There seems to be no limit to the ingenuity of the sneak-thief fraternity, or to their boldness. Two me rossed in uniforms knocked at the door of the private residence of an officer of the Hankow City Police and said that they had been sent yound to examine the telephone. Opening out their bag of tools the proceeded to take down the instrument and having examined it informed the women in the house that it would be necessary to take it away for repair. Nothing more has been seen of that instrument. Two or three days later the two men the home of an army officer and said that they had come to repair the telephone. The officer's wife said that it did not need repair as she had just used it. The men said that there must"be a mistake and left. Apparently they cut a wire on the outside, for they soon came back to say that the officer said that the telephone was out of order as he could not telephone to his house. They were admitted, but the lady sent a servant off to her husband and just as the men were leaving with the instrument some police arrived, One of the men bolted, but the other was caught.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.