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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (July 12, 1914)
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, . JULY 13, 1914 o 1 U 1 1 il, 1 1 " How Criminals Are Traced by Their Work Each Lawbreaker Specialises Alone Certain Line, and It la Found That Be Nearly Alwaye Leaves Some Telltale Clew. THAT criminals specialize In their acts of violence is known to everyone who is Interested in detective work. But" that they also specialize in their methods of com mitting particular crimes is not so generally recognized. Yet, by means of certain earmarks, so to speak, that they quite unconsciously make, a well informed detective la enabled very often to lay his hands on the perpe trators of certain acts when a less experienced man would fail for lack of more definite clews. One store burglar, for instance, will always enter through the fanlight over the front door, another by breaking in at the back. One will pry open the iron bars of the back window; an other will prefer to come down through the skylight In the roof. One man will force an entrance to a flat by means of false keys; another will Jimmy the door: a third will use the fire escape. Moreover, they will re peat the same act in the same gen eral neighborhood and at or about the same hour of the day or night, as the case may be, with results disastrous to themselves and satisfactory to the representatives of the law. It may be easily seen then, how a detective with a long experience and a wide acquaintance with the most active crooks and their methods will find the task of tracking down his man comparatively simple. The crime itself generally suggests the gang re sponsible for its commission; the exact methods may actually indicate the In dividual. Many a time when a burglary has occurred and the criminal has van ished, leaving apparently no marks by which he can be traced, police offi cials have been able to produce him in court within a few days, to the utter astonishment of all concerned. But the following stories will reveal the secret of this seemingly marvelous feat, through, to the credit of the de partment be it said, it requires no small practice and perspicacity to per form it. An example of the fire-escape bur glar Is Harry Cohen, alias Katz, who works at night. His method is to rent a furnished room in the neighborhood in which he proposes to operate. Then he enters an apartment house by way of the fire escape, burglarizes several flat, takes all the money "and Jewelry he can find, but touches nothing else. Specimens of safe burglars are Sol omon Schmidt. Gordon, alias Simonskl. and Masinfessky. alias Polish Jake. These men never blow a safe: they in variably "rip" it in the back by what they term a "can-opener," a specially constructed crowbar or massive Jimmy, with which great leverage may be ob tained. They do their work always between Saturday night and Monday morning. "Funeral" Wells, on the other hand. Is a pickpocket specialist well known to the police. It is his boast that he never goes to a funeral without pick ing a pocket, and never picks a pocket except at a funeral. A few weeks ago Jacob Kosofsky was convicted for the fifth time of sneaking Into the basement of a dweli lag and creeping upstairs to the bed rbom to clean out the clothes closets of the family. On each occasion he gave the same excuse for his presence he had been sent by a tailor to get clothes to be pressed and had got into the wrong house by mistake. . "Till tapping" is a specialty of a lower order of crooks, and for years six men, headed by Jack Keeley. "worked" the saloons, grocery and deli catessen shops down Eighth avenue, up Ninth avenue and dowrl Tenth avenue of lower Manhattan. They always se lected Monday morning for the work, figuring that the owner would not have had time to bank the money taken in on Saturday and Sunday. One man's job was to discover where the money was kept. This he did by making a small purchase, tendering a $20 bill in payment for it. and watch ing where the change was taken from. Then he signaled a confederate outside. The two next started an excitement by pretending to steal a milk can or to flight among themselves anything to get the proprietor out of the store and give the first man a chance to steal the money. Sometimes Keeley would enter a sa loon and pretend to be a building in spector or a health department man, and while the bartender was investigat ing some "violation" that the thief would announce he had found in the back room Keeley or a confederate would steal the cash. So notorious was tnls band of crooks that whenever a crime of this sort was reported to the police they at once looked up the mem bers of the gang and found out what they were -doing that night. " Keeley. however, had a specialty all his own, which finally led to his undo ing. He would rush into a grocery store with a hat in his hand. "I bet a man outside that this hat wouldn't hold three quarts -of molasses and he bet me it would. Now, let's see," he would say. Of course, the hat would not hold three quarts, but the groceryman was interested. Just to prove it. and think ing he would be paid, he would fill the hat with molasses. Whereupon Keeley would Jam it over his eyes and face, grab his watch and pocketbook, loot the cash register and run. The last time he did this was In a grocery store at Sixteenth street and Ninth avenue. New York. It was re ported to the police at once, and they, recognizing the criminal by his methods and knowing that he had a sweetheart in Brooklyn, waited for him at the bridge. There they arrested him and found the watch that ! had stolen from the grocer In his pocket. Keeley got five years In Sing Sing, but when he came out he started at his special ties again. He was the notorious "Mo lasses Jack." A specialist of another sort was John Kirk, who served about 20 terms in the workhouse, usually for the same offense stealing a barrel of tar. He was last arrested in May, 1912, and died In the city prison of heart disease on May 26 of that year. Kirk would walk from the Battery to Harlem looking for tar to steal, acd his last exploit waa a theft from the new subway ex cavation in Center street. He was prac tically the only thief in New York who made tar a specialty, and when con tractors complained to the police that The American Girl Abroad By Harrison Fisher IV Exactly as she eagerly read of it again and again in the favorite story book of her childhood, so the American girl abroad, seeking quieter scenes after her Parisian experi ences, finds the pocket edition of the sturdy Dutch people. A rosy-cheeked, flaxen-haired girl, with the inevitable two braids thick as her fat little wrists, her full skirt red. her tight-fitted smock blue, her square-cornered apron white, and her stiff white and delft blue cap demurely crowning her head, comes clack-dack-clackety-clack along the narrow medieval street. The American girl figuratively rubs her eyes for. miracle of miracles.-'tis the Wilhelmina of her precious story book come to life! Mina, little Mina!" the American girl calls softly before she realizes it. lis she! rox does not the quaint and dainty little creature turn at the sound of her name and smile shyly up at the queenly beauty of the West ? Along presently troops a gawky lad with baggy blue trousers not quite making his ankles, and a black cap all but hiding his yellow locks. Glowing of cheeks, too. is he. Another miracle 'tis sturdy little Jan of that old book in the flesh! Jan! oh. Jan! the American girl calls. Again she does not dream for he turns and flashes two rows of glistening teeth in his broad, frank smile. All about her are the squatty windmills that the story told about and that her young eyes often beheld in fancy's realm laboriouslv and creakingly at work. Now they are creaking and groaning in reality, their clumsy-looking sails flapping lazily in the wind blowing in from the Zuider Zee. Everywhere, too. canals streak the low-lying landscape, and their boats, with whole families dotting them mothers knitting, children scampering HOLLAND. about move placidly on to their various destinations. On the pasture lands behind and beyond the dikes and sand dunes are the selfsame grazing cattle of the book or. at least, their living successors. And. oh, wonderful to behold, the gorgeous tulips of those youthful pages are growing in rich profusion before her eyes. And what is that on the chimney top of yonder quaintly gabled cottage? Why no. it cannot be yes yes. it is the stork's nest of the story; and the stork is there, too. standing on one long leg and looking wisely down his impossible nose into the chimney. Unconsciously, remembering the immortal legend woven about the stork by Dutch mothers hundreds of years agone, the American girl's gaze drops to the doorway for sight of a fat little Dutch baby, and, as though it were all stage arranged and timed, out of it toddles the fattest, cutest, cunningest and dearest little Dutch child a North Sea breeze ever gave red cheeks! -ill "Oh. surely, surely, it is Story Book Land all over again, the American girl breathes softly, as tender memories of her childhood's make-believe companions flood in upon her. And in Story Book Land she spends many happy days, wandering leisurely from furthermost Groningen to uttermost Zeeland. fascinated afresh each day with land and people. And ever and anon, with true artist's inspiration, she preserves on canvas her impressions of some particularly quaint bit of landscape, the while a group of yellow haired and radiantly-garbed children look on with shyly smiling lips and wondering big eyes of Saxon blue, the living images of Jan and Wilhelmina. Anna and Laura of that old story come true. (Copyright. 1914. by the Wheeler Syndicate. Inc.) theirs had been stolen the detectives knew for whom to look. Almost as unusual as his case is that another man who was before the Court of General Sessions no less than eight times. His specialty was break ing the plate glass windows 01 sa lnnnK He would go around from one to another, drinking, and would refuse to leave at closing time. The proprie tor, of course, would have to put him out. Then he would walk Into the street, pick up the first stone he saw and hurl t thrnna-h the plate-glass window. The judges had sent this man to prison so many times that they iinauy came to nxDect his appearance about once a year. The last time he was asked: "How is it that you always do tnis thing in exactly the same way?" .it An. trnnvr " WD the rftnlv. "T can't help it. I feel that I Just have to do It." And here, it may be remarked, is one particular in which at least the lower order of criminal seems to differ from the ordinary man in the matter of brain. In this he is abnormal, the parts of his mental mechanism being seemingly in some way defective, or at least not co-ordinating in such a man ner as to render his acts logical. It is to his interest, if to anybody's, to conceal hiB identity and to avoid mannerisms or fads from which a keen intellect might deduce his participation in any given occurrence fir scheme. Yet this he seems unable to do. Of course, he must needs specialize in one particular branch of crime, for any career, lawless or otherwise, re quires a certain amount of training, and every man's capacity for work is limited. For Instance, an accomplished safe blower will rarely be a good pickpocket or a gunman an expert forger. Each ac tion requires native ability as well as special preparation. But there is no reason, psychological or otherwise, why the crook should not vary his meth ods. Yet this he fails to do. leading, in consequence, to his own detection. The work of the higher order of criminal specialists is vastly more sub tle, of course, than the clumsy methods of the common crook. Still, there ls always a distinguishing mark, the stamp of the man's personality, that leads the well-informed detective to his quarry. Here is one notable case in which two men of unusual brains and daring and no small skill in concealing their methods of work, yet betrayed them selves to the keen eyes of trained sleuths. The notorious Dr. R. S. Flower, a fugitive from justice, who jumped a $20,000 bail, and Alfred R. Goslin. now safe from extradition in Paris, thought there was no means by which the de tectives could recognize their methods In the various "get-rich-quick" estab lishments, all under different names which they operated in New York City some years ago. But Dr. Flower was very fond of oil paintings with large trees in them, and had them hung in different offices he controlled. And Goslin liked carpets with a peculiar pattern in them, and selected them for the different rooms in which he worked. Detective Barney McConville knew this bizarre taste of his, and others recognized Flower's idiosyncrasy. Consequently both men were tracked. Were it not that criminals thus re peat their misdeeds in substantially the same way each time and incidentally betray their personal habits, of thought and action, it would be impossible for the police officials to follow up and convict as many lawbreakers as they do. , , Every detective force in the country recognizes this psychological principle and works upon it. but the law does not recognize it and refuses to let the Jury share the detectlve'h knowledge. When a crook Is brought to the bar of Justice that body Is kept in aa pro found Ignorance as possible of the ac cused's life and character. His record, for all they know generally, may be absolutely unblemished, and In their eyes he Is innocent till proved guilty. Should the defendant take the witness stand the evidence which lad to him arrest may be drawn from him on cross examination, but he Iexnot compelled to take it, and "his neglect or refusal to do so shall not create any presumption against him' Should he, on the other hand. Inter pose the old familiar alibi, the case frequently turns on the question of his identity; and in such an event the Jury is often hard set to get at the truth of the roatten The Harem Is Passing in the Orient A Noticeable Decline la Reported Ancient (natoma. and Better nn dillon 'r Women la t'omlna to the Front. Sermon on Mlk. . Bxchange. Silk Is made . by one species of worm and is paid for by another. DOUBTLESS bad they known of It In proper season the Jolly liaiae lors who engaged passage, at many times it real value, for the crulee to th? Orient would have canceled their reservations for the peep Into a real Turklah harem, which was ona of the big things promised them, muat be for--gonc! The harem. k such. Is being evicted, slowly but surely, from all the territory westward of Adrlanople along with the passing of the Grand Turk. We In America have not, as yet. Ml the full effect of what haa occurred there in the Balkans. All the vast, fer tile plain of Macedonia, the tarda. spot of the Levant, la now open to till age, with life aafe to the husbandman, a It hasn't been since ths Turk emu into Europe. As s result. Roumanian and Bulgarian and Serb ami Greek, even the Croat and the Magar. who had been saving to emigrate to the distant America, where people spoke strange tongues and hud strange ways. . and where It meant yeara and yuais of work to accumulate enough before ons could come back and visit home folks, are now turning lo Macedonia and coming In, buying farm land and set ting up In a region where tlllsge Is a at home, where the language, the cus toms, are substantially the same, and where one can take fourth-class pass age on the trans-Macedonian Railway and be home Inside of 12 hours. All of which means that where the hated Turk lorded it over ths Chris tians Just two, three yeara ago. the Christians, now In preponderance, are giving such of the Moslems as remain In a given locality notice that there' been a change in power. And It isn't in the nature of things, with an untutored peasantry, not to make it mighty unpleasant for people who. along with their ancealora for generations, would murder tbeae peaa ants in cold blood, seize their crops and extort unjust taxes, steal their daugh ters and perform indignities without number. Wherefore, In constant streams, the Moslems are moving out of Europe, taking their most precious possessions with them, selling their stock and their Implements for a song and passing across the Morn, or at least making for Constantinople. Along with this passing of the Grand Turk comes the passing of the harem out of Europe. Strangely enough, there Is possibly no institution In the Orient In regsrd to which there are more current mis conceptions than the Turkish harems, other than the one belonging to the Sultan. It Is, for example, the almost universal opinion In the Occident that the harem ls of whatever size Its owner may desire to make it: that polygamy ls limitless Turkey over, snd that the social life of the land Is nil. As a matter of fact the home life of the average Mohammedan is Ideal, the share taken by the three wives (for at three the limit Is set for anyone but the Sultan) in the menage of the house hold makes the burden of good house keeping so light that the Turklak dames necessarily have time to Idle and loll in the fashion Jn which we usually find them pictured. The reel harem Is but seldom visited by the jCmerican of tnascullno g nder. Even the men's part of the house Is unique enough, though, to repay his coming. To begin with, one does not enter a Turkish home directly from the highway: in fact, there are no doors opening upon the street. The house Is built to face upon a garden surrounded by high walls and entered by a heavy gate. At this gate the knocker Is set and no one would think of entering without waiting answer to the sum mons. This ls done In order that the Turkish women, should there bo any in the garden, may either let down their veils or else retreat to cover. Wealthier homes have a porter sta tioned Just Inside this gateway tu at tend the summons, and In Salonira a, black slave (for slavery ls not dead at all) often attended this duty. Crossing the yard one enters the house, the harem or the selamllk, ac cording as you were bound for. the women's or the men's apartment Curi ously enough, while the harera ls men tioned abroad constantly, the selamllk, which is quite evident. Is seldom heard of outside the East. It Is simply the men's apartments, as the other Is mi lady's boudoir. Its only essential dif ference ls the fact that lattices are ab sent from Its windows and that the low. little stool of Jujube paste, or Turkish delight, found In every well regulated harem. Is replaced by a larg er dish of cigarettes. Cigarette, are smoked In the barem. too. but not In such quantities. Both In the furnishing of the harem and of the men's apartments of the Turkish home, simplicity la the rule. Beds and chairs, except In the resi dences of some of the progressive young Turks, are unknown, being re placed by the divan; usually a mere bench extending around thre of the four walls of the room and made com fortable with cushions. Tasly soft cushions ana lona wiv., -viaw ... gilt and silver thread, adorn th-se ami upon them the Inmates lounge. In the center of tire room Is a brazier, with charcoal, ajid here the water bolls per petually for the Turkish cafe. Little coffee mills, of the thickness of a pump handle and fitted with braas. lie about ready for moment's use Doors abound, but always ajar, save where the heavy leather portieres fill the void, and windows are also nuroer- - - W. .111,. t . - h. oua KOOms are mum mmmvm ... hold over. Frequently there are but . two or three, the lower floor ot the dwelling being given over to the own er's bazaar. Housework In such a home devolves largely ou the first wife She rules, the others obey. The choice of a wife In Turkey is an Interesting event. The usual custom In the selection of a queen of the harem la fbr the mother of the groom to note the pretty lrls she meets from time to time and then tell her eon about them. If some of her descriptions prove par ticularly alluring, he will arrange to meet the father of the lrl and settle with him upon the dowry. Not alone that, but the amount of the alimony to be settled on the girl ls also careful ly fixed and put In writing by the cadL Divorces may be had without any cause In Islam. Philadelphia, lnquuex. t