On this date in 1908, the State-Line Herald of North Lemmon in Adams County announced that a “car breaker” had been arrested. A railroad brakeman noticed that a man seemed to be trying to break into a parked car. The brakeman immediately called for Sheriff Joe Hunt, then went back to keep an eye on the thief. When Hunt arrived, he found a man named Frank McCarthy inside the car, helping himself to the groceries he found there. The following morning Judge Wakefield held a preliminary hearing, and McCarthy was bound over for trial.
The newspaper noted that car theft in the area was on the rise. The paper connected this increase in crime to the railroad. Wherever the railroad arrived, there was a spike in car theft and other minor crimes. It was a common situation across the state. At one time, citizens of small towns knew all their neighbors. But with the arrival of the railroad, strangers drifted in and out. Those committing the crimes were often gone by the time the offense was discovered.
Car theft was a particular problem for law enforcement, especially near a state line. The thief could quickly be gone, off to another state, where North Dakota police officers or county sheriffs had no jurisdiction.
That changed in 1919 when the Dyer Act was passed. Popularly known as the Motor Vehicle Theft Act, it made it a federal crime to transport a stolen vehicle across state lines. That brought the FBI into play. The penalty was stiff -- up to ten years in prison.
As you might imagine, the theft of cars began just as soon as they hit the road. The first recorded car theft occurred in Paris, France in 1896 when the Baron de Zuylen’s Peugeot was stolen by his mechanic. Today, car theft is on the decline. Auto insurance companies attribute this to cars that are harder to start without a key, harder to break into, and equipped with anti-theft devices.
Dakota Datebook written by Carole Butcher
Sources:
National Auto Auction Association. “History of Car Theft.” https://www.naaa.com/NAAA_Legislative/HistoryOfAutoTheft.html Accessed 3/10/2019.
ListVerse. “Top Ten Fascinating Firsts in Motoring.” http://listverse.com/2008/07/12/top-10-fascinating-firsts-in-motoring/ Accessed 3/11/2019.
