The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-06-21

plOyeeS are at their meals, and While one
of them engages in business converse
ton with the remaining teller or clerk,
the other jumps a rear counter and
makes off with liberal supply of the
money which American banks delight to
stack up on open desks to dazzle customs
ers. They are the same class who do
some of the finer burglaries of dwell
ing-houses, sometimes gaining an en-
trance and view of the premises by
some business pretext, which enables
him to locate the places to be visitedf for
valuables in night-visit and some
times taking the chances and entering
an upper story by means of a balcony
at an hour when the inmates are at sup
per below. A very large business of
this latter kind is carried on through the
country, and the operators are seldom
caught. The same class occasionally |
stoop to the s'hall racket, (which consists |
of trying front doors in residence dis
tricts at an early hour of the evening,
and, in case any are found unlocked, of |
stripping the hat-rack of hats, coats
and umbrellas. At times these opera
tors pick up some shrewd and
HANDSOME WOMAN
who has the tact to carry out a trick
which has often been successfully prac
ticed on large jewellers. The woman
goes to the jewelry-store, examines a
stock of fine jewels, makes liberal selec
tions and orders them sent to her hotel
room, G.. 0. d. The messenger who
takes them to the hotel is so accommo-
| dating as to permit the jewels to be
taken to an adjoining room of the suite,
to be shown to the lady's friend, and
after half an hours waiting he realizes
that the jewels and lady are non est. Or,
the man orders a stock to be sent to his
wife that she may make her selec-
tions, and the messenger who takes
them is found some hours later tied up
in the room where the wife was to be,
with his valuables all gone. This line of
business, as has been stated, requires
high order of ability. The operator
must have good address, must be a
good conversationalist, well posted on
current events, and possessed of excel
lent Judgment as to whom to victimize
and when to abandon a dangerous pro-
iect They are always dressed in the
height of fashion, and so long as their
money holds out they always stop at
first-class hotels. Although their oper
ations are necessarily very bold, it is
very seldom that they are caught.
PICK-POCKETs
are a class next In the order of respect
ability. As rule they do not venture
into other lines of thieving except when
tempted by exceptionally good oppor-
tunities. In these operators address or
polish is not necessary, and some of the
shrewdest pickpockets of the country
are men of rough exterior. Dexterity in
the use of the fingers, a quick eye and a
good Judgment as to where a haul can
be made with the least danger of discov-
erv, are the requisites of successful
pick-pocket They operate almost ex-
clusively in crowds, especially in door
ways passage-ways where throngs are
very dense, and where a hand in ones
pocket is not noticed as readily as under
other circumstances. Comfortable, easy
going people, and especially old ladies,
are the preferred victims in miscel-
laneous crowd. Prize-fghts, however,
are the pick-pockets' harvest, and it is
a common thing in crowd who are or
, their way to these soirees to see pocket.
/ books fly into the air from the hands o1
|, some adroit fellow who has abstracted
the cash, and who desires to rid himself
of that which may lead to the indentifi
cation of the stolen money. If eau
tious individual in a crowd of this de
5 scription attempt to protect his proper
5 ty by holding his hands in his pocket:
: there are several schemes for overcom
| ing that obstacle. A crowd of crooks
: will gather round him and begin tt
: surge, and presently the victim finds him
, self lifted
:. CLEAR OFF HIS FEET,
1 with strange hand under each arm
e which lifts his hands clear out of hi
4 pockets When he gets back to terri
S frnaa his pocket-book is missing. A
a recent prize-fight very amusing oc
currence of this kind took place.
!, cattle-dealer, of very quiet, self-possess
!, ed demeanor, was walking through tn
e train which was carrying the crowd t.
the fight, with his hands slowed dec
S into his pockets. Reaching the middl
: of the car, he was surrounded and g lift
S ed'' by a crowd of jovial fellows, wh
e shot him along clear to the end of tn
J, car, but seemed to be disappointed
/ When the quiet individual got to tn
S door of the car, he turned arouud, held
: roll of greenbacks aloft, and yelle
it ssYou -, I've got it yet!'' The
s. had succeeded in getting his hands OF
o of his pockets, but he had kept the wa
= OF money in his grasp, and the search {
his pockets was a waterhaul. Th
r crooks were a sadly disappointed lo
e Another scheme for getting mems hand
" | out of their nnckets is known as th