MOTOR THIEVES IN AMERICA

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 121, 8 February 1918, Page 6

MOTOR THIEVES IN AMERICA

CARS DISMANTLED BY SKILLED MECHANICS Automobile thieves in New York are operating in the German way now (says the New York "Evening Post ). "Spurlos verseukt" —to sink without a trace—is a very veal term witli them. When they steal a ear, they immediately destroy its identity by taking it apart. Then they sell it piecemeal. This new method of operation accounts for the .difficulty the police have lifd recently in recovering stolen cars. There has been no ears to recover. Generally, axles have been in one junkman's shop, frames in another, and 6teering columns, tyres, carburettors, wheels, etc., in as many different places as the thieves could find customers. There is a good market for "dismembered" automobiles, because the demand is great for steel in any form. This wanton destruction of stolen automobiles is hard to stop, because expert mechanics aro employed by the thieves in parrying out their (ilans. These experts can "knock down" an automobile in a few hours and do such a scientific job that very few <.f the important parts of the car are injured, and therefore their market value even among automobilists is not destroyed. The thieves do not always have to sell to junkmen, because many an automobile owner or garage or service man is glad to pick up a carburettor, magneto, radiator, or connecting rod at a bargain. It was a sorry day for two of these thieves when they stole the 1918 fourpassenger Chandler of Charles A. fensack, sales manager of the BradyMurry Motor Corporation. They "picked up" his car in front of his apa.rtment house, at Broadway and 147 th Street. This oar had every sort of extra equipment on it, and must have looked like a Christmas tree to the thieves. It disappeared on November 4. Immediately, Police Headquarters was notified, and a description of the car was sent broadcast. Nothing important developed in several days, and ITonfensack had about made up bis mind that his automobile had gone to "tho island of missing cars," and that there would be no returning. It w-vAiit just this time that tho ' a little cluster of woebegone- ■ - '"'Sg barns on the Harlem River be- ... ue suspicious. A few days before a youth he knew slightly had rented some of the barns "for a friend who wanted to run an automobile repair shop." Almost immediately the "repairmen" began to bring many cars of various makes to the place. A T ery few of these cars looked or acted as if they needed repairs, but the owner'of the bam, was not an automobile expert, and he didn't presume to know a "sick car" when lie saw it. Pretty soon, however, he did notice that tho repairs on the cars never seemed to be completed—the cars that went into the barn never seemed to come out again. Then, one day, the "repairmen" rented a horse and truck from him, and spent twenty-four hours transferring "machinery and parts to their other shop." Before very long it seemed to the barn-ownor that those men were doing too much hauling and too much night work. He notified a detective friend. The latter came to the barn, and. as lie stood at the door, the two "repairmen" drove up with another stolen oar, and were promptly arrested. Then the barn was immediately opened, and the detective and bis friend stood amazed at the sight they saw. Here was a veritable automobile boneyavd. The placo was filled with the various parts of dismantled cars. Pistons, frames, motors, wheels, springs, steering columns, were all in orderly groups. There was one body— a foiir-passenger model—and while fumbling in one of the side pockets for some identification mark the detective found a leather road-map case. It bore the name of Charles A. Hopfensack. The latter was promptly notified, and upon his arrival easily identified his car. In the meantime the two prisoners had been taken to the AA'est 162 d Street police station, and there were confronted by the owner of the car they had just driven to the barn. He was thero to report his loss. The thieves bad made a complete job of preparing Hopfensack's cur for sale. It had been completely taken down and made ready for easy disposal, even the fenders'being folded up carefully for quick handling.