Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-05-08

by some novel or play, we were led to make
so much allowance for exaggerstlon, that we
seldom retained truthful conception OF the
real live rascals who jostle against US on the
streets, obstruct our passage in the cars, and
occupy seats next to us in the stages
How I'VE think they Look.-It is generally
presumed, by majority of our citizens, that
pickpockets possess some indescribable pecu-
iiarity, in their personal appearance, by which
they can be readily distinguished from honest
folks. Many people entertain the idea that
theso kind of thieves must necessarily have
low ,rehead, villainous countenance, false
hands, and kit of pickpocket's instruments.
This mistaken supposition accounts in large
measure, for the ease with which so many rob-
berries are committed. In many cases the
very caution of the victims assists the opera
ton of the thieves. While the over cautious
are engaged in casting suspicious glances
around, with the intention of avoiding some
one who corresponds with their mental picture
of rascal-some genteelly appearing per-
sonage, whom they do not for moment sus-
pect, relieves them of their valuables.
The appearance Of a tastefully attired lady,
with the modest countenance and delicately
formed hands, who apologies so gracefully
for her rudeness and haste in leaving a car,
does not suggest the fact that she has just
picked pocket. The plain, honestlooking
old gentleman, who wears an expression as
beDignant as Beecher's, and assists an old
lady across the street with solicitude that
excites admiration, does not conform with the
general impression of English Bill, the noto-
rious English pickpocket.
There are some suspicious looking faces
among these people, just as there are among
lawyers, doctors, merchants, or any other class
of the community, but they will compare ia.
vorably in personal appearance with any body
of honest citizens, phrenologists to the contra
ry Notwithstanding. ..
A Pckpocka..s Joke.-An amusing instance
of the inability of the public to distinguish an
honest man from thief, happened sometime
ago on the Portland railroad. A thief, who
had been picking pockets twenty years and
who is at present serving out sentence in
the State prison, had been operating for sever
al weeks so extensively as to arouse the indig.
nation of the travellers on the road. Some of
his victims had expressed the determination
to fog and tar and feather the first pickpock-
ct captured. About this time the thief vas
wanted" in this city, for stealing large
amount of bonds from gentleman on
Brooklyn ferry boat, and a detective was sent
to Portland to arrest him. He secured his
man and started for this city. They expe.
rienced some difficulty in finding seats; but
finally the thief procured one with gentle
man who resided in Portland, and the detect
{ho
opposite side of the aisle. The thief intro.
duced himself to his neighbor as a detective,
and informed him in consequential tone
that he was taking the man opposite, who was
well known pickpocket, to New York to
answer for bold robbery he had just com.
mitted He also advised bis fellow traveller
that his prisoner was probably the very man
who had picked so many pockets in that
neighborhood. "He likes to play practical
iokes," continued the thief. "On the train We
have Just left he made several gentlemen be-
lieve that was the prisoner and he the OIL
cer." The real detective sat watching the
prisoner, all unconscious Of the approaching
storm. The gentleman moved to another part
of the car and communicated the information
he had Just received to several friends. One
of them had been robbed few days before Of
over 5000, and he was still very angry.
4 Detective IN Troalbs.-He stepped over
to the detective, and, in loud voice, said:
$50 they have caught you at last, you misera-
BILE cut throat? You are the rascal who stole
my money. I know you. I saw you when
you took it, and if you had not escaped l
would have shot you like dog. You say
that you are not thief, that you are thief
catcher. But you suppose, with your villain
Gus face, you can make me think you are any.
thing but thief? You ought to be thrown
from the cars, and I, for one, will assist in so
doingw A crowd of excited men gathered
around the unfortunate detective, and, in spite
of his protestations, persisted in abusing him
shamefully, and were about to hurl him from
the platform of the flying train, when the thief
interfered with "GentleInen, I trust you will
useno violence towards this unfortunate man.
1 cannot permit it. He is my prisoner. He
is in the hands of the law, and the law must
take its course" Fortunately, perhaps, for
the detective, the train reached New York
about this time, and he escaped.
Where and ho.0 they &eak-Political meet
ings theatres, churches, cars, stages, and other
places where crowds do congregate, present
favorable fields for the operations of the light
fingered gentry. A Presidential campaign
yields them bountiful harvest of greenbacks.
Sometimes they resort to devilish and inge.
NOUS expedients to bring togethera number of
people. They occasionally set fire to build
ing in some neghborhood that promises q
profitable crowd of victims At other times
two of their number will engage in street
fight while their confederates pick the pockets
of the excited and interested spectators. One
gang of thieves employs man who attracts
crowd by falling down in the street, in an
apparent fit, and assuming the most frightful
contortions
an Ingenious Robbery.-These men saw
gentleman draw three hundred dollars from
bank the other day. They followed him
without exciting bis suspicious, for overa mile.
| When near the corner of Canal street and
Broadway, one of their number passed on in
advance and fell to the sidewalk, within few
feet of the gentleman they had been watching.
Within minute twenty people we're pushing
and crowding about the PROSTATE man. Dur.
ing the commotion the money was stolen and
the thieves escaped. While the gentleman
was excitedly informing the bystanders of his
loss, the decoy regained his feet and quietly
stole away, to rejoin his confederates and re-
ceive his share of the plunder.
Ho,0 Pockets are Picked Many people are
robbed on the different ferry boats. A favor
lite mode Of operation among thieves who steal
from the passengers, is to select some victim
who gives promise of possessing well.6lled
wallet, and gather round him in such way