Evening star., 1922-08-04
STOLEN AUTO TIRES
BO0TLEGGERS' PREY
Cleveland Police Discover
Loot From Cars Find
Ready Market.
THIEVES WELL ORGANIZED
Trade Brisk. Each Large City
Seeming to Absorb Local
Gangs Plunder.
THIEVES WELL ORGANIZED
Special Dispatch TO The Star.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
CLEVELAND, August "A ques-
ton which has been puzzlinS the auto
mobile owners of the nation has been
settled by an investigation just con-
cluded by police authorities and an
nounced here.
What becomes of all the tires and
other accessories stolen from ma
chimes during the course cf year.
the aggregate of the thefts mounting
into millions of dollars?
The police and reputable accessory
dealers have discovered that the
stolen property goes almost exclu-
>ivelv to the bootleggers of the country
This discovery has opened up a
wide field for study by the crimi-
nolOSists and sociological workers.
1t has demonstrated how one crime,
allowed 10 go unchecked, begets an
other. The bootleggerS. plying a
criminal trade, have no hesitation in
compounding other crimes by pro-
viding u steady market for stolen
property with which to equip the
machines used by them.
Organized Gang Operating.
1t has been realized for some time
that there must be some well or
eantzed method of disposing of
stolen tires. radiator thermometers.
spotlights and other easily removed
accessories. The thefts themselves
seem to have been the result of or
Sanized effort. No one is ever seen
removing spare tire. but in each
large city the nightly hauls must re-
quire large trucks to take care of
them.
OF late tire thefts have been con-
la al hl fina of
tires and to entirely new castings.
Bootleggers, while criminals. are very
discriminating. They know that their
safety often depends upon fight and
safety In automobile flight is de-
pendent largely upon dependab
tires. Bootleggers furthermore do
not travel in cheap. small cars. This
Is particularly true of the class
known as rum runners," who bring
the Illicit liquor from distant cities
but it applies as we'll to, the retail
merchants" who deliver the goods
to homes in the cities.
For d time it was thought there
must be some immense fence" or
wholesale clearing house for the dis
Dosal of stolen automobiles and as
cesSories, but the investigation has
shown that each city abSorbs largely
its own thefts Great centers of
population like New York, Chicago.
tnllauelphla ST. LOUIS, Detroit,
cleveland and San Francisco draw as
we'll upon outlying territory, al
though the thefts in these cities gem
orally take care of the demand. Boot
1eggers are liberal buyers Of acces-
sories which they know to be stolen,
because they realize the difficulty of
tracing such property. but they do
not buy stolen automobiles. The
risk of detection is too great.
Question Awaits Solution.
How to combat the theft Of ac-
cessories is a question which awaits
solution. The police know some of
the contributing causes, but these
are equally difficult to meet. Per-
sons who leave their cars standing in
the streets all night-using open air
arages-naturally invite the thieves
to help themselves. A beautiful new
spare cord tire sparkling upon the
rear of car is a great temptation
to the criminal tire specialist. Or