Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-02-12
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got clear away"
Toa question, " o, yes; there are women
picking pockets, and men who pick
women's pockets. They usually go alone,
and frequent horse. cars, stages, and
churches-sometimes theatres, concerts.
and lectures. 1t is risky business, for
when a woman fastens on you she sticks.
But the way of doing it is easy. For in
stance, sit alongside of woman and
manage to get my hand or finger into her
pocket (she can't feel it as man could)
and get out her pocketbook; then / open
it understand though that this never was
my line-I'm only telling you how It's
done) and extract the money and then re-
place the pocketbook. Thatis " wedding"
IF she discovers her loss, she is almost sure
to think that she has lost her money or left
it where she was last shopping, and so we
get off easy enough. The stories about
throwing bullet which is shut into the
pOckbook and is fastened to aslender cord
is humbug, and any person of sense
ought to know it" iale ~
"Now, as to getting watches and jew
elry T. ,1s.s.
don't-unless we are hard up. Some poor
sticks make business of stealing watch
es, but they are inferior. If we want q
mans watch we manage pretty much the
same way as if we were after his money.
No; we don't cut the chain. We get the
watch out Of his pocket easy enough, and
twist the ring out of it. Some of the old
fashioned ones have the ring riveted, and
make a loud snap, but the whole thing
is easy. Then we get new rings put in
and have the numbers altered christen-
ing we call it-and sell them to the
fences For a watch worth 5000 we get
from $40 to $50. Silver watches we don't
bother with. Chains we rarely get except
by force, and they amt worth much un-
less solid; then we have them melted
down, as we also sometimes have the
cases"ed gar l aW 1860 s559ff
4 "As to diamond pins and studs ?" q
"That's trick that requires boldness
and skill. The usual manner of doing it
is for the operator, carrying cloak or
coat on his arm, to meet the victim, be-
hind whom come the confederates. AS if
by accident, he runs plump against his
man, ahd thrusts the coat into his face
with one arm, while with the hand of the
other he catches the pin. If there is any
row the confederates pitch in, and all get
away in the confusion"
"But can you take money from mans
inside coat or vest pocket ?'
"Of course /; the same plan is adopted
as with the pin. We spot man ion
the cars and watch him; I get some dis.
tance forward of him and my two pals
behind; when he starts to leave the car /
hurry forward and they hurry back / get
out ahead of him and turn around to meet
him, while my confederates have come out
and got close behind him; ! rush against
him in front and they do so behind
shove the coat in his face with one hand
and dive for his money with the other.
Sometimes we follow man two or three
days, and when we are sure he has good
pile with him we are bound to get it, and
unless he is protected we do get it in one
way or another"
"But how do you know man has a
good pile?" 9ae18
"Oh, that's easy enough. In the first
place, we spot merchants from the counT
try who are in the city to buy goods, and
then there is no difficulty in finding out
where they keep their money. The prin-
ciple of the whole thing is, that a man
having an unusually large amount of
money on his person will be so careful of
it that he will often feel to see whether it
it is safe Besides knowing these men we
watch them, and so learn which ones are
the most promising. Sometimes, too,
those operators who stay in New York or
other large cities are informed by brokers'
clerks and others-they get small share,
about five per cent. of the gains-of GER
tain merchant or banker having in his pos
session large sum-; if this is known, the
man very likely loses his money" .il
"Well, George, what is the average
amount taken from a mans pocket?"
I. "It isn't 80 very much. / have followed
a man two or three days with my pals,
and only got SIS or $6 from him, because
he kept the bulk Of his money in drafts
We get Slipped up in that way once in
q while. Then, again,I have raked in
as much as $4,000. But good average is
500; and that is very good in ordinary
times" eng
FINALLY, what is the great danger in
this business?" b.a
at is that we get too bold, and that we
generally drink and gamble. If / should
have two good confederates, and all Of us
should be strictly temperate and moral,
we never would be caught. Why, there is
B--n, of Brooklyn, who is worth $780,
600, and he has never been arrested. But
| tell you, Captain -, that if l could
make good living honestly, l would do
it; but everybody is down on me, and
can't get any work, and 80 l am forced to
steal l can do it pretty well, to be sure ;
but don't like the continual fear and sus-
pense. The safety guards are humbugs,
and don't amount to anything" 9a
"Then you are going at it again when
you get out?" a.sf
"I don't see what else I can do, but one
thing is sure, I shan't blab and get caught
again goon.p sioo691 gsbnhc es94id9-~
And he has not. q al, lta ri ks