The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-07-11
h NRW YORK THIEVES.
TneIr plans OF Operations.
From the Oomneroiai Advsrtissr.l

A -H N. /
From the COmnercasl Advsrtissr.j
The professional thief, who has gradu-
ated and is known among his companions
as 5 'soph," is n of the keenest chaps
tout of jail" or in Jail, for that matter
Idleness Is as foreign to his nature as an
absences of perfume to 8 musk-rat. He
that MprocrsstinRtiOn Is the thief OF
time" and it can be Justly said that this is
the only member Of the \" profesh which
he ~repudistes. He don't believe In putting
of, his motto being TO be sure that "all
things are hunkey-doreY and go ahead
A more miserable creature than the subject
of these remarks without 8 " job" It would
be q difficult matter to discover. To use q
phrase from a ~vernaeular appropriate to
the occasion, he is, at such times, "a sick
dog" and vet he never desponds. Is there i
no o in his pocket Is there no imme-
date prospect of meeting 8 " pal" from
whom to borrow q few stamps; Is he in
want of q drink, and with no money to
purchase ons-well, what does he do under
such depressing circumstances Why, he
keeps his eyes open, takes q stroll around |
town, plunges into the first crowd, out of
which he comes with "lots of stamps and
perhaps q %icker," (watch.) Once mora
he is sin clover" and hurries to the rem
dezvous OF his fellows, with whom he has
sundry drinks all around. If he captured
q watch while in the crowd, one of Che
"INNocENT LcoKIN' PALS"
is sent with it to the fsvorite receiver of
the gang, and soon returns with the 'tspon-
doolix.n And here it might be well to say
q word or two about these " innocent look
in pals" Generally they are sickly look
ing, mild hammered boys-their ages rang
ing from IA to l8-Who know how TO cry
and tell 3 wOful tale whenever it may be
necessary to practice such strategy. They
receive some triaing compensation for their
services, and if they grumble they ere
kicked and beaten with complacency,
These .innoeents' are very useful to the
gang in many ways. They are frequently
sent out on accommodating excursions with
pieces of pitch gum or putty in their pos.
session, with which they take impressions
of key holes. They then return to the
hsunts of their superiors, report the result
of their expeditions, and are rewarded if
anything "comes of EN-" 'HH -t-b
The. gang then meets in hr
sRCRET COUNCIL,
where the probable result of q burglary
committed on the premises of John Smitf,
or some other unfortunate cits.zsn is fully
csnvsssed, and arrangements made for car
rying out the programme at the earliest
moment The mild-mannered innocent is
then furnished with a basket partially filed
with shoe-strings, blaeking and perfumed
soap, and ordered to visit the residence of
eli ~, A. .--o-4 =. Al l.AzL.-
and, while Offering them his wares for sale,
"pump them" or, in other words, ascertain
if possible when Smith will be absent and
all other facts about the house that he can
get hold of. The result of this peddling
expedition is reported, another secret coun-
Gil is held, and in a day or two Smith ap-
pears at Police Headquarters, or at some
Pnlica Court, and in a state of great agits-
ton informs the guardians of tho law that
his house has been entered and robbed.
This concludes the job on the part of the
gang, and their whole attention for some
days is turned to the matter of keeping out
of the clutches of the police. 40
The professional is q regular reader of
the newspapers, that is, if he understands
the art Of reading. If he does not, he is
kept fully posted by his associate, or by
one of them whose spelling was not
neglected in early life. He wat hes the
HOTEL ARRIVALS, i.
aud if he discovers a "plum" worth pluck
ing, the fact is at once communicated to
the gang. He hen attires himself in his
best. Kids, patent feathers and e~ye-glass-
es now come into service. The hotel
where the unsuspicious "plum" is to be
found is visited daily by the professional,
who perhaps enters q name on the book,
and also takes up his temporary abode at
the place. His first movement is TO learn
all he can about the aniecedents OF the
and in order to do this he uses
every artiice that he can exercise judicions-
". If the opportunity offers, he meets
the stranger face to face at dinner and en-
ters into conversation with him, thus
scrsping an acquaintance. By a mastery |
style of demesnOr he draws from him the
nature of his business, and sscertains how
long he proposes to remain in the city. If
The ''plum" likes the professional and the
professional is satisfied that the ''plum'' is
} "big thing" they perhaps start out to.
gether on a travel about town. Perhaps
.hev go to Central Park or to COney Is
.and-slwsys to sOme place where there is
\ big crowd. a.u.. ~.
THE MoDUS oPERANDL |
Two or three of the "pals" understand
ng the matter follow and await the Arti-
val of the party at the place whore the
ls assembled. Here our profession
i and his Hplum' take a stand, the former
aking up q position at a respectable dis
ance il front of the latter, and so exercis-
ng himself with his cigar and cane, that
he victim of a new friendship cannot as
Don as thu Job is done, and, it may
%, discovered by the "plnm," have the
suspicion that his friend
lad anything at all to do with the
He also asks him the time of the
'sy to assure him that he is up to that mo-
nent in possession of his chronometer, and
.oes some other piece OF strategy by which
he victim is made to relIzs that his pocket
'ook is still in its proper place. The "pals'i
move on the works, and relieves the
-ictim of all loose property of any value
hat they can lay their hands on. This
one the "pals" retire. and the two friends
emsin together. |
Again tho cunning of our professional is
isplaJ ed in doing something which will
Ruse the stranger to discover that he has
cen robbed. Of course, the injured party
Mortified, while his friend utters most
srrible execrations on the head of the
illain who has committed the deed. Com
laint is made to the police, and the par
es return to the hotel together, where I
ley separate, and the "plum'' never looks
pom the raNa of his friend again, unless it be
RcoHrt of juatice, which, one ehaneein a
lndred, may be the case. The proIesslUn
returns to the rendezvous of the gang,
the "innoeent lookin' pals" are sent
1t to dispose Of the booty.
Washington Society. De-.
A Washington correspondent of the New
U.-aJJ ;-II... " ru- /,