St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1880-05-29
Some Of the Exploits Of Famous Crimi-
mails,

- IL Is mistake TO suppose that Euro
pean criminals are superior to ours in
adroitnesS and boldncss. Our bank burg
lars are ahead of their English rivals,
and s. in almost every other branch Of
criminality. Some novel things done on
the other side Of the water have given
rise to the notion in some peoples minds
that the European criminals have more
originality than ours. One of their queer
est and most novel tricks was the clock
work dodge for burglary. That was
operated in Belgium, and. believe, in
Paris. jewelers. were the victims. A
man would go into a jewelers. store. buy
some expensive things, pay for them, and
take them away. He would return the
to trust them to the keeping of his serv-
ants, would ask permission to leave
them temporarily in their box in the jew
cler's safe. That being accorded, he
would return third time, make more
purchases, put them also in the box and
take out some article. In doing so he
would set in motion concealed clock
work in the box, which, at given hour
of the night. would strike a hammer
upon cap, fire mass of dynamite in the
box and with the explosion rend the safe.
Of course the burglars would have their
preparations made to be on hand when
that occurred. That was ingenious in
its way, but requiring infinitely less skill
and address in etfecting than hundreds
of devices our rascals have employed, and
could never be played on our Yankee
jewellers. The French have been said to
be ahead of US in skill in obtaining goods
and money by false pretences, but where
does the world afford such a brilliant
record of achievements in that line as is
set forth in the history of New York saw
ings banks?
"COntidence men must have polish
ed demeanor and an address capable of
impressing their intended victims, ready
adaptability in taking advantage of OPP
portunities, aud ingenuity in striking out
novel fields for their peculiar enterprises.
They may, and frequently do. become
forgers or counterfeiters, but hardly ever
burglars. 1t is not because they lack the
requisite of courage, but because craft is
more esteemed by them than force. But,
talk about nerve there can hardly be a
'nervier' thing than walking into a
bank in the open day, laying down a
forged check and demanding the money
for it, knowing how keenly the bank is
protected and how sure and severe the
punishment Of being caught will be. In
fact, there is not one of the principal
walks Of crime that does not require a
great deal Of cool courage
"When you speak Of the principal
walks of crime, you suggest the idea of
q classification of criminals by their re-
spective methods. How far is that pos
sible?''
mot at all, with any accuracy or to
any considerable extent. In general
way you may say they are burglars, for
gers, counterfeiters, confidence men,
hotel thieves, pickpockets, sneak thieves,
general thieves, and so on; but the sub
divisions Of those classes would be al
most as numerous as the persons en-
ployed in them. Take hotel thieves, for
instance. There are those who work in
the morning only, others who work at
night, others who do nothing except in
the afternoons, and then each of these
sub divisions have other distinguishing |
peculiarities in their methods of pro-
cedure. The hotel thief sometimes |
takes desperate chances. There was 10
Butts, one of the boldest of them, who is
doing time now in Boston. He is thin,
fine-looking fellow, six feet and two
inches tall, with very long arms and
legs. In 1866 or 1867 he robbed, in one
night, twelve rooms on the sixth floor of |
the st. Nicholas Hotel, by passing from
one window to another, on the front of |
the house, at that giddy height. Usual
ly he operated by going through tran
SONS, but that was not practicable there.
In the last room he entered a lady was
in bed, but wide awake, and she asked
him what business he had there. He did |
not wait to explain, but just stepped out |
on the window ledge, and SO back, on
the route he came, to the room whence
he started, which was occupied by an
accomplice, and before the lady could
summon call boy, and he could call a
clerk, the thief was far away. The hotel
thief must be always ready, and have |
his wits fully about him for any unex-
pected emergency.
"In Congress Hall, Saratoga, few
summers ago a hotel thief slipped into a
room in the early morning, just after he
had seen an old gentleman 60 out of the
door of the room and down the corridor.
While the thief was gatheing in the I'M
considered trifes on the bureau, the old |
gentleman's son, who was in bed in the
room, awoke and demanded what he
was doing. The fellow had been watch
ing him in the mirror and saw his eyes
open; SO when the young man looked up
the thief was quietly arranging his neck
tie at the mirror with an air Of easy I'M
concern. Turning with apparent sur
prise, he exclaimed: why, good heav
ems! have got into the wrong room.
had just been out, leaving my chum in
bed, and came back to arrange my col
lar, and here have stupidity Numbered
into another persons room. Ibeg your
pardon; | thought you were Charley.
Excuse me; I'm very sorry-I-.' and,
having bowed himself to the door while
speaking, he vanished. And when the
young man got up he found that his dia-
mond studs and watch had also vanished.
Later in the day the thief was captured
at another hotel. That was Jim STAN
ley, a well-known one of his class. Not
unfrequently those hotel thieves show a
great deal Of inranuitv in 6ettinp into