New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-08-12
PICKpOCKETS.
,,r pporrssIoN AND IT'S LEADERS.

rHR RoGUEs' GALLERY.
Among the criminals who fill the penitentiaries
and prisons of this State many VINO hs"uaiy ean
their livelihood by the profession OF picking pockets Inc
form pickpocket includes not only those VINO cohhne
,r efforts TO picking pockets aud stealing sachels,
val,ns bags snd valises bat also graatons OF crnc
h anproach the higher degrees OF larceny from the
rson and highway robbery. The lower crime leads TO
Che higher and expert pickpoeket frequently develops
,ptn highway roeber and not seldom is graduated IN
stiI higher degrees of crime
Although at TIE present time many, and indeed the
ority Of tho professional New-York piekpockets are
ouf Of town. either Philadelphia sone of the sum
,per resorts enough remain to keep the police ana
detective forces constantly the watch ana often an
arrest OF who is well Known IS an babitua
criminal, and who has been prominent from
Tong career Of crime. The records OF tho police
authorities are full of such cases, and the Regues
Gallery contains the kenesscs Of many who have oy
their repeated arrests become well known 10 inc Objects
OF Justice Instances not rare IN when "h"ie
family from the oldest TO the youngest, IL eqauy ueeP
in crime the little having been systeinatly anu
thoroughly educated by their parents In the dheren'
branches of stealing beginning with the Simple picking
OF the pocket Of some uuwary person, ana many De-
coming able to com,nit the most daring burglary
Not nfrequenty this habiiul criminal LIE SO ph's 'ho
moral feelings that the youth who begins as newsooy
OF booblack and deity abstracts the change from us
customers pocket develops into the hardened man WHO
pauses nj nothing In the fument Of his desires aud
unhesitat1gly takes tie life OF felow-Deing II by 80
dong ne thinks his evil deeds will be more certain To e
cape detection. The of John Doan, the Noe muir
derer Is an instance OF this. lie was man compare
tvely Young was brought up thief, was the habit
tal associate OF thieves and abandoned women and
mover had any refining moral influence thrown ABOUT
him.
In the report made by the Assembly Committee on
Crime last Spring special reference Is made TO car peh
rockets Tie report says: another phase OF crime
which depends largely for its existence either upon the
eoanyance the utter inefcicncy OF the poce lofce IS
horsccar robbery. Eight or ten men, always the same
with whose names the officers are thoroughly fanar
embark on the and hustle passengers about the plat
firm rob them with the utmost ease making scarcely
any coneeanent IN the matter and If the conductor re-
s,st or even passenger, they avail themselves OF
tbe first opportunity knock him on the head And one
az the conductors testcs that the detective at the GER
Inaon Of the ne placed there for the purpose OF pro
tccins passenSers seen by him IN amicable con
,rs,t,u with some OF the thieves" This is severe
indictment OF the detective force, and present investiGa-
tos IL is asserted prove shat it is hardly deserved In
all crowded places pickpOckets abound ana are most
and Of course. this is true Of streecars es-
paly those extensively par0niZed as the Thiru ave
ne and Fourth Avenue lines but It stated that the
number OF robberes committed by pickpOckets on these
lines has greatly diminished in the last year or two AT
the present time there not generally more than
two complaints week of thefs ON the street-cars'
waon complaint is made is usually Tor the robbery OF
men VINO were somewhat under the influence OF liquor
Mr. Phelps the President Of the Third Avenue road In
response to application for passes for the de-
tocives gave them willingly saying that the detectives
were doing their duty, and that the road was COMPARE
lively free from pckpockets Every time that trala
arrives az the Grand Central Depot detective or police
officer gets on the and rides down with it, If 1t
be at all crowded only in crowd that pckpoek-
cts can successfully ply their trade. The same thng Is
done ON the arrivals OF trains II Jersey City and on the
forry-boats of the Hudson River
HABITS AND TRAINING.
Pickpockcs do not frequently travel In gangs now
as in former years With the exception OF the Oil and
wckhown professionals most of this class OF thieFmg
Is done by young OF 1G IS years, who rob men
whom they fad intoxicated of the money or valuable
articles they may happen have about them. 1t OFTEN
happens that man has been robbed while in COM
pany with an abandoned woman, been pundered by
panel thief tells his friends that lac robbed by pick
pocket. and so reports the case TO the POI
lice. Thus many losses are laid to pick
pockets, the blame for which they do not deserve
Ii il difficult keep track of the residences OF pro-
fessioral pckpockets they change them very often,
aud also give different lame every tine they are ar
rested that they best known by their aliases The
police endeayor have all known professional thieves
constantly under surveillance. but the task is off
Gult one In addition TO changing constantly
their places Of abode, they are in and ont OF the
CITY Several saloons and localities have, however,
become notorious fayOrfte haunts OF pick
pockets. The Summit House, at Canal-sh and the
B3wery is continually resorted 70 by TINS class OF tic'ts
saloon nj Fourth-st and the BOwery. kept by one
Reilly and lager beer saloon on the southwest corner
OF Houston Merccrsts also noted places OF re-
sort for pcEpockcts saloon in GraDdSt., known as
tie Bugle" was for q iime iayOrite meeting place.
few years ago there several schools for teaching
stealing. which newsboys and bOOkbacks were ree
larry taught Ick pockets and they grew older they
were instructed in higher grades Of crime These
now however all broken up and IT is believed that not
Que such school is open in New-York One Of the
mos; noted schools used TO be in East Four
teenth-st II was low grocery store with bal In the
rear. This was kept by professional thief who made
business teaching young boys and girls the trade OF
picking pockets AAOther such school was kept In Bax
tcr-st.. both broken up year two agO by
- the police. Nest OF the pickp0ckets come from |
among newsboys and bOotback, who learn the bust
n,ss IN the cold months when oyercOats with
pockets for small change the outside. newsboy |
when Offering to sell paper, and while holding It up
before bis customers face, skuly abstracts from the
ehangcpoeket in his oyereOat all that may be there.
Great dexterty is sometimes acquired in this manner
One of the detectives suggests remedy for This that
these changepockets be the inside OF the coat
SOME OF THE PROMINENT THIEVES.
Several OF the Central Office detectives have gained
special reputation experts in detecting and orTestiug
piekpockets Among these are Detectives King Ferris.
Thompson Titus La Rue Won Gerichten, Thomas, Reilly,
ana Williamson. PERHAPS the most successful OF These
has been James p Thompson, who in long career OF
detective work has arrested and sent To prison ct least
which pasted the records Of s exploits OF this ma
tur, and ~ this book may be found the names OF many
o the most notorious pickpOckes in the profession one
OF Ibomp,on's best arrests that or plckpoeket
named James Aeny On the day previous to the arrest
The detective Heany strike his hand careeSSy on the
side OF ldys dress the pocket should be- 70 feel
there was anything ait This waA While he was leaving
Jersey City fer-y-bOst Apparently IN re was nothing
in the pocet Meany did not attempt 70 steal the
81 be alch IN foVyar fbs m