The Jasper weekly courier., 1874-10-09

year. and yet II Is more than probable that
half the crimes committed were never
reported. IL Is difficult To estimate the
number Of persons who live by dishonest
means in the metropolis, ~ none a. them
| are ambitious 20 appear in the directory Is
thieves or cracksmen but judging fHn
the police statistics, it Is safe 10 assume that
Al isast non Of the populaEion live by
crime. OF this number from three ~ live
thousand are professional pickpockets ; not
amateurs and blunderers. but persons with
educated fingers, who could very nearfy
skin you without your knowledge. They
ply their tride everywhere, their fayorito
places being about the entrances 10 places
of amusement. and in the omnibus and
horse-oar. A large number. and by far the
most skillful, are women. many Of whom
dress so elegantly and appear so refined
and ladylike that suspicion. IL excited by
any overt act, j. readily disarmed. Pious-
looking. gray-headed men frequent church
es, and take advantage Of their f6r outside
To relieve the pockets Of their fellnw-wor-
shippers. As a general thing. they work
together, sharing the sp0ils Afterwards.
Sometimes half-a-dozen enter 4 crowded
horse-car and manage before they leave Il
10 pretty thoroughly tighten the purses Of
the passengers. Sometimes one feigns
drunkenness and staggers about against
those i'm the car. distracting their atten-
ton while the rest "go through" the
crowd
BoARDISG-HOUsE THIEVES
are common to all cities, but il is only in
! New York that the system is csrriec. TO
perfection. An elegantly dressed young
| gentleman, il may be. makes his appear
ance i'm fashionable boarding establish
ment. He is the son Of an eminent mer-
chant. or, manufacturer. or doctor OF di-
vinity. orcongressman, from Chicago. or
| Cincinnati, or Boston, and Is 10 sail for
| Europe on business or pleasure tour in
a month or so. He wishes 10 sec New
York before leaving. and has been recon-
mended TO make the house of Mrs. So
and-so his home In the meantime. He
displays plenty Of money, talks loudly
about his intimacy with certain we'll
known men OF the section from which he
halls. and makes himself exceedingly
| agreeable 10 everybody-for week.
Some day the boarders come home 10 din
ner 10 find that their rooms have been ran
sacked and everything available Of any
value carried away-watches, jewelry.
money. nicknacks, and even clothing.
The nice young man disappears AZ the
same time, and the household is AZ last
compelled 10 believe thar either the thief
has taken him too. or that he l. the work
er Of very neat job.
SNEAK STEALING,
the most consemptible of all kinds Of lar
ceny, if there be really any choice In the
various grades. is a branch Of the art which
requires peculiar tact. The bold and ad-
, venturous burglar would desDise the cow
ard who practices this method. but the lat
ter often makes IL pay. The sneak thief
manages 10 get into houses in the daytime.
and c0nceals himself until the coast i
clear. when he walks off with whatever he
can lay his hands on. Sometimes. crowd
ed into the dark recess of hall closet. he
will wait all the afternoon until the i'm
mates are at tea. and then rapidly and
quietly skim through the rooms. .offenfimes
.' swapping up unconsidered trifies- 10 the
amount of hundreds OF dollars. Some of
the readers OF this will perhaps remember
the famous sneak robbery six Years ago
on Fiffh avenue. when box containing
$4,000 In United States bonds was taken
while the people Of the house were at din
ner. Ii was never recovered. A favorite
plan, and one which has several times been
successfully worked, il for Two 10 enter a
bank. and while one engages the clerks !
attention the other slips into the safe and
snatches bundle Of bonds or grrenbacks. !
Several large hauls have been made In this |
way In Wall street. Very oflen the thief !
has a confederate in the servants OF a TAM
lily. and so can make mis- own opportuni- I
ties. Many Of this branch are well-ap- |
pelring and well-educafed men. and might |
succeed in legitimate business if they chose |
TO engage in Il.
THE sHoPLIFTERs
form large class. Most of them are wo-
men. and of the order appropriately styled |
''soiled doves To be an adept in this /
business requires good deal OF nerve and |
a vast deal OF practice. There - not a !
large retail establishment in the city of
New York thai does not lose more or less /
from theft every day. Many establish \
ments keep detectives. and also reward /
clerks for detecting thieves but notwith- I
standing the vigilance of all concerned. |
the shoplifter usually contrives to eyade IL. \
and carry of her spoils. They never 1
work alone. although they never acknowl- /
edge acquaintance or speak TO each other. /
As In sneak-thleying, one manages TO at 1
tract the attention OF the clerk. while the /
other does the lifting Professionals \
In this line are often arrayed in the most I
expensive style, and are often driven to /
the door Of the establishment they pro-
pose TO work In an elegant carriage.
with gilded panels and monogram. thus I
impressing the clerks with a sense Of their 4
importance and diyerting suspicion. \
Many Of them are the wives or mistresses
of thieves and burglars. and frequently Il
assist in jobs Of a more serious character.
STREET BEGGARs.
One would hardly imagine that the beg
gars OF city would come under the head
either of the ..criminal" or money
making" classes. But as ninefy-nine in a
hundred of professional beggars are
Va hon oh MI
they DO make money. some of them much l
faster than men In Legitimate business,
they may he appropriately classed as ei-
ther. Begging l. as much a trade in New