, 1874-12-20

precision, and know what filing was necessary tt
open the lock. Sometimes lie would hit 1t .th
first night: but again it Would tako weeks, mne1
he would hsve to uso black wax, "n1ch Is hafae
and holds an impression better than sonp.
Reporter-Did he opon only safo or vault
locks
Prisoncr-No. Quito often he would get al
impression OF an outside door lock. That was
easy work, since he could mako key to any doc,
in two or three hours.
" Reporter-Supposo be did not succeed in get
ting into the vault the first night, whnt woule
he do?
Prisonor-H the chop Was q largo Wholesale
establishment We would take only q certain
quantity CT goods, such as would not be missed
And ne Nould come baok afterwards and worA
until this vault WAS opened. I have been into q
store ei1 times with mob inside OF two weeks,
and taken goods without the owner making q
squeal. That ia what is called
"wEED1SG 4 STORE.
When tho loss became known ut tho Tina Of
taking stock, some clerk would probably be
charged with the theft and have known c1srks
to DO railroaded Gmprisoped) through tho e1er-
tions Of \ detective who stood II, With the mob
and got his whack (ehere Of the plunder). Often,
when there were from fifty to 100 clerks in the
shop, it would never DO found out whore tho
goods went. Sometimes it is more profitable to
tzko only goods, because the merchants do
not always have any large sum Of monev in their
safes or vaults and it is not worth while dovot-
ing week or two to opening them. We gener-
ally find out when sugar (money) ia stacked up.
Reporter-How?
Prisoner-By sending man in occasionally to
look around and get information. The 1arSes:
hauls are generally made on
sATuaDAY NIGHT or DURING SUNDAY.
Repo1ter-I thought merchants generally kept
their money in the banks.
prisoner-A great many do: but sons will not
And even those who do often keep large amounts
over night. Tint Ia not done to such an extent
hero Us it used to be in England. When I
worked there in tho old days nearly all the sugar
was in gold and silver, aud could be used This
system of bonds is fraud; if fellow gets
$500, 900 or S400, 900 they are almost yaluolesE,
becsuse they can only be gotten rid OF with dif-
tculty and tho men who bny them pay little or
nothing for them, as the chances are that the
bonds will be traced to thonu.
Reporter-What do tnoso men do with them
Prisoner-5end them to Europe generally,
where they arc sold in the small towns by men
who put them out in smau quantities, so as to
avert suspicion and shield their principals.
There ia regular system for getting rid Of
$l00. 900 Of stolen bonds are recovered.
Reporter-Iho ''mob" sometimes rake in q
small fortune. do they not?
Pri5oncr-}es. Host OF the Eng!ishcrossmen
(thieycs) we're extraordinarily clerer; they had
lad great deal Of experience and Uere SO
Glbo to convict thon. Many OF them, when
they had accumulated considerable money, would
70 into legitimate business, and their antcco-
donts would never be discovered. Others would
only work for sugar, taking no goods, however
valuable, and thereby lessenlng in great degree
tho chances OF detection.
Reporter-HoH many make up
, "a MOE :"
Prisnner-Four or 1iys i'll those days.
Reporter-Did each one hare q department, or
wore all equally skiliul?
pr;soner-Eact one had lis part to do. Ono
would fit the locks. another would carry the stuff
booty Away. another had house to conceal It
u. and another made the arrangements for dis
posing of it. The work WAS eystematized, nnu
t was very difficult to detect them. This class
u men, twenty-five and twenty ytaEs ago, were
considered the best workers. but iu course OF tinle
he 1y-cops (dctectiyes) got onto (discovcred)
heir manner Of doing business, and followed
hem SO closely. that they found their method
# work SO disadyan.ageous that many Of them
.1Ilgrated to this country, aud large number
we're coifared (arrested) and sen: to Australia.
rhay escaped from time to time. and know
oye-ai OF the old English crossmen who have
made their homes in America.
Noporter-Were you ever transported2
rrisoner-Yes; [ got the boa: for twenty
ears, but escaped in Her Majssty's ship Thuu-
icrbol.. I Seat to France, and remained sew
'ral months III Paris: not daring to risk the in
nv vocation.
Reporter-Nero the class Of thieves you mon-
ion the only clever ones in England at tho time
1ou speak OF?
pfisoucr-No.
TIE SMELL HOB
of picEpockets werc very clever.
Neporter-How did they work:
Prisouc--They worked Oh men only. Most OF
hem commenced in . lower gr.de-stca1fng only
romeu's pocket-books, or in the lowest grade
stealing gcntlemens wipes (handkercliefs).
Eeporicr-Is robbiug women considered iufe-
ior work.
priaone7-1ti is copsidered SO much easier that
t is lower oa that account, and besides less
Of money arc obtauabc from Noaacu-
Reporter-Stea!ing handkerchiefs is easier
till ?
prisoner-1n England nearly all the pickpock-
ts commence in that grade, taking only elk
from fine old English gentlemen.
The racket is very profitable one for kid.
Eeporter-How much do they get apiece
Prisoncr-A shiling-25 cents OF your money;
nd during q day when anything unusual is
:oing on, aud crowd is attracted, they pick up
-, or $40 Tor:h.
Keporter-liow long an apprenticeship do they
e1ve at that !?
PriB Boner-They work that way until they be-
ONE clever, aud then touch (rob) women. They
re then called
"pUsuERs,
nd half dozen would go together to the CryH-
al Palace when it was open, or to the bridges
7here thero was always crowd, or the Museum
II tue Polytechnic Gardens or the FREQ and Easy
,ouscs. When they became expert in o crowd,
lips (pickroclsets) in the higher grade would
axe hold Of The cleyerest, and they would work
he stages i'll tho streets These Inan usually
raveIed in two and threes.
Reporter-How did they work
. prisoner-Oue who was posted on the mugs
faccy) OF the detectives of the district wllero
hey ve1o at work would watch, another would
,et the 1noll (woman) into the proper position by
ostling her in such way that she would not be
suspicious, and the third would take her leather
pocket~book).
neporter-WaH the money obtained divided
Equally !?
prisoner-Yes, At night.
Repotter-Would the pocEet-books be kept
Until then?
P1isoner-No; they wero thrown away as
quickly as possible, ss it wus dangerous to carry
hem, no matter how valuable. The risk would
% taken by some men when they got the leather
# one Of the ladies' of the gentility, it being
Usually of gold or silver, aud sometimes had
settings Of diamonds, rubies, or other precious
tones.
EcporteI-What w2s
THE NEXT STEP UPWARD
i mean in tue profession {!
PrisoueI-When they believed themselves