Smyrna times., 1875-09-08
Different Ways of Stealing.
BY BISHOP CLARK OF RHODE ISLAND.


the vocation of thief is designated. I,
modern times we have invented a new Sc
OF tltles-such as repudiator, defaulter
and detalcator-as descriptive of some O
our more popular modes of cheating. Civ,
to any vice gentle name, and it is said t.
lose half of its grossness. And so. instead
OF using the good old Saxon, which meant
something, even if it was coarse. we say
OF one who has robbed the bank. thai
there is deficit in his accounts" and ot
tho man who spends money that does not
belong to him, that he is "obliged to com.
promise with his creditors" do not
think that there is much gained by this.
Carron meat may be called high, but il
docs not smell any sweeter for that. If a
man has robbed me, l do not feel anv bet.
ter to be told that che has appropriated
my property to his own use." Let us call
a spade spade, and a rascal a rascal. and
we shall know better where we stand.
II should enter in detail upon all the
various modes in which we are now oboo+
Ell could fill all the forty columns of the
Aed3er. As it is, l shall confine myself 70
few, which are just now most prominent.
Highest in the scale of thieves. and
altogether the most respectable. is the nro-
teSsional burglar, who calls his vocation by
no fictitious name, and is prepared to meet
the consequences fairly and squarely. if he
happens to be caught. He has probably
been trained to his business from child.
hood, and as matter of taste prefers it to
any other. lawyer in Boston once asked
the captain of a band of English burglars
II, with his skill as an accountant and other
accomplishments, he could not do bcttor
by earning his living in some honest way.
to which he replied: "Certainly, sir; was if
not upon the whole paying business? but
do you suppose that it is the pecuniarv
return which makes it attractive to meP nv
no means; it is the pleasure | take in
bringing my wits to bear, so as to circum.
vent the plans of others for the preserya.
ton of their property
The elevation of burglary to the rank Of
a mental science is somewhat novel but
the intellectual preeminence of the profess
slonal robbcr may be justly disputed by the
accomplished swindler, who never breaks
lock or strikes a blow or uses n tool
House.breaking requires only certain
amount of mechanical skill. but 10 oot
possession of another mans property bv
hoodwlnking him, or playing upon his feel
lngs, 1t is necessary that one should studv
something more than the mysteries of iron
bolts and bars. Take, for instance. tbo
mendlcant thief-not one of the ragged
regiment of beggars who are ALWAYS ready
to pllier whatever is not to be had in other
ways-but well-dressed traveller who has
lost his wallet or had his pocket picked. or
failed to collect bill upon which he relied to
meet the expense of his journey. Now it is
only by the exercise of considerable inoe |
nuity that any Of these stale devices can bc
made effective.
A pleasing young man, with an ini,nito.
bic address, calls upon me in some such
distress, and asks for a simple loan of ten
or twenty dollars to reach his home
" Now,' he adds, :" have been sufficiently
familiar with clergymen to know how liable
they are to be imposed upon bv such stories
as mlhe, and Tor this reason | would not
like to take the money without leaving in
your hands few books which | brought
with me as security for the loan" "Wbot
are the books p l inquired. He then
mentioned the titles of three or four 70.
hgious works of the highest character living
at the hotel i'll his trunk, such as only
very good man would be likely to read. and
the bait took. The youth kept his books
III he ever had them-obtained the loan.
and that was the last ever saw or heard
of him. This is a very ordinary specimen
OF the ingenious deceits by which the tribe
OF mendicant swindlers obtain living.
Cheating the Government by evadine
the payment of duties and taxes, by smup.
Cling, and buying goods known to bo
and various other modes of
fraud, is properly regarded as a somewhat
veniel crime. So far as the abstract moral.
lty OF the deed is concerned ! do not see
the difference between putting my hand
O NAAN INDAiS tCtSuIy anu taxing out q
hundred dollars that do not belong to me
and abstracting the same sum from my
neighbor's pocket. The arrangement of
certain branches of trade, as we'll as the
loss OF revenue occasioned by this evil, have
recently aroused public attention, and the
conviction of few conspicuous criminals
may tend to abate the fraud.
The rascalities of contractors have never
been exceeded or excelled in any former
generation. One fat job is fortune; and
an easier way to mako q fortune cannot be
conceived. Only get the papers signed,
secure the money, and under-let the work
at half-price, and the thing is done. How
the work will be done, and with what sort ,
OF materials, is another matter.
We pray" says the Newark Advertiser,
" the Churches-Christian Jew, Protestant,
Catholic-to keep their quarrols out of the
courts and newspapers" Would It not be
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