Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1923-04-21
Crime Yields
Small Returns
Most Thieves End Their Careers
Barren Of Money, Says an
Old Detective.

New York.-When a burglar jim
niles his way into your apartment he
has but one object In view-to get
something of value; something that
Will compensate him for the risk he Is
taking. The burglar prefers money
to anything else, and next to money,
jewelry, since 1t may be easily car
ried away and quickly turned into
money. Do criminals such as the bur.
glar, hold-up man or pickpocket accu-
mulate much money, and If so, what
do they do with their ill-gotten wealth.
These questions are often asked the
police by curious persons.
"Does 1t pay to be crook from
monetary point of view?" asked an
old-time detective. 1--WE will assume
that the thief has been fairly sue
cessful in his pursuit, that he has sue
ceeded for long time In not being
caught, and that he has met with
some, pretty generous rewards. Any
such thief, If he will give you an hon
est answer, will tell you that crime
from a monetary standpoint is sad
and sorry failure. have known many
thieves. some of whom were regarded
as the shining lights Of their profess
sion, and l never knew any of them to
accumulate any real money, or to die
rich. Most thieves when they come
to the end of their careers are as clean
Of money as a church mouse.
Probably the type of thief known
as confidence man. fares as well as
any Of them. Wire tappers, as we
known, have at times fleeced their vic
tins of huge sums, $4,000 to 100000
such confidence men, after making
such hauls, would be on Easy street
for long time to come. But such Is
not the case.
Card Sharps Out of Luck.
once went to a well-appointed
house on Riverside drive to arrest a
confidence man who was wanted in an
other state. I arrived at the house at
late hour with the warrant for his
arrest. He was living In sumptuous
apartment and a Japanese servant at
tended to his wants. The Japanese In
formed me that his master had retired
for the night and that as l was a
stranger 1t would be impossible for me
to meet Mr.. So-and-So.
:. "Of' course. was not to be so easily
put off, and invited myself into the
parlor.. The crook then entered the
rooy,, IJo xr,or dracoad ~, Itrb< Anppo1s
and appeared to be a. cultured. edu-
Gated gentleman. He was highly in
dignant because had forced myself
into his privacy and he threatened
to throw me out If did not leave I'M
.mediately. showed him the warrant,
and he shrugged his shoulders resign
eddy. All right he said, since the
law is with you I'll accompany you
without any fuss I gave him an op-
portunity to pack up few necessary
belonginga The fellow was a card
sharp. He had recently returned from
Palm Beach, where he said he had
been posing as wealthy idler and hob
nobbing with millionaires. He had
made a little money out Of his adven-
ture-a few thousands-but he was
rather disguised at his poor luck.
"Card sharps used to work the big
ocean liners, and for time they did
fairly well. But too many complaints
were made against them and they were
forbidden to go aboard the big steam
ships. The same experience happened
to them on the fast transcontinental
express trains and at the big hotels.
They discovered that they were
marked men, and that they were
barred everywhere they went They
became so reduced to penury that they
had to give up card-playing as a live
lihood and go about making a living
honestly.
Must Count OF tho "SpIit."
Now and then a burglar may make
fairly good haul. He must go to q
fence to dispose Of his loot, and the
fence gives him the lowest possible
price for 1t. The burglar will tell
you that his is anything but we'll.
paying profession. The same may be
said Of hold-up men who are reported
as making big hauls. In such rob.
! berries there are five or six men that
the fortune must be divided among