THE BURGLARY PLAGUE IN LONDON.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 31, 5 February 1881, Page 4

THE BURGLARY PLAGUE IN LONDON.

The London correspondent of the Neiv York Times says :-—" The burglary plague has broken out again with fresh force. The season has commenced very prettily, indeed, with two terrific conflicts with housebreakers in the southern suburbs of London. In one a brave young policeman lay in wait for a burglar whom he saw getting over a wall, secured him, was fired at three times, and was at last knocked down insensible by the fellow's confederate. In tbe other a young gentleman- was awakened afc night by the movements of a man who had got into his room, and whom he courageously tackled, firing at him with a revolver, and, it is believed, wounding him. Numbers of other burglaries, nofc lees audacious, are reported from other parts of the metropolis, and in no case have we heard of the capture of the robbers. Of course, as usual, there is an outcry against the police, and equally, of course, the police retort that it is all fche fault of the householders, who carelessly leave doors and windows unfastened or not properly secured, or engage servants without looking closely enough into their antecedents. This last want of precaution no doubt is a fruitful cause of robbery. Ifc is unquestionably the fact thafc a regular system is now carried on by which accomplices of thieves, both male and female, are enabled to obtain situations in respectable and wealthy families by | means of falsewritten 'characters.' A friend of mine, nofc long ago, was boasting thafc he had secured one of the besfc servants he ever had — a capital cook, a hard worker, and in all respects satisfactory. She had a first-rate character with her from a lady in Belgravia, who wrote it on the best of note paper, Btamped with her address and crest. After this model servant had been in her place a few weeks, an accident revealed the unfortunate fact that just before taking the situation she had completed her third or fourth term of imprisonment for theft, and there was reason to believe thafc she was supplying a gang of burglars with information thafc would enable them to break into and rob fche house at the first; convenient opportunity. Of course, I need hardly add that the 'lady in Belgravia' who furnished the ' character ' was a myth, the houso in which she was supposed to reside being — well, nofc the abode of one of the ' upper crust.' "