rogue
in his nationwide raids on department stores and specially
shops have been described To-day he followed into
another field
The big six to twenty story loft building looming dark
and unattractve at night in the deserted streets Of
citys wholesale district would impress the casual
passerby as fertile field for criminal genius yet in these
buildings are stored in New York City alOne almost
any day Of the year. more than billion dollars worth Of
goods which are the most marketable in the world
For example it takes but small crate Of shimmering
silk cloths just arrived from France Japan China,
TO be worth thousand dollars Yet in eighteenstOTy
building IN New York, few hundred yards from the
water front IN neghbOrhOOd which is teeming with lhe
in the daytime but peOpled at night only by the derect
Of the underworld the ders from the whars and docks
Of the harbor there may be counted any day the year
ten thousand crates Of the rarest silks in the wOrdbos
on bolts Of heavy Weaves such as ancient
would have travelled hundreds Of miles to garner for the
medieval ladies Of feudal Europe.
bolt Of this imported silk brought sailing ships
and fast freight liners from the other side Of the ocean for
the costly gowns and c0aks Of fashion in America worth
its fixed market price dollars and cents just surely
is brick of gold or perfect diamond pearl Indeed,
there are many shred bankers who openly declare they
would rather have mortgage crate OF silk than on
its equal value in gOdfOr the worth Of gold varies very
little, while the nOnLn
And just there alWaysls purchaser ready to buy
when bit Of old gold is offered for sale, there always
Is market for bolt of silkalWays "fence, buyers
Of stolen goods called willing to pay close to the actual
value for all stolen silks surTepttOusy delivered to him,
1t is not to be wondered at that the master criminal
should and then from those campaigns Of shop
lifting that have been described on these pages to the
even more profitable WHOLESALE field Here his loot is
not only silks and san from abroad but furs which have
not yet passed into the hands Of the retail stores and
food products. Food products nowadays easily
be converted into dollars.
''Silk thieves" have Of course been familiar to the
police authorities for many generatOns-even the came!s
Of the Queen Of Sheba plOddng their way to SOOmOns
palace yards with Weavings from the looms of her dusy
handmadens were often robbed and descendants Of these
ancient robbers have been active through all succeeding
generations But the silk thief of other days satisfied
with his single bolt at least armful The master
criminal measures his loot only by the capacity Of his feet
Of enormous motor trucks and the ingenuity with which
he can I'll them In mOnth-July-Of this year the
records Of the police Of New York show that the master
criminal and his cOnfedeTates stole $4,000 worth Of silks
each day That is their loot for the month averaged that