Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1869-02-19
How Pockets are Picked.

IlON Il OChctS dTt Il IChCus
A New York pickpocket has been
making some revelations in regard to the
manner in which his business is car
ried on, and we give below some of the
more interesting statements which he
makes:
eve go into crowd-any large
crowd, but prefer still crowd, such as
you find listening to political speech,
elections are rich times with us-and to
suppose a case in such a closely crowded
throng, we single out man who is prom
Using and whose money we want; one of
us works his way in front of him SO as to
crowd against his left arm, another gets
himself behind him, and the operator
stands at his right partly back. In this
particular case it is supposed that our
game is stranger having considerable
money about him. He is careful of his
money and keeps his hand ON his pocket
book, which is in his right hand pocket.
| When the proper time comes the man
behind tips up or smashes down the hat
of the countryman, whose first impulse
is to restore it, and as he can't raise his
left arm he takes his hand from his right
pocket, when the operator dives and
seizes the money. This action the poor
devil does not feel nine times out of ten.
He is generally mad at having his hat
knocked over his eyes and turns to see
who did it. The one who did the act
seizes the first fiat near him and shoves
him ahead, then dives and rushes through
the crowd; this we all do and meet at
some appointed place to divide profits.
In regard to street car robberies, they
are generally nothing but forcible rob-
berries; we get together on the platform,
and by creating row take mans mon
ey by force before he knows it. And
there is not much difference in our way
of doing things on the railroads. We
pick out our man, and at some stopping
place, where he gets out for lunch or any
other purpose, one or two of us manage
to get ahead of him, the other behind
him, and by jostling and causing confu-
sion we have no difficulty. Whyl /
alone made ssO0Oin following the Prince
of Wales when he was here, and could
have made more than that in following
Lincoln from Springfield to Washington
if some of us hadn't been fools. You
see, suspicion was strong uponus, and we
stayed over in Buffalo to gamble, and
were caught and convicted. They could
not find anything against me, but one of
the party had some money which was
identified, and the Buffalo Judges never
let man go if there is shadow of a
chance of holding him, and when he is
found guilty they pile it on awful. A
New York Judge would not have given
me half as much as l got from that
Buffalo man, and Il believe Ishou Id have
got clear away.
There are woman pickpockets. and
men who pick womens' pockets. They
usually go alone, and frequent horse cars
stages and churches sometimes theatres
concerts and lectures. 1t is risky bus |
mess, for when woman fasteps ON Won
she sticks. But the way of doing it is
easy. For instance, l sit along side of A |
woman and manage to get my hand or
hnger into her pocket (she can't feel it
as man could and get out her pocket.
book then open it understand tbouyb
that this never was my line-Pm onIv
telling you how tits done) and extract
the money and then replace the pocket.
book. That is wedding If she dis
covers her loss, she isalmost sure to think
that she has lost her money or left If
where she was last shopping, and so we
get Off easy enough. The stories abo,,
throwing bullet which is shut into Tho
pocketbook and is fastened to a slendor