The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-09-06
By HAL. BOYLE

NEW YORK A-Jesse James
was corn in tae wrong century.
He wasted his criminal talents
holding up banks amDusning train
on horseback, and died young him
self, victim CT the crude instrl
ment by which he iived-a pistol
Today Jesse James would have
to sharpen his technique consil
erably to survive in crime fielt
that has become big business
truck cargo theftS.
Looting the heavily laden behe
moths of the highways is now a
highly lucrative industry for well
organized gangs who operate with
the timed precision of a profes
Sional football team making a
touchdown play.
Truck hijacking has become so
widespread that losses rose from
% million dollars in 1915 to SIS mi
lion in 1851, and some insurance
experts fear the toll this year may
reach rs million.
Here is the kind of cargo these
criminal specialists go for, as
measured by losses last year:
clothing, food, textiles, tobacco,
furs, liquor, metals, television sets,
money, and furniture.
"All it requires to steal 20
ton truck is nerve said Jack
Seide, AZ, head of Babaco Alarm
Systems, pioneer in truck cargo
protection.
Contrary to the public's idea, -
he said, "moSt truck hijackings
don't occur on 10 1ely stretches OF
the open road at guI point.
Ninety nine per cent are pulled
off in a metropolitan area. They
are usually thefts from unattended
vehicles. "Gunplay is very rare,
because it is unnecessary"
Some gangs set up their jobs
with inside help from trucking
firm employees, whom Seide feels
aren't carefully checked for past
criminal records. Some gangs loot
unguarded trucks on the spot, 9th
ers drive them away and empty
the contents at their leisure, then
abandon the vehicles.
Seide became interested in the
salesman for a jeWelry and watch
supplies firm shortly after gradu-
ating from high schoo1.
Thieves repeatedly broke into
his car and stole his samples.
1T wasn't the value of the sam
pies themselves that bothered me, "
he said, as the time / lost from
selling until the samples could be
replaced"
With the help of a friend he
made a crude burglar alarm that
would sound the horn if anyone
tried to tamper with his car. 1t
worked. He lost no more samples.
Other statesmen heard of his alarm,
and asked him to make one for
their cars.
Seide decided to make vehicle
protection his career, and devel-
oped his invention. 1t took him five
lean years Of hunger to interest
trucking companies and insurance
writer's in it.
Today he leases his alarm sys-
TENS to firms operating more than
5000 trucks, has 200 agencies from
coast-to-coast. boasts that no truck
protected by one of his alarms
has ever been hijacked.
But having a million dollar
idea" he said wryly, isn't nearly
as hard as putting 1t over after
you get it."
NEW YORK R-Everybody has
been picking on American teen
ayers so much lately it is a pleas.
ure today to report they have a
new defender.
She is lovely Diane Bell, IS. tn,
Miss Teen-Age of Australia. - Her
reward for winning her title in a
countrywide competition was a
trip to the United States, and il
has been wonderful surprise.
Il was told they would pour
chocolate sauce over my roast beef
here, and I'd never get a decent
cup of tea" she said, laughing,
but ii hasn't been that way al
all. They also told me I'd meet
nothing but bodgies and widgies
over here, and l haven't met one.
A hndoip she avnlainad is q