, 1867-04-12
Thieves and their wav.

In the report Of the New York Prison A,soei.
alton, there is, among other interesting matter.
a valuable paper from Hon. j. s. Gould, upou
the condition Of the county jails of that State
in which, under the head of Repression of
Crime" some remarks occur which let US into
the secrets of certain thieving operations. Saws
Mr.. Could
Suppose a lady in an omnibus discovers she
has lost her purse, which she is certain was in
her possession when she entered the stage. A
well dressed gentleman sits by her side, whose
arms are quietly crossed before him, and his
fingers, eneased in spotless kid-gloves, are in
plain sight of all the passengers, who are sure
be has not moved them since be has been in tbe
stage On the discovery Of the rnbbsIy, the
nearest policeman Is Issummoned into the vehicle
At the hrst glance he sees that the arms of the
spruce-looking gentleman sitting beside the lady,
and which have been so couspicuously folded
during the ride, are false, his real arms being
all the time free to move with entire liberty
beneath the wings of bis talma The officer
knows, and every one else knows as soon as this
discovery is announced, that be, and none but
he, is the thief. Why should he wear false arms.
II not for this very purpose? Here, then, we
have robbery actually committed person
ingeniously fitted to effect such a robbery with
out exciting suspicion. lie is in a position best
suited TO accomplish il; aud n addition to all
this, he is known to have perpetrated a dozen
just such acts-nay, if he has been again and
again convicted thereof before competent
tribunal, after a fair trial, would not plain
people be apt to say that the proof of his guilt
was complete, and that no further evidence of il
was required? But if, at the instant Of commit
ting the deed, he has tossed the purse that he
bad taken, TO a confederate whom he espied in
the street, that at the time of his discovery he
has it not on his person, he cannot be convicted
of the crime. lie must be held 10 be innocent
until he is proved to be guilty. As often hap>
pens in large cities, crowd will rush into an
omnibus or a street car. An officer sees well
known pickpocket obstructing the entrance, an,
other pickpOcket is abusing him in the sharpest
tones for doing so, while at the same timJ he is
eagerly assisting a respectable gentleman or a
well dressed lady TO pass the obstruction; one
or two, other pickpOckets stand near All this
is as Ineligible to police officer as the letters
on Il street sign lie knows that the man who
obstructs the entrance is his confederate; he
knows that the others who are hanging about
will receive the contents Of the pocket as soon AS
their principal has a5stracted the same; but if
he does not see the act itself so distinctly that
he swear to it, be dare not arrest the culnrt;
he is liable to a suit for damages if he does so.
The man must be presumed to be innocent until
proven to be guilty" \ sneak thief passes along
WIN tufL Iapiui IOilluS BiduCt OF tue eyes winch
characterzes the tribe; now be checks himself
in his professional career; it is but for an in
slant; no unprofessional eye, directed towards
him, would notice it but the sudden pause
unuld snaak AnluraAs 4-.-----t--s--A4s
he knows that the thiefs eye has caught the
sight of silver lying exposed in the basement.
In an hour after he hears that the basement has
been entered, and the silver carried off. lie
knows who has taken it as well as If he had
seen the man take it with his own eyes; but if
the thief has had time TO run to the nearest re-
ceiver's den, the silver is already in the melting
pot beyond the reach Of ideHtifcation the officer
must not arrest him, for the law presumes him
to be "innocent until he is proven to be guilty"
\ servant girl is seen standing in the area, to-
ward evening, With a broom in her hand; by
her side is man conyersing with her; the po.
liceman, as he passes along, recognizes him as
a notorious burglar. That night the house is
broken open and robbed, and perhaps some of
the family murdered. The officer knows per-
fectly well who did it, but if none Of the stolen
property is traced to his possession, and blood
is found upon his person, he cannot be punished;
the law holds him "innocent until he is proven
to be guilty.
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