Year: 1879

Extent of the Business in New England. 5 A WELL ORGANIZED GANG OF OPERATORS

 NINETY HORSES STOLEN BY ONE THIEF LAST SEAsoN-DIFFICULTIE CONCERNING

 THE DETECTION OF THE SOoUNDRELs,

 The crime of horse stealing is much more extensively committed than is generally sup posed. AS carried on the ways of detection are made difficult, and but a comparatively few cases are brought before the courts and have public attention called to them through the newspapers. Probably nc single class of crim- inals is so we'll organized to protect itself from pursuit. and discovery. Burglars engaging in extensive operations have more money at their command to employ expensive lawyers and bribe officers of the law, or bring about com promises to their own advantage as a bar to arrest and prosecution bat the h~rse thieves. many more in number, are better protected from annoyances of arrest, as the property they steal can be more readily put in shape to prevent identification, and when so changed is just as available for disposal and profit. The risk of horse stealing is not great, as is proved by the fact that veryfew thieves are caught in the act of stealing and not many in the aggregate are caught with the property in their possession. Tine arrest of an expert thief is usually brought about by his betrayal by some one with whom he has been in collision, who through fear of the law himself ''gives away" the man he has dealt with. -~ -s AFT

 There is at the present time throughout New England very complete and extensive organization of professional horse thieves, who have regular headquarters and are as well known to each other as men engaging in any honorable enterprise. In many cases livery men, bearing fair regulations, wink at the traf- fic in stolen horses, because they can recruit their stables at prices much below market val ues {; and in others preprieters are in close con- nection with the thieves and make a business out of them keeping up appearances as legiti- mate stablemen only to deceive the public And it would be curious subject of inquiry to follow the horse thief, having horses to sell, along the country highways and the farmers and others and jot down the names of men of fair repute in the community who will consent to buy or trade, without asking any questions consciously knowing that the property they are getting could not be honestly sold for the price they secure it for. The readiness of men to take horse because they can buy it cheap, gives wide market to the horse thief and makes his vocation profitable.

 A few months ago a notorious thief, Chris topher Carter was arrested in Providence for stealing horse belonging to John Elmer of Burnside and was broughrtot this city and at the last criminal term of the superior court sent to state prison. This man had operated all over New England and in one county in New Hampshire there are thirteen indictments now pending against him, his arrest leading to the discovery of evidence against him. He kept an account of his sales in a small book which is now in the possession of the Hartford police authorities and it appears on this book that during the season of 1878, he stole ninety horses and realized from selling and trading nearly $5, 900 in cash. This business, for d fn Uhat stealing is carried, when it is considered that scores of others like him are at liberty and have been operating largely and are still at it. An income of nearly $5, 900 is from sales at low prices generally, and the parties buying realizing an additional profit, SO that, in the aggregate the receipts from this nefa- rious business are enormous, while the losses to people whose property is stolen are corres- pondingly large.

 Stolen horses are changed many times in such manner by the removal of marks or the substitution of new ones, as to make it almost impossible to identify them and carriages and harness can be much more easily remodeled to prevent recognition as stolen property. Har- nesses are taken to pieces and several sets are put together out of different parts of the orig- nal, and then scattered among buyers so that owners would never know what belonged to them.

 There are numerous rendezvous of the thieves in Connecticut all of them known to the gang as class, and the whole business is carried on with perfect understanding. Many men who do not steal themselves are by understanding associated with the traffic and make a. living out of it. There is regular or ganization of the receivers of stolen property, though it passes publicly for a legitimate horse dealers association, and conventions are held in different parts of the state, at which gatherings ''mum's the word" The property got together on these occasions is not the most valuable, because that has been easily disposed of but embraces the poorer class of horses and lower grade of running gear and harness and horse implements generally. There are private sales and sales by auction, and such divisions of the miscellaneous assortments as will more completely mix the property and scatter it are made for the purpose of covering up all proof of stolen goods. This is sort of clearing out sale of the refuse, and puts the dealers and go- betweens in good shape to continue the busi- ness without being loaded with an uncomfort able stock on hand.

 The evil has grown to be SO great that the thieves appear to be better organized to pro- tect themselves than lawful society is to keep what belongs to it and this is true to-day of several of the "professions" which engage the talent of expert rascals So long as livery sta- bles with apparently honest signs, and country hotels with an air of rural simplicity abe,t them, and respectable appearing farmers, turn out to be directly or indirectly agents for the horse thief and his associates so long will it be very difficult matter to stop the traffic, unless resort is made here as in some parts of the western territories, to the halter and the sour apple tree.