Evening star., 1920-03-21
A SIGH FOR DAYS
THAT ARE GONE

Willis in imposing sentence upon two
auto thieves. The declaration was ac-
companied by carrying out Of its sub
stance in the case in hand and, let it be
known to the credit Of the worthy jurist,
since that date there has been a notice
able decrease in fancy joy-riding and
plain auto thievery in and about Los
Angeles
AS the practice of stealing cars grows
throughout the country. So too, does dis
cussion Of the practice grow and many
! and varied reasons are assigned as the
cause Of increased thievery. In one city
| 1t will be attributed to police laxity; in
another to court Ieniency; and frequent
~ the motorist himself is bitterly up
| braided for being so careless with so val
liable piece of property.
The police are not always lax. but
| often discouraged There is nothing
that takes the sap out of a policeman
quicker than for him to arrest a thief
have the goods on his man. to use the
parlance of the force-and then fail to
secure conviction in court. Thus it
has been frequently with the police. who
| assert that apprehending car thieves is
anything but simple because of a lack
tives.
That automobile owners have been
| careless with their cars cannot be
denied. In truth. it is astonishing
how men and women who wouldn't
think think of carrying more than $50 with
through fear OF being robbed will
| leave a two-thousand-dolla motor
| car wholly unprotected in the city's
streets. a shining mark for thieves.
such faith in fellow-men is beauti-
full. indeed, and makes one long for
the day when distrust shall be no
| more and honesty hold full sway. But
that day is not yet here, and in the
interim car owners should be more
cautious.
1t is disgraceful that man must
pc always on guard against marau-
ders; he ought to be able to leave
anything he owns anywhere and find
1t when he returns to it, And to
hurry such day along there should
be. not premium on honesty. but a
| well advertised and heavy penalty on
dishonesty, whether it be the pilfer-
OF motor car or the robbery of the
weak by the strong, in ali of it's
practiced phases.
There are some bright wits in
crime; and automobile stealing, it
the world Of thievery. Merely to step
into another mans car and drive
away with it taking all the chances,
is now becoming an anachronism and
a cFudeheSS. 1t IS no longer done in
the best grand larceny circles. The
genteel purloiner now sizes I'D skill
fully the vehicle he wants as to its
cylinders. horsepower and other
points of technical interest, files his
ownership papers. takes out his IL
cense, and, il stopped by the police.
produces indignation and the oficiai
documents
One wit advertised for purchasers
OF automobiles, and upon learning
what sort Of car was desired would
appropriate one fitting the descrip-
ton standing along the curb, change
the license number and take it to the
waiting customer. This mans clever
ness stopped just short of keeping
MN out OF jail, we are happy to an
nounce.
No fewer than five persons are usu-
ally implicated in the stealing of a
car. They are, as known in the ver-
nacular OF their profession, the To-
cater, the grabber. the garage owner,
the mechanic and the fence. The To-
cater is the one who picks out the car
to be stolen; the grabber is the one
who drives the car off; the mechanic
disguises the car; the fence disposes
of the stolen property.
With organized and financed gangs
working at car thievery, mans au-
tomobile is in imminent danger of
being stolen every time he leaves it on
the street. With the number of auto
mobiles in the streets ever increasing,
no effective method of preventing
theft in force, and no heavy punish
ment for car thievery generally in
flicted. the thieves are having a merry,