MOTOR THIEVES IN AMERICA.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 February 1918, Page 6

MOTOR THIEVES IN AMERICA.

CARS (DISMANTLED BY SKILLED 1 ■MECHANICS. Automobile thieves in New York are , operating in the German way now (says : the New York Evening Post). "Spurlog • versenkt" —to sink without a trace—is a very real term with them. When they steel a car, they immediately destroy its identity by taking it apart, Then they sell it piecemeal. This new method of operatiun accounts for the difficulty the police lutve had recently in recovering stolen cars. There have 'l>ecn no cars to recover. Generally, axles have been in one jnnkmairs shop, frameß in another, and steering columns, tyres, carburettors' wheels, etc., in ftd many different places a3 the thieves could find customers. There is a good market for "ilismemhereil'* automobiles, because the (lemiuid is great for steel iti any form. /This wanton destruction of stolen automobiles is hard to stop, because expert mechanics are employed by the thieves in carrying o i;t their plans. These experts can "knock down" an automobile in a few hours and do such a scientific job that very few of the important parts of the car .are injured, anil therefore their market value even among antinnobilists is not destroyed. The thieves dr> not always have to sell to junkmen, becau.-p many an automobile'owner or garage or service man is glad to pick jiip a carburettor, masneto, radiator, or connecting rod at a bargain. It was a sorry day l'ur two of these thieves when t!>cv siole the 101,S fourpassenger Chandler of Charles A. fiopt'ensack, sales manager of the BrartyMurry. Motor Corporation. They "picked up" his car in front of his apartment house, at Broadway anil 147 th street. This car 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 Hopfen-. sack had about made up his mind that his automobile, had gone to "the island of missing ears," and that there would he no returning.

It was ut just lliis time (hat Uio owner of a little cluster of woebegone-look-ing barns became auspicious. A few (lays before a vout.li lie knew slightly had vented some of the barns "for a friend who wanted to run an automobile repair shop." Almost immediately the repairmen' began to bring many ears of various makes to the place. Very few ot these cars looked or acted as if (hey needed repairs, but the owner of the barn was not an automobile expert, and be didu t presume to know a "sick car" when he saw it. Pretty soon, however, he did notice that the repairs on tne ears never seemed to be completed—the cars (lint went into the barn never seemed to come out again- Then, one day, the "repairmen" rented a, horse turn truck from him, and spent twenty-four hours transferring "machinery and parts to their other shop." Before very long it seemed to (lie barn-owner that these men were doing 100 much hauling and top much night work. Tie notified a detective friend. The latter came to the barn, and, as he stood at the door, the two "repairmen'' drove up with another stolon ear. and were promptly arrested. Then the barn was immediately opened, and the detective and his friend stood amazed at the sight they saw. Here was a veritable automo'bile boncvard. The place was filled with the various parts of dismantled ears. Pistons, frames, motors,, wheels, springs, steering columns, were all in orderiv groups, There was one 'lkklv—a fourpassenger model—and while fumbling in one of the side pockets for some identification mark Die detective found a leather road-map case. Tt bore the name of Charles A. Hnnfcnsack. .The latter was promptly notified, and upon his arrival easily identified his ear. Tn tne meantime the two prisoners had heen taken to the West l()2d Street police station, and there were confronted by the owner of the car they had just driven to the barn- He was there to report his loss. The thieve? had made ft complete jo 3» of prcnirns? Hcmfensaek's car for sale. It foul Ibeen complctclv tafern down anfl road© Tcaflv for easy 'disposal. f-wsD the fenders being fola'e.l j ujj carefully for gmek bandßuz.