South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-07-10
Public Familiar With
Passenger Train RObberies.

Train robbing is no new thing.
Tales OF daring bandits who stop fast
passenger trains to loot the mails and
the passengers are about as old as rail-
stories. and now to movies. in which
we find the accounts OF robbers "go-
ing through" trains. But all the ro-
nance. all the picturesqueness of this
form of crime has been exploited in
tales Of the robberies only of passen-
ger trains. That thieves find more
profit In attacking freight cars has
been overlooked perhaps because.
when the situation is investigated, 1t
is found out that freight train robbing
Is a pretty common matter.
To remove the freight traffic OF the
country from the attacks OF thieves.
or in any event, 10 lessen the damage
done. the Railroad administration has
established a force OF federal police
men in all the railroad centers Of the
country. New York, Chicago, Denver,
San Francisco. Pittsburg. St. Louis
and all the other cities which are
shipping and receiving centers for
the various railroads have branches
Of this police system for the protection
Of goods in transit from one point TO
another.
II is not altogether the matter of
plaving hide-and-seek with thieves
across a state which concerns the gov
ernment's railroad policemen. The
chief losses occur right in the yards
around the large railroad coneentra-
tons. Opportunity is greater there
than out on the line somewhere. When
cars are lying on a siding awaiting the
formation OF a train they are in far
more danger than when creeping along
the rails behind a sweating, painting
old mOgul.
Last June, realizing the vital need
for lighting the criminals who infest
railroad yards. the government organ
lied its railroad police force. center
ing souadrons of men, varying In size
10 suit the demand of a particular To-
calitv. at the transportation centers Of
the railroad systems OF the country.
The new force did not supply the men
who had previously been employed by
the railroads. The new force was
created IN addition to the protection
already being utilized by The railroads.
When the force was hrst establish
ed Il experienced the difficulties al
WAYS encountered by new Orsaniza-
lions. The men did not know exact
tx how 10 combat the thieves. Al
though all the men employed on the
force were experienced men, some Of
them being expert detectives, their
knowledee of the methods employed
by their new foe was not very great.
So. for a time. they had TO devote
themselves 10 a study Of the situation
and OF the habits OF the freight-ear
thieves.
Crooks who rob freight cars are no
burglars. They do their work with
such skill and proficiency that car
may start from. say. st. Louis. with
all the entrances sealed and even
nailed down and arrive il Peoria next
dav apparently as intact as when It
started. But upon examination the
contents will be found to have been
literally removed. Where the robbery
wss committed. how IL could have
been done without breaking the seals
Of the car. what sort Of criminals were
doing the job-all had 10 be analysed
and studied by the federal agents be-
fore they could begin an effective
campaign against the outlaws.
The officers were not long in ascer-
tanning the differences in method which
were due TO the different environment