The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1868-07-03
LONDON THIEVES.

Among the professional London
thieves there is said to be remarkable
class having the singular name of Ia
cenSed MieceS. These licensed rOgues
are said to be in the employment of the
police, the detectives especially. Strange
tales are told about them. 1t is said that
a detective anxious for fame, and moth
ing scrupulous as to the means of its
accomplishment, will perhaps see tcire
busily employed at his nefarious trade
in picking pockets in the streets. By
chance the wretch does his work clever
ly, and so the policeman embraces the
opportunity of making his acquaintance.
He frightens the thief by telling him that
he was seen, and hints that he can bring
so and so against him but if he will
render him some private assistance, he
shall be let alone for the present. If the
thief agrees, he thus gets his license;
and dearly he has to pay for it. When
the policeman wants a case for the ses-
siOns or the assizes, the thief must work
By discovering and furnishing secret
information, he puts the policeman up
on the right track of obtaining inform
alton sufficient to get up case. The
more of this work the spy does the
more he has to perform, and the fur
Their he becomes involved. AT length
the licensed thief quarrels with his en-
ployer, or refuses to do his bidding.
Then comes his own doom. His license
is taken from him. something is brought
against him, and he is probably con-
demned to penal servitude for many
years. We tell the following story as
| it was told to us: A robbery of plate
had been committed the suspicion of
the police guided them to the delin-
quent, but they could obtain no clue by
hioh RI mr. tho nhoIQra fhnU h0 n
against him. He was however appre-
hended and thrust into the cell. An
other thief, known to the police, was
! thrust into the same cell, With secret
instructions to act the spy. The spy
| had not been long in the cell before he
began to speak very bitterly of the po-
| lice, because of what he alleged to be
their bad usage of himself. Presently
he took half crown out of his boot,
and thrust it into the fire, saving, There,
| that evidence is gone" What evil
dence ?" asked the suspected man. THAT
am a maker of money" answered the
spy, who proceeded to describe in glow
ing colors his lucrative method OF man
| featuring base coin. The two became
very confidential, and the spy began to
| bewail his want of silver with which TO
continue his business when he obtained
his liberty. The bait took. The sus-
| pected man confessed that he had some
silver which he had stolen. They at
once agreed to partnership, and the
next morning they were set at liberty.
The spy was furnished, it is said, by
the police, with moulds etc, and he fix
ed the time with his new friend to COM
mence the manufacture. They were
soon at work. One evening while they
were melting the plate, the police, as
previously arranged, suddenly rushed
in. The spy was allowed to escape, but
the real thief was caught. The career
Of the spy did not last long. The po-
lice became tired of him, he was begin
ming to know too much, and it was nee
cssary to get rid of him. For anything
thief is now undergoing penal serv-
itude. To what extent this kind of
service is rendered to the police can
never be completely known, but sutfi-
cient is known to lower the estimate of
the skill of the detectives. They do eX-
ceedingly little in the way of actual
discovery by means of their own indie
pendent and individual Intelligence.
Compared with the great bulk of unde-
| tected crime the success of the detect
| i've is significantly small. ''In conse-
| quence of information received" Is a
convenient formula for the police, the
full meaning of which is best known to
themselves and their sometimes GRIM
inaD assistants. The morality of set
ting thief to catch a thief passes mus
ter in the English force, but they do
these things better in America. Mr..
Pinkerton's system for the detective
policy in America is vastly superior to
the British system. He sets no thief
to catch thief, but works by pure and
honorable means to keep his entire
force of agents beyond the reach of the
temptations which arise from rewards
and unfair means.