Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-08-17

successful pickpoeket. One who is never at
a loss for an expedient never losses his self
possession, and who generally gets what he
is after, has only acquired his skill and dex-
terity by many years OF hard study Of human
nature, an immense amount of practice, and
probably many months Imprisonment Pick
pockets are o distinct class of thieves, and
associate as little with burglars and other
depredators as would a dry-goods merchant
prince with a retail dealer in hardware. A
skillful pickpocket excites the greatest admi-
ration among his less fortunate companions,
and is looked up to with as much reverence
as is a man in respectable society who has
thousands of dollars at his fingers ends. lie
fully appreciates his posision and with an
an air Of the greatest condeScension accepts
from his fellow-thieves those little offerings of
brandy punches and cigars which they so
freely offer at his shrine Of dexterity and i'm
pudence.
Their modes of obtaining the object of their
ambition-generally poeket-book or a gold
watch--are as numerous as the various classes
Of pickpockeis. They all particularly delight
in crowd. Let a few thousand people con
gregate in the street or in some place Of
amusement and there you will find the pick
pocket in his glory. Take a street crowd,
for instance. Two or three of the light-fn-
gered gentry are there, working together
They select their victim, and Immediately
seize every opportunity to hustle and jostle
him Suddenly, some one is crushed up
against him, at which both begin to swear
furiously, the victim striving to get away,
and the pickpocket crowding still harder till
he succeeds in getting his hands away from
his pocket. In an instant deXterOus con-
federate silly slips his fingers into the victims
pocket, and they seldom come out again
without the coveted wallet
Meanwhile, the plucked pigeon is so much
absorbed in crowding hustling, and swearing
that he has no suspicion of the transfer that
is being made. At all places of amusement,
or where any sort of tickets are sold that will
create rush, there look out for your pock-
cts. You want to buy ticket have taken
out your wallet to get the necessary money,
and returned it TO your pocket. A profession
al has witnessed the operation, and is instantly
by your side, crowding and jamming as fe-
rociOuslYss as yourself toward the little hole
where the tickets are passed. You pass in
your money and demand a ticket-he does
the same, striving to geta head Of yOu-you
become anxious, and your hand and his get
into a strife for the coveted pastebOard,
and meanwhile his other hand is ex-
ploring the recesses of your pocket. By
the time you get out Of the crowd, your wal
let and your pertinacious friend have both
disappeared. PickpOckets generally work in
schools of two, three, four, FIVE, or six, just
as the exigencies of the occasion may require.
The first object to be obtained is 10 divert
their victims attention from his pocket, and
the next is to induce him by some means ''to
put up his hands" A fight a crowd or
something else, may accomplish the former,
but the latter is more difficult. Some one
viii take hold of him, or knock his hat of,
when up 60 both hands, and out goes his wal
let OF his watch. In stealing watches the
guard chain forms quite an obstacle, provid-
ed it be securely fastened. The most fire.
quent way of overcoming this difficulty is to
perform the operation called bringing il. -
That is, the watch is cautiously lifted from
the pocket, and by dexterous movement of
the thumb and forefnger, the ring to which
the chain is attached is twisted from the
watch, and left dangling from the victims
vest, while the watch has been passed from
one hand to another till it may be several
blocks away before. it is missed. In buying
watches It may be good thingto know that
when the guard ring is riveted to the watch,
instead of being simply sprung together, a
pickpocket stands little chance Of getting it
away, unless he cuts the guard.
The most expert ckpockets-those at the
head Of the Profession-are rather inclined
to avoid New York, as the Detective Police
have become too thoroughly acquainted with
them and their modes Of operation. They
accordingly turn their attention to travelling
and ''working railroad cars, steamboats,, and
the inland cities which they visit on their
route. Two or three generally travel iogeth-
er, and take advantage Of every crowd to
practice their arts upon unwary Strangers
After a successful tour, they return to New
York to spend their ill-gotten gains in gam
bling and riotous living. It is not an unu-
sual thing for an expert to start from New
York with scarcely any funds, travel directly
through to New Orleans or some Of the West
ern cities, and Immediately return with suf-
icient money to enable him to live in idle
ness for several months. This leaves in the
city few besides the comparative nOvices the
women, and the ifkids, or juvenile pickpock-
ets These are particularly afraid Of the De-
tectives, and viii seldom attempt a job when
they know them to be near. It frequently
occurs that at places of amusement a thief
will present himself to a Detective who may
be there, and beg to be allowed TO 60 inside.
He promises faithfully not to 'work the au-
dience, and if the Detective wishes, he will
wait till all the people are out of the build
ing before taking his departure. If the Off
Ger grants him permission, the thief pays his
money, goes inside and seats himself in an
obscure corner, from whence he watches the
performance with pleasure, He always keeps
his promise faithfully, for he knows that if
any one of the audience is robbed, the De-
tectives will be sure to arrest him immedi-
/ ately. As ian ounce Of prevention is worth
a pound Of cure so it often happens that the
! appearance of q Detective in a crowd does
/ more to prevent crime than all the heavy
penalties ever inflicted by Judge Russell
The light fingered gentry always keep we'll
advised Of all public gatherings, and their
/ first inquiry is what 'coppers2 policemen
will be there Being satisfied on this point
they know whether or not it is worth while
to attend, and act accordingly. Nearly all
of them dress well, and some Of them being
I of agreeable manners and cheerful eOnver.
sation, it is not difficult for them to form the
acquaintance of q stranger, and engage his at
tention, while a confederate picks his pockets
\ MANY Of the second or third-rate pickpOcket:
make it almost their exclusive business to keeI
! tI,. o,rs Nd rfoorna WhiIf