Store Is Robbed Four Times

1920

Police Catch the Thieves in Their Fifth Bold Attempt.

NEW YORK, N. Y. — The fifth annual opening by burglars of George Horton's store in Yonkers, took place, but the police caught the robbers red-handed.

Sergeant John Wilner and Patrolman John Shannon were trying doors in the neighborhood just before daybreak when they were attracted by a noise in the store. Going to the rear, they found a window open and goods piled up outside ready to be removed.

The police opened fire and captured three of the four men. They gave their names as Morris Hayes, Angelo Rito and Gordon Allen. The police say the robbers had $10,000 worth of stock packed up ready to motor away with.

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Aug. 7, 1920, p. 4.

Thieves' Smooth Trick

1909

WILKES BARRE, Pa., Oct. 6. — All records for impudent thefts were broken at Bloomsburg this week, when a furnace, with all its flues and attachments, was stolen bodily from the home of C. C. Barger. The thieves, John James, of Mausdale, and Joseph Kelly, of Danville, who were arrested today, admitted their guilt and were held under $500 bail by Justice Jacoby.

They learned that the Jeremiah Fowler estate, which owns the Barger house, was to place a new furnace in it, and Wednesday went to the house, said they had been sent to take out the old furnace, carted it away in a wagon they hired and sold it to a junk man. So plausible was the whole affair that not until yesterday was it discovered that the furnace had been stolen.


Bluffed By A Corncob

EVANSVILLE, Ind., Oct. 6. — Earl Sappenfield, an escaped lunatic, held policemen and detectives at bay for ten minutes with a small corncob covered with a handkerchief. The officers thought he had a pistol.


Howard Nesbit Convicted

Sentenced to Sixty Days, but Gives Bond for Appeal

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Oct. 6. — Howard Nesbit, brother of Mrs. Evelyn Thaw, received a sentence of sixty days in jail here. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of attempting to obtain money under false pretenses, and City Attorney Hoyt produced evidence to show that young Nesbit offered for sale at a pawnbroker's shop here a white sapphire ring for which he tried to procure $35. It was worth about $3, according to Jeweler F. I. Glouskin, from whom Nesbit tried to get the money.

Nesbit appealed the decision, but was taken to jail. Bail was fixed at $200, and J. F. Francis, who says that he is a New York City banker, arrived just after Nesbit's trial took place. He offered bond money and Nesbit was released.


This Is The Only Way

Do not reason with a conceited man; flatter him.

Should Mothers of War-Dead Be Sent To France?

1920

A Suggestion

Why shouldn't the Government give the next of kin — or mothers, at least — of American boys buried in France, asks the Stars and Stripes, a soldier's newspaper, the alternative of having the bodies returned or of visiting the graves?

The Government has pledged itself to bring back all bodies asked for by the next of kin. It will cost no more — probably less — to take a mother to France than to return the body of her son.

Many mothers are not so anxious to have the bodies returned as they are to have some visual evidence that their sons are buried in proper surroundings. In recognition of this desire the Red Cross has taken pictures of graves, to be sent to the mothers.

Wouldn't it be a graceful and grateful act on the part of the Government, for whom these mothers have made the supreme sacrifice of womanhood, to take them to the spot where their boys are sleeping beneath the little white crosses?


None Too Much

Down in Connecticut, says the Boston Post, the courts seem determined to do what they can to end the pernicious activities of the automobile thieves who flourish there as everywhere else. As earnest of this intent, one Walters, the recognized leader of a gang of accomplished snatchers of motor cars who have stolen $30,000 worth of the machines within a short time, was given a sentence of twenty-three years and nine months in prison. An accomplice drew fourteen years. The first mentioned is said to be a record sentence in Connecticut for this particular offense.

It is a record that should be emulated by other courts.

—Saturday Blade, Chicago, Feb. 28, 1920, p. 6.

Price of a Life in London Slums

1907

Willing Murderers Plenty in the Slums of London

I am told that a ten pound note will buy a man's life in London — that any unsuspicious person can fall into the Thames on a dark night or break his neck going round a slippery dark corner or fall under a van if a little bit of crisp paper changes hands, says a London writer.

I know that a very distinguished playwright, wishing to work out the plot of a melodrama, went into a high class den of thieves, made friends with some of the leaders and unfolded to them as something he wished to put into execution the plan he had devised for his villain's action.

He told his listeners that there was a very important financier he wanted out of the way for forty-eight hours while he played the very dickens on the Stock Exchange with the stocks the financier controlled. He suggested to his listeners that an attractive lady and a yacht would be the simplest means of insuring this object.

His hearers concurred. They knew the very yacht for the purpose. A skipper and a crew could easily be produced, and concerning the lady there would be no difficulty whatever.

"Then, after the forty-eight hours, we will of course bring him back," said the dramatist brightly, thinking of his fourth act.

A cloud came over the faces of his audience: "Well, guv'ner, of course, if you wish it. But it would save such a lot of questions being asked if he just went quietly overboard," the spokesman suggested.

Thieves Steal House

1907

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Oct. 11. — Having stolen a launch from Minnetonka, thieves have now taken away a cottage. The cottage was not very big, but it was a shelter for August Brusven when he was forced to remain at the lake over night. It was big enough for two men to live in comfortably and when Mr. Brusven went to the lake yesterday to lock up the house for the winter he found it had been carted away and nothing was left but the foundation. No trace of the missing launch has been found although the detectives have searched carefully for clues.


Fillers

Those people who are always thinking that the newspapers are "hitting" at them, are advised to look through the Bible; they will find many flings at them in the Good Book.

A girl thinks she is having a good time when she is allowed to do something she thought would be fun because she wasn't allowed to.

A strong man is sometimes influenced by a weak woman, but a strong woman is never influenced by a weak man.

It's nothing but a cackling kind of piety that can be made with a tailor's goose.

Age fills out and rounds off a man's nose; but the older a woman the sharper her nose becomes.

Some folks think they have lots of grit because they know how to grind their neighbors.

How a thief must laugh to read in the papers that the $5 watch he stole the night before is valued at $200 by its owner.

The Pestiferous Corner Loafer

Chicago, 1910

A week's attendance at any police court will convince anyone that the curse of the town is the loafer, the professional "out of work" cuss who pretends to be hunting a job, and hunts well that the job may not overtake him.

He manages to live off of some one. If foolish relatives do not supply him with a living, he makes it by his wits, with the help of a brace and bit and a "jimmy" and friends (?) who through fear, or by influence will take the stand to testify to his character, hence he escapes and the community suffers. He can always find a way around the vagrancy laws, and like the poor, he is always with us.

Lost to all sense of shame or decency, he lives off a mother, brother or sister's work, or even a woman's shame, anything but work by his own hands. The health department is great on prescribing remedies for all sorts of evils, and we sincerely wish they would tackle this job of getting rid of the pestiferous loafer.

—Suburbanite Economist, Chicago, Aug. 19, 1910, p. 1.

Note: The typesetting on this editorial had some of the words and portions of lines switched around, and apparently some words left out. I patched it up to make it make sense. The question mark (?) after "friends" is as in the original, which may have been someone in the typesetting department with a bad manuscript wondering what was going on with the context. I think it's questioning whether the loafer's friends are really friends. But with the botched up text, the "com-" from community is hooked on to "friends" and someone might be saying, "What???"

Safeguards Against Thieves

1888

A Reformed Burglar Tells Householders How to Protect Their Property

First of all, I may say that the householder, especially if his house is situated in the suburbs, should count as next to nothing the protection afforded by the night policeman on his beat. I don't mean to insinuate that the night policeman neglects his duty. I believe that, as a rule, he performs it as well as he is able to, and it may be pretty safely relied on that at each time he passes a row of villas he will cast the light of his bull's eye over the front garden, if there is one, and over the house front, and the lower windows and street door. If there is no front garden, he will see that all is right and tight in the area as well. But his beat is a long one, and it is probable he will not pass that way again for an hour, or perhaps longer. So that if there is a job afoot all that those engaged in it have to do is to hide and see the policeman off and they then know exactly how much time they have to get through their work before he can make his appearance again.

Speaking from my experience, and from that of others with whom I have been acquainted, I should say that at least a fourth part of the number of private house burglaries that are successfully committed are assisted by servants. But speaking of ordinary work it is the female servants who are made useful and that quite innocently on their part. Masters and mistresses have no idea what easy simpletons many girls in service are, or how easily they are induced to betray the secrets of the house. And not only girls, but women, cooks and housemaids, who are old enough to know better. A smart chap, with plenty to say and with money to spend, has but to scrape acquaintance with the kind of servants I am alluding to when they are out for church on Sunday and meet them a few times afterward, and he can learn all he wants to know respecting the valuable stuff in the house and where it is kept, and the ways and habits of their employers and when they are at home and when away.

It is not often the burglar himself who in this way goes a-fishing for useful information. Generally speaking, he is not what may be called a "ladies' man." He is very well in his own line, but he hasn't got the good looks or the insinuating ways that go down with the fair sex. That part of the programme is intrusted to the "sweetstuff man." He is an affable, well spoken young fellow, very respectably dressed, and so respectable in his manner that even if he was caught in the kitchen with the servants at houses where followers are strictly prohibited his appearance would disarm suspicion.

It should not be forgotten that the burglar has no particular desire in the pursuit of his calling to run his head into more danger than is necessary, and there is nothing that is so much to his liking as parapet work — getting in at attic windows that are screened by the roof parapet. Not one householder in a score gives a thought as to the security of the attic window. He will have the street door iron plated, with a patent lock on it, and a chain strong enough to hold an elephant, but a catch that can be put back with a bradawl is good enough for the attic window, and all the time it is quite as easy to enter by one way as the other — if the houses stand in a row and one of them happens to be empty. This is one of the opportunities the fraternity are always on the lookout for.

Nothing can be easier than to enter an unoccupied house at the basement, and once within all a man has to do is to walk upstairs and go out on to the parapet, and there, well screened from view by the coping, he can creep on his hands and knees, and by means of the attic windows get into any house he has a fancy for. If it is winter time, and after dark, he will have no difficulty in taking stock of the front windows before he makes the accent, and so ascertaining which of the front rooms are occupied or if the family is at dinner. If the latter he can be pretty sure that the servants are all down stairs, and he can explore the upper rooms without much fear of interruption. This wouldn't be called in the profession tip top work, but it is a means by which householders lose a considerable amount of portable property, and it very rarely happens that the robber is caught in the act.

As regards house fastenings there is, in my opinion, nothing safer for windows than a long thumb screw in a socket, going right through the frame and deep into the sash on both sides of the window. I don't know if there have been any wonderful inventions in that way since I took an interest in such things, but I never saw a door fastener except the thumb screw that should give a workman a minute's trouble. For the street door there is nothing so good as a flat bar fastened to a pivot to the center, so that it will extend across the jambs and drop into slots made on the plan of a watch and chain swivel. For window shutters the cheapest and best protection is a lightly hung bell on a coil spring. But better than locks, bolts and bars is a wiry little dog that, roaming loose, will open his pipes and let all the house know it the moment he hears a suspicious noise at door or window. — London Telegraph.

Booze Thieves Destroy Congressman's Umbrella

1921

Booze Thieves Visit Longworth

Washington. — "Hootch" thieves broke into the office of Representative Nicholas Longworth of Ohio, in the House office building and ransacked his desk and filing cases, for the fourth time in the past few months.

They didn't find what they were after.

In their rage and disappointment, they took their spite out on his favorite umbrella, completely demolishing it.


"Seek and Ye Shall Find"

Santa Rosa.—Prohibition enforcement officers are seeking the operators of a large still which was seized on the Martin ranch south of this city. The haul also included a large quantity of illicit brandy and some mash and other materials used in distilling.

—Mountain Democrat, Placerville, California, October 29, 1921, page 10.

Saws Found in Jail Cells, Men Charged with Robbery

Ohio, 1917

NEARBY HAPPENINGS

Chicken Thieves Busy in Auglaize County — Current Events of Interest

Saws were found in the cells of Jonas Mann and Morgan Dunstan, at the Auglaize county jail in Wapakoneta and it is believed that they had planned to escape from the bastile. The two fellows are under arrest charged with having robbed the Victor and Ausman stores at St. Marys.

Mrs. Jacob Zahn, aged seventy years, had been visiting several weeks in Decatur previous to going to Florida to spend the winter. She started en route South, when she suffered a stroke of paralysis and was removed from the train at Portland. Later she died at the home of Nelson R. Williamson, where she has been removed.

Mrs. Benjamin Geise. aged thirty-three years, of Delphos, is dead following an operation. She was formerly Josephine Goebel and is survived by a husband and three small children, the youngest being but four weeks of age.

A chicken thief raided the Webmeyer and Fledderjohn farms in Auglaize county, selling the birds for forty dollars at New Bremen before he could be apprehended.

Seventy-five loaded cars of freight are congesting the Clover Leaf railways yards at Delphos, held there as a result of the Eastern railroad embargoes.

Judge T. T. Shaw has been selected to fill the vacancy in the Defiance Board of Education caused by the resignation of William Gieger.

Geo. W. Dyer, aged eighty-three, is dead at his late home in Buckland. He was the father of ex mayor George Dyer, Jr., of Lima.

William Harpster, of near Ottoville, formerly of Delphos, broke his right collar bone in a fall from a wagon.

—The Van Wert Daily Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, January 29, 1917, page 2.

Girl Battles With 2 Meanest Thieves

1920

Child, 12, Knocked Down in Fight to Save Pennies

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- This is the story of a little girl's brave fight against the two meanest burglars in New York.

Margaret Hagney, 12 years old, was asleep in her home when she was awakened by a noise in an adjoining room. Her parents being absent, she called, "Who's there?" and, receiving no answer, turned on a light to discover two men rattling her bank, containing 75 pennies. The men sprang for the doorway, with the girl giving chase, screaming at the top of her voice.

She caught the man with the bank, meantime fighting off his companion, who was endeavoring to stifle her screams, and finally was knocked unconscious with a blow on the forehead with her own bank.

The men escaped, taking the bank with them, and neighbors a few moments later broke in the house and found Margaret insensible on the floor.

--The Saturday Blade, Chicago, March 27, 1920, page 3.

Railroad Man Has Walked 151,850 Miles

1920

Trackman Figures Distance He Covered in 32 Years

DENHOLM, Pa., March 25. -- On completing his thirty-second year as a trackwalker for the Pennsylvania Railroad, Benjamin F. Burns, 65 years old, figured just how many miles he had walked in that time in making his rounds.

In the thirty-two years of service he lost but six days. His rounds each night total ten miles. Walking to and from work adds another three miles to the total.

His figures show that he has walked a total of 151,850 miles, or more than six time around the world.


Mule Lodge Is No More

GREENUP, Ky., March 25. -- Mule lodge, organized two years ago for the purpose of driving mule thieves from this country, has disbanded, the object for which the band was organized having been achieved. It was shown that thieves now have turned their attention to automobiles.

--The Saturday Blade, Chicago, March 27, 1920, page 1.

Thieves Steal Fences From City Residences

1920

Postholes Is All That Is Left by One Raiding Gang

DALLAS, Texas, March 25. -- Boy, page Hawkshaw, Holmes, Carter and the entire detective catalog. Fence thieves are busy in this city, and owners of missing fences want relief while those who still have fences want protection.

When J. A. Burkman woke up the other morning he discovered that his entire front yard fence was missing. At first he thought perhaps he didn't get home and had slept elsewhere, but he soon found that thieves had carted away his fence while he slept. The fence thieves left nothing but the postholes, Burkman told police officers. They took all four sides of it, a picket affair, and hauled it away in trucks. Detectives are investigating new fences to see if they can find the stolen property.

Frank Berkley also reported the loss of his fence. Thieves hauled off his yard and garden fence, turning his cottage and growing vegetables out in the open while he and his family were attending church a night or two ago. Police say they have been bothered with all kinds of thieves, but the fence lifter is something new.

--The Saturday Blade, Chicago, March 27, 1920, page 1.

Moonshiner's Remote Hideaway, Loot Discovered

Oxnard, California, 1922--

Henry Helmold Tells Finding Moonshiner's Santa Clara Shelter

Constable-elect Henry Helmond is already on the job, for yesterday he participated in the capture of a moonshiner's camp in the Santa Clara river bed, where a large amount of loot apparently stolen by the moonshiner, was found. Helmond said one never would have noticed the camp unless he had been shown the spot. It was surrounded by high blackberry bushes and other trees.

E. L. Gardner of Saticoy had been robbed Saturday and while trying to figure out who committed the robbery, he traced some footprints to the Santa Clara river bed, near the Saticoy bridge. He learned that someone had a camp in the river bed, somewhere, so decided to hunt for it. With Pete Donion, and Constable Helmold they searched for a long time. Undersheriff Sullivan also went with them. They searched for a long time among thickets of trees and blackberry bushes before Sullivan spotted the corner of a tent just above the top of a blackberry bush. He saw the small bit of tent after the party had been attracted to the scene by a strong smell of liquor.

Arming themselves with revolvers the party expected to engage in a hard gun battle, but when they came upon the tent no one was there. Possibly the moonshiner had heard them approaching and made a get-away.

Around the tent were found two barrels of mash, which were broken up. Many bottles of "jack-ass brandy" were found and several large five-gallon bottles of recently manufactured booze were found, and smashed. Much of it was thrown down a well the moonshiner had dug in the river bed.

Constable Helmold found a large lard pail. Taking off the lid he noticed what he thought was lard, but on closer observation, found it was cotton. Under the layer of cotton was found two gold watches, in cases. 12 other ladies' watches, a pearl necklace, a pair of dimaond earrings, some gold lockets and much jewelry. It is believed that the articles were stolen from places here. Three valises filled with clothes also were unearthed, besides two good overcoats, two guns, a revolver and some school books stolen from the El Rio school. In some of the books the name of Charles Grubb is written.

So far as is known, no trace of the moonshiner has been found. Men from the sheriff's office are making every effort to find a trace of the man or men who operated the place. That probably only one man was living there recently was shown by the presence of only one cot, covered with army blankets. The tent, cot and blankets had evidently been stolen from some store selling army goods.

--The Oxnard Daily Courier, Oxnard, California, November 28, 1922, page 1.

A Tire on the Road, Stop To Get It, Robbers in the Ditch!

Sheboygan, Wisconsin, 1921--

HOLDUP IS FOILED BY SPOTLIGHT

A spare automobile tire in the road, an old game resorted to by a certain class of bandits lured three young men from this city to stop to investigate last night, about three miles north of Sheboygan on the Lake Shore road and nearly cost them all the money they had. They were saved from the trap set for them, however, by the use of a spotlight on their car.

The young men who figured in the incident were Max and Gus Holman, members of the H. J. Holman & Sons overall company in this city, and Simon Leviton, a friend who was with them.

Saw Tire In Road

It was shortly after nine o'clock when the three, in the Nash sport car owned by Max Holman, were driving north on the Lake Shore road. As they arrived at a point three miles north of the city their attention was attracted to a tire lying alongside the road.

After passing the spot where the tire was seen they decided to stop and get it. They had passed it some several feet and backed the car up toward that point. Mr. Leviton, who was in the back seat, got out of the car and ran back to look for it. When he arrived at the place where he had seen the tire he did not see it, so he waited until the car got back to him. After it got there, they turned the spotlight on and discovered the tire had been moved farther away from the road and that it was attached to a rope.

Discovered It Was Bait

When they saw this they decided that It was only the bait of a holdup man and Mr. Leviton, the only one out of the car, ran and Jumped in and the driver, Max Holman, started the car off.

Led to Clump of Bushes

Mr. Holman stated this morning that the rope tied to the tire led to a clump of bushes a few feet from the road and that they knew someone was behind pulling it away from the road to draw whoever was attracted by it away far enough so that whoever was there would have had him in their power.

The spotlight was thrown on the spot where the tire lay only in an attempt to learn where it was, but Mr. Holman declared he believed it was the only thing that saved them from being robbed. As it happened, Mr. Leviton had a large amount of currency in his pockets.

It Is believed that when the spotlight was turned on it blinded the men who had planned the holdup so they could not see behind it and that it foiled their scheme.

Telephone For Sheriff

After arriving at Jack Johnson's roadhouse they stopped for a few minutes to telephone the sheriff's office. They said two men and a woman drove up in an automobile shortly after that and asked for a supply of gasoline. Max Holman declared one of the men was covered with mud and that he believed he was one of those who staged the tire episode and that the lady in the car was a blind to sidetrack any suspicion that may have been held toward them.

Sheriff Koehn received the call and immediately dispatched two of his deputies to that point to investigate. Mr. Holman said the three who were subject to the tire game waited at Johnson's for about 25 minutes, but that when representatives of the sheriff's office did not appear, they continued their journey.

--The Sheboygan Press, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, August 2, 1921, page 1.