The sun., 1919-07-08
SWAMI IN CRUSADE
ON BURGLAR ALARM
Changing When Thief Is at
Work Spells Sleep of Hotel
Guests and Watchmen.
THUGS WELCOME MOVE
Police Don't Like the "Nui-
sances" Called "Cheap De-
WAGES to Save Insurance"

soon as a burglar opens q window and
continue ringing until somebody SHUTS
them of have got to cut out that sort
Of stuff Not only is the brazen. inn
pudent clangs of the gonss annoying
to the burglar but 1t also is extremely
disturbing to night watchmen and to
the police, and II keeps the people in
hotels and nearby houses from going
TO sleep at all. with the incessant racket
all night long.
These gongs are a nuisance" said
Mr.. Swami. land the nuisance must be
abated. The police don't like these
gongs and say they are cheap device
TO save burglar insurance. They start
ringing as soon as a window is opened
and they ring and ring and ring until
they are shut on"
But don't the police shut them Off
when they hear the gongs ringing? he
was asked.
"Of course not" he replied. How
could the police be expected to climb
up to a window that burglar has left
open--maybe six or seven stories?
Besides. the police say. the gongs go
off sometimes even when there are no
burglars about"
Mr.. Swami said he had received and
ne made public all sorts of complaints
from citizens and night watchmen and
the police, all of whom said the gongs
were a darned nuisance. Among the
first complaints was Sheriff David II.
Knott, who owns the Hotel Albert and
the Hotel Van Rensselaer,, who said the
clanor of the burglar alarms got on
the nerves of his guests and kept them
from slumber. But the very first COM
plant was made by night Waterman
employed by a taxicab company near
81 University place, where II. LIGHT has
big. electrically operated gongs in every
window to give warning of burglars.
Gongs Spoil watchman's Maps.
The night Waterman told the District
Attorney that he used to be able to get
Q few hours sleep while he was night
watching; indeed. that was his regular
custom and greatly refreshed him. The
burglars in H. LIGHTS place and in the
places OF other people round and about
never bothered him. But then H. LIGHT
rot tired OF being burgled and he made
arrangements with the Metropolitan
Electric Protective Company to install
huge, dangerous gongs at each window.
Al soon as the night Waterman saw the
men at work installing them he had an
idea that they were up to no good, but
IL never occurred to him that they were
arranging something to disturb his sleep.
II he had he probably would have got
an Injunction right there.
But the bells went in, and the burg
lars went in. also. The only difference
was that when the burglars went In the
bells started ringing. and always they
awakened the night Waterman across
the street. sleeping peacefully at his
duty The night Waterman told the po-
liceman on the beat about II, and the
copper agreed with him that 1t was a
darned shame for folks to put in burglar
alarms that kept night watchmen awake.
30 on the advice of the policeman the
night Waterman wrote bitter protest to
Mr.. Swami demanding to know among
other things how the devil he was going
70 night watch properly IL these gongs
lcspt disturbing his rest.
Others File Complaints.
.And these night watchmen aren't the
only people who complain" said Mr..
Swami. IT have letters from the guests
of the Hotel Albert and the Hotel Van
Rensselaer,. all of whom complain that
the ringing of the gongs keeps them
awake all night And this night watch
man complains that every time burglar
comes around to any Of those places
that have gongs and raises a window he
has 70 keep awake"
Mr.. Swami called Simon B. Hess pres
ident of the company that operates and
frstalls the gongs, into the Office of the
District Attorney and questioned him.
Mr.. Hess said that the electric gongs
were splendid things to keep burglars
away.
The result is" said Mr.. Hess, that
burglaries are getting fewer where the
gongs are installed and burglary insur-
ance isn't needed. Nothing can stop
my gongs when they start ringing ex-
cept their shutting of by somebody. The
company does not contract to stop the
gongs; 1t contracts only TO make them
ring"
They've got to be stopped said Mr.
Swami.
Let the police stop them" suggested
Mr.. Hess, maybe they'd catch a burglar
or two"
But Mr.. Swami said that the police
did not consider it part OF their duty
TO follow burglars about closing win
down after them, so he sent a letter
to II. LIGHT and to NJ. S. Ritz 6
Co. $40 Broadway: Schrieber, Rosen.
thai & Glass as East Ninth street, and
Isador Feldman, 81 East Thirteenth
street, all of whom have installed the
Rongs. The letter said:
Complaint has been made TO this OF.
nee that you maintain on the outside OF
YOUR premises large electric gong which
on occasions, constitutes a public nuts.
ance as defined by Section 1880 OF the
Penal Laws, in that II annoys and en-.
dangers the comfort and repose Of q
considerable number of persons.
IT prefer TO take this matter I'D with
you in this informal way rather thar
submit TO the Grand Jury the evidenc.
that / have.
''Please let me know your determine
ZION In this matter without delay"
swans stand Strongly Backed.
Mr.. Swann's stand against the clam
orous burglar alarm has the full ap
prevail of every burglar and footpad il
the greater city, and perhaps In New
Jersey also, according TO a statemen
issued last night, through his secretary
by Mike the Bite. president of the Inter
national Amalgamated Association O
Yesgs and Stick Ups. Mr.. Bites secre
tary said also that to-day, or to-mor
row. or at any rate as soon as he cal
steal an envelope and a postage stamp
Mr.. Bite would mail the following lettel
to the District Attorney:
Dear Sir: May not say that my or
Eanization and myself are in full sym
pathy with you in your admirable effor
TO rid the city OF those nefarlous gong
that ring like the devil every time w
jimmy window? We strive to plea e
but It Is entirely too much to expect u
TO give our entire attention TO the mat
ter at hand, and effect the accomplish
ment OF a neat but not Saudy burglar
when all the time brazen. impuden
electric gong is ringing close TO hand
The police are giving US no trouble what
ever. for which of course we are ex
ceedlnHly grateful and in return 70