BURGLARIES
Private detectives are frequently called upon to investigate burglaries
of banks, offices, stores and residences. If the burglary has been
committed in the city or in the country, or in a large or small town,
the detective who investigates the case should proceed to the place
as soon as circumstances will permit. If the burglary presents the
appearance of having been perpetrated by outside parties, a thorough
investigation should be made and nothing overlooked. I know of dozens
of cases of burglary in small towns in which no results were secured
because of the fact that only perfunctory investigations were made,
and these were not conducted along proper lines. In cases of burglary,
especially where safes or vaults have been dynamited or wrecked with
nitroglycerine, the detective should conduct an investigation along the
following lines:
Notes should be taken and a record made of the name of the bank,
store, firm or individual suffering the loss; the date and hour that
the crime was committed; date and hour discovered; by whom discovered;
and a descriptive list should be made of all articles known to have
been stolen. If the theft consisted of cash, the respective amounts of
gold, silver or currency should be ascertained. If possible, secure the
numbers of any missing bills. If papers, checks or negotiable notes
or securities have been stolen, banks or other places where they are
liable to be cashed should be notified promptly.
A careful investigation should be made as to how entrance was gained to
the building. If a safe or vault has been blown or opened, note should
be made of the name of its manufacturer, whether or not the safe or
vault was old or new, whether equipped with double or single doors,
whether opened by key or combination, and from whom it was purchased.
Note should be made as to the kind of explosive used, or if tools were
used. If holes were drilled it is important to ascertain the exact
size, and if possible the kind of drill used. If other tools were used
the detective should endeavor to establish their nature, which usually
can be done from the marks left by their use.
Professional burglars nowadays do not travel from place to place
with tools on their persons, because suspicion might be aroused or
arrest invited for carrying them. They often purchase or steal their
tools locally at some hardware store or blacksmith's shop a few hours
before the time set for the burglary. The detective should endeavor to
establish, at least to his own satisfaction, whether the burglary is
the work of a professional or an amateur; also if any known burglars
or "yeggs" live in the vicinity where the crime was committed. If
so, their most recent movements should be traced and checked up. If
possible, names should be secured of any persons who may have been
seen loitering in the vicinity. If the names of such persons cannot be
learned, detailed descriptions should be secured.
If the burglary has been committed in some small town, the hotel
registers should be looked over and any doubtful persons investigated.
Finger and foot prints and measurements should not be overlooked,
providing any are found at the time of the burglary. Photographs
should be made of finger prints and measurements made of foot prints.
Professional burglars, or persons representing them, disguised as
umbrella menders, peddlers or beggars, often visit and look over the
place it is proposed to burglarize. Any such persons should be given
consideration by the detective in the course of his investigation.
Proprietors of nearby garages and livery stables and their employees
should be seen and interviewed; also ticket agents and section hands
on any nearby railroads. Conductors and crews of passenger and freight
trains should be interviewed; also crews of street cars. If any known
criminals likely to have committed such crime are believed to have been
in the vicinity, their photographs should be shown to nearby residents
and others. Should a photograph be identified, the detective will have
something upon which to work.
When taking descriptions of criminals or of suspects, the following
details should be embodied, if possible to secure them: Nationality;
age, height, and weight; color of hair, color of eyes; build;
complexion, whether smooth shaven, moustache or beard; moles, marks
or scars; kind of clothing worn, including hat and shoes; whether or
not the person walks or stands erect or stooped; any jewelry or lodge
emblems worn, and whether he has the appearance of being a business
person, a clerk, a mechanic, or a laborer.
In cases of thefts of jewelry, silverware, clothing, etc., from private
residences the detective should first endeavor to establish to his own
satisfaction whether or not the theft has been committed by an outside
party, or by some member of the household. If it is believed that some
member of the household is responsible, a servant for instance, such
persons should be questioned closely regarding their movements, when
they last saw or handled the stolen articles, if they knew of the
existence or location of them, what they were doing and where they
were about the time the theft must necessarily have been committed,
etc. A descriptive list of the stolen articles should be made up, and
if the same consists of jewelry, silverware, cut glass or clothing,
pawnbrokers and proprietors of places where such articles would likely
be disposed of should be seen and questioned. A descriptive list of the
stolen articles should be left with the proprietors of such places and
arrangements made to be notified promptly in case any of the stolen
articles are offered for sale or appraisal.
I recall having investigated for a bank a case which was at first
believed to have been one of burglary from the outside. The bank had in
its employ a well educated foreigner, who was in charge of the bank's
foreign department. In order to conduct the business of this department
of the bank, he was permitted the use of five hundred dollars in cash,
and for which amount he was of course always responsible to the bank.
The "burglary" was discovered about 7:00 A. M. on a Sunday by the
colored janitor when he came on duty to clean the banking rooms. The
"burglary" having been committed in the foreign department, the foreign
manager was among the first to be called to the bank. When he arrived
he recalled that he had neglected the night before to lock into the
vault a tin box in which he kept the five hundred dollars extended him
by the bank. This box seemed to have been broken open during the night
and was found lying on the floor empty by the janitor.
I was called into the case the following day, and a few minutes after
arriving at the bank the foreign manager called me aside and told me
he suspected the colored janitor, and that I would do well to confine
my attention to him. He, however, could give me no plausible reason
for suspecting the janitor, which fact caused me to become suspicious
of the foreign manager. I then began an investigation as to how the
"burglar" had gained entrance to the premises, and found that a large
transom over a side door had been forced in, seemingly from the
outside; also a wire fly screen covering the transom space had been
forced loose, which would have permitted any ordinary sized person to
then have gained entrance.
The transom was held rigid and in place by a heavy metal side fixture,
and I still recall distinctly having wondered at the time how a person
could have possibly exerted sufficient pressure or force against it
from the outside to bend double the heavy metal side fixture, and to
have accomplished it without attracting the attention of police or
other persons. After studying the situation from all angles, I obtained
a ladder and examined closely the ledge over which the "burglar" was
believed to have climbed. Between the transom and the outer edge of the
transom frame, where the fly screen was nailed, was a space perhaps
six inches in width, and which space was thickly covered with dust.
I examined it closely but failed to find any finger imprints, or any
other marks that would necessarily have been made by a person climbing
through the transom.
I became convinced that the foreign manager was guilty. He was the last
person to leave the bank on the night of the robbery. It was quite
plain to me then that before leaving the bank he broke open the tin
box, appropriated its contents, then pulled down the transom from the
inside and loosened the fly screen to make it appear that a burglar
had entered from the outside. I brought my discovery to the attention
of the officials of the bank, who agreed with me that no burglar had
entered from the outside. I then took the foreign manager in hand
and recounted to him how I believed that the entire matter had been
planned and executed, that the same was all very clever with but one
exception--that being that he had neglected to take into consideration
the coating of dust on the ledge. I told him, in the presence of three
officials of the bank, to turn over the stolen money, which he did, but
he was not prosecuted and the case was given no publicity. In this, as
in practically all cases, it will be seen that the criminal, no matter
how carefully he plans his crime, usually leaves some clue by which
he can be detected, and which clues, as a rule, can be developed by
thorough investigation on the part of the detective.
By permission of the Current Literature Publishing Company, we quote
from the May 1915 number of "Current Opinion" an article dealing with
the technique of crime according to Inspector Cornelius F. Cahalane, a
noted instructor of detectives, appointed to the metropolitan police
force of New York:
"Practically every burglary is prearranged and the details planned.
Burglars guard against the ordinary precautions which they think a
live policeman will take to prevent their crimes or to capture them.
Do not imagine that every burglar or thief wears a peak cap, box coat,
sweater, striped trousers or bull-nosed shoes, so typical of stage
burglars. They realize that to dress in such a manner would arouse
immediate suspicion, and, accordingly, dress and carry themselves in
a manner least likely to attract attention. They do not, as most
persons fancy, carry burglary tools on their persons at all times.
They know that it is not only a violation of the law, but that it is
circumstantial evidence as well. Hence burglars carry tools no longer
than is absolutely necessary. Sometimes they hide their tools near
the scene of the contemplated burglary. If they have tools in their
possession and think they are going to be searched, they will try to
hide them or throw them away. Tools are carried frequently in musical
instrument cases.
"There are many different types of burglars, who resort to various
means in plying their calling. The burglars most dangerous to society
are those known as 'Dutch house men.' They are the most desperate.
They always work heavily armed and to accomplish their purpose or to
avoid capture will take life under the slightest provocation. They
usually operate in an inhabited dwelling, and to gain entrance, secrete
themselves in some part of the building or grounds until they think
the occupants have retired; then, if necessary, they make their way to
a roof, fire-escape or porch, and get in by prying open a skylight or
jimmying a window sash.
"As a rule, householders fasten windows leading to fire-escapes or
porches, but are careless about the other windows. 'Dutch house men'
know this failing and often take advantage of it. They fasten one end
of a rope (which one of them may have carried wound around his body)
to a chimney on the roof and drop the other end over the ledge. One
of them will lower himself to the desired window, open it and enter.
They generally seek the place where it is most likely that valuables
have been left before the owner retired, such as the tops of dressers
or the pockets of clothing. In going from room to room, they usually
place some obstruction, a table or a chair, in such a position that
if the occupant should awaken and attempt to leave the room, he would
trip over the object and make enough noise to warn the burglar that
his presence had become known. Unless they are sure that no alarm has
been given, they will seldom leave by way of the street; usually they
secrete themselves on the roof or in the back yard and remain until
there is an opportunity to escape.
"Flat thieves are not as desperate as the ordinary run of burglars, but
they are burglars too, and they manage to steal considerable property.
As a rule they will not enter an apartment while anyone is at home.
They profit by the knowledge that housekeepers generally hide their
money and valuables in a nook where they think a thief will be least
likely to look--under rugs, legs of tables, under mattresses and beds,
in sewing machine drawers, and the like.
"A flat thief requires only about five minutes in an ordinary flat,
and when he is through it looks as though an earthquake had shaken the
building. He starts by pushing the furniture to one end of the room.
He turns the rugs over, empties the contents of bureau drawers into
the middle of the floor, where they are examined, throws mattresses to
the floor, cuts them open if he has not already discovered the hiding
place, turns vases and bric-a-brac upside down, and, in this way, has
every part of the flat searched in a short time. Flat thieves are
usually young men between the ages of sixteen and thirty years.
"They gain entrance by ringing the vestibule bells, and, if no response
is made, they assume that no one is at home, and enter the hallway and
proceed to the apartment selected. If the door is locked they either
use a false key or jimmy it open. Or, they may watch persons leaving
their apartment, and enter during their short absence. If questioned,
they try to represent themselves as peddlers, agents, inspectors of
telephones, gas, water or electricity, or mechanics. They usually
bundle together the proceeds of a theft and carry it to the street,
passing through the halls with an air of bravado, so as not to excite
suspicion. They generally work in pairs; one standing in the hallway to
warn his partner of the return of the tenant, and, in case the thief is
pursued, to trip the person in pursuit or to divert him in some other
way. They seldom leave a house together, but usually meet at a distance
from the scene to dispose of the property and divide the proceeds.
"Many flat thieves work by hiring a room or rooms in a residential
section of the city and as near the roof as possible, particularly
where the roofs in the vicinity are of about the same height. They use
scuttles and fire-escapes as a means of getting into buildings and
convey the plunder over the roofs to their rooms. In this way they
avoid the danger of being detected in the street.
"More ambitious than the flat thief, but in something of the same
class, is the loft burglar. Loft burglars are the most feared by
merchants, for when they make a haul it is usually a big one, amounting
to thousands of dollars. They are necessarily the brainiest of burglars
for the reason that their work requires more and better planning. Plans
are often made weeks in advance.
"A loft is selected after a study of the location and the quantity and
quality of the stock carried in it. Weeks are then spent in becoming
familiar with the habits of persons who might be in a position to
thwart or discover them, particularly the watchmen and patrolmen on
post, and the customary time of opening and closing the building,
noting the person to whom this duty is entrusted.
"A Saturday afternoon or night is generally selected for the entry.
Sometimes it is necessary to gain entrance through a building three or
four doors away and clamber back over the roofs. When the loft selected
is reached they do not hesitate to cut through a wall to get one of
their number in it; if necessary they will drill through the floor from
the loft below or through the ceiling from the one above, lowering
the first man down with a rope. The door of the loft is then opened
from the inside if the circumstances warrant it. The loot is carefully
selected from the most valuable stock. Packing cases are constructed
from material lying about, filled, and nailed shut.
"They are now confronted with the most difficult task, that of getting
the packing cases from the building. The property is seldom moved at
night. They fear that the appearance of a vehicle at an unusual hour in
a section of the city where lofts are located would arouse suspicion.
Instead, if as a result of their previous study, they know that the
loft will be opened at 7:30 A. M., a vehicle will be brought to the
front of the building at about 7:20 A. M., the door opened from the
inside by one of the gang dressed as a porter, and in the most bold and
daring manner the cases will be loaded on the wagon. One of the gang
may even engage the patrolman on post in conversation, possibly within
sight of their activities. The bogus porters, if the circumstances
necessitate it, will go back into the building and escape by way of the
roof or through an adjoining building.
"Safe burglars know as a rule the particular make of each safe on
which they intend to operate. Like loft burglars they plan far in
advance and come prepared to break through any part of a building in
order to get to the safe. They have been known, when working in an
exposed position, to make a pasteboard safe, paint it to imitate the
original, shove the genuine safe into an inner room and leave the
substitute in its place. Others do not resort to this subterfuge, but
simply bodily shove the safe into a position where they can not be
observed from the street and begin operations. They try not to use
explosives. The easiest way, the combination, is tried first. If this
fails, the weakest part, the bottom or back, is tried. The ordinary
safe is turned upside down and the bottom or back is cut out with a
tool they call a 'can opener.' If the bottom or back resists, they
drill a hole near the combinations and try to disturb the tumblers
sufficiently to turn the lock. As a last resort a hole is drilled
and charged with explosive. To deaden the report the safe is wrapped
with material found on the premises or with blankets brought along. A
lookout is usually stationed on the outside to signal in the event of
peril. Safe burglars, like burglars who break windows or side lights,
wait for the rumble of a passing vehicle to deaden the sound of an
explosion.
"Store burglars generally gain entrance through a rear or side window.
They travel in gangs of two or three, one always on guard, and steal
from the till, cash register or small safes. They, too, have their work
planned in advance, and know just what to do when they enter. The loot
is seldom removed through the front of the building; it is carried
through the rear yards or over the roofs of an adjoining building and
thence to the street.
"If the booty is too bulky to transport on their persons, a push cart
is hired or stolen for the purpose, or a milk or baker's wagon is
pressed into service, sometimes with the consent of the driver, and
the goods moved early in the morning, during the hours when milkmen
and bakers are making their deliveries, so as not to excite suspicion.
Burglars who break store windows and side lights work in pairs and are
very tricky. Their outfit in most instances consists of a long piece of
heavy wire and a heavy piece of cloth, such as part of a bed comforter,
which they carry wrapped about their bodies.
"A store is selected which displays articles of some value in its
windows. The habits of the man on post are learned, and at an opportune
moment during his absence they will throw a padded brick or iron
through the window or side light, having first placed the comforter on
the stoop or walk to catch the broken glass and deaden the sound. Or,
they may use a glass cutter to remove a section of the window. This
step accomplished, they dart into a nearby hallway and wait to see if
the breaking of the glass has attracted attention. If they find it
has not, operations are resumed and the contents of the show-window
extracted by means of a stiff wire, the tip of which has been bent into
a hook. The store selected is often covered by the crooks for hours,
sometimes from an adjoining precinct or post, awaiting a suitable
opportunity.
"The sharpest and most successful burglars of late have been
foreigners, some of whom can not speak English. Their favorite method
is to select a residence along some street-car route, enter it during
the daytime, if possible, and remain secreted in areaways, back yards
or on roofs until night, then force an entrance through a window, door
or roof scuttle when the occupants have retired. After securing the
plunder they open the front door and wait inside until a car passes.
Then they run out and board a moving car, watching meanwhile to see if
they are pursued. Sometimes they ride almost to the city line before
getting off. They are afraid that if they pass a brightly lighted
street corner they will be observed and for this reason they use the
street cars.
"If there were no receivers of stolen goods there would be but little
burglary of these or any other kinds: A thief will not steal unless
he knows that he can make some profitable disposition of his haul. It
is comparatively easy to dispose of jewelry, but a thief must know
positively where he can immediately dispose of bulky property that
he cannot readily conceal. Usually such stuff is immediately sold
to unscrupulous dealers who carry goods of the same kind in stock;
for instance, a quantity of stolen cloth may be sold to a dishonest
dry-goods merchant. In some cases, however, a store or flat is rented
in advance of a burglary or theft and the loot stored in it. The
receivers are then visited in turn by the thieves, shown samples,
and bids are requested. In this way they dispose of the goods more
profitably.
"A careful thief destroys, as soon as possible, all marks of
identification, but if he has not done so, the receiver takes that
precaution as soon as the stolen property comes into his possession.
Merchandise handled under unusual conditions should immediately suggest
'receivers' to you. For instance, if you saw a large quantity of silk
being taken into a small retail store, or saw the delivery being
made from a hand-truck or from a wagon not ordinarily used for such
deliveries, or by persons who, from their appearance and manner of
handling the merchandise, did not seem to be engaged in the business;
or if you observed boxes of shoes being taken into a barber shop, or a
great quantity of food being delivered to a dwelling, it should arouse
your suspicion.
"Remember that persons engaged in a legitimate business are constantly
devising ways and means of advertising themselves. They want everyone
to know that they are engaged in a certain business, and located at
a certain place, and invite inspection of their stock. They do not
paint their windows to hide the contents of their store, or arrange
the interior so that the stock will not be in plain sight, or deny
prospective purchasers the privilege of examining their stock."