The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-05-19
DIAMOND Thieves
Some Of the Clever Devices by which They
Ply Their Trade.

SEINE Of tho Clever Devices by which Thcy
Ply Their Trade.
The thieves, both male and female,
who are frequently OF good appearance,
hang about the jewelers. store until
they see some respectable person enter,
and then go In with them. They usr-
ally say that some friends advised them
to come to that store to look ats rtic-
ular line Of goods, and they cot ,honI'
AJAX for some standard article. The Il
they can get some young and in xpe.
rienced clerk to wait on them--W 4 tliev
always try to get served by a salesman
of that kind-the chances are. TINT thew
buy. Sometimes they buy nothing. but
usually they make some vnall purchase
40 as to cover up their echeme more eff.
fectually. The UMBRELLA trick was n
very successful device OF the thieves a
few years ago, but is now pretty we'll
known to the trade, and Is therefore but
little practiced at present. Before its
secret was known, we'll dressed thief
in his hand, closed but not rolled up
he was usually accompanied by one or
two confederates. Seating themselves
by the counter, they would ask to be
shown q variety OF certain goods, and
in passing the articles from one to an
other the principal would delterously
drop one now and then within the
loose folds Of his umbrella. When
a number Of chains, rings, or bracelets
had thus been stored away, the man
with the now valuable umbrella would
suddenly remember an engagement, and
bid good-by to his companions, who
would cover his retreat by buying some
trifing ornament.
Some years ago a clever rogue was
successful in rubbius several diamUna
merchants in this city Of costly gems,
having equipped himself by smearing
o little wax on the end OF his nose and
providing number Of handkerchiefs in
his pockets. He was further prepared
by wearing spectacles, and appeared to
be very nesrsighted. When package
Of unset diamonds we're shown to him
at his request, he would take 1t to the
window and hold it very close to his
face. simultaneously he would bring
the end of his nose against diamond
and make use Of handkerchief to re-
move and conceal the stone which adj
hered to the wax. By affecting to have
q very bad cold, and always using diff
ferent handkerchief, he was able to alb
strnct q number of diamonds from the
same package. His last operation Of
this sort had an unsuccessful ending
through his mistake in taking out o
handkerchief which he had used al
ready. A diamond fell from it and
rolled upon the f,or. Hoping that
this was unnoticed, but not daring to
remain, he hastil excused himself and
went to the door. but found it securely
fastened. One of tho firm OF diamond
dealers, by pressing an electric button
under his table, had shot bolt ct the
entrance, and when the thief turned
around revolver was pointed at his
head. He was searched and q number
Of diamonds were found in the handker-
chiefs distributed through his clothing.
His arrest followed, and he was sent to
state prison. After this q man with Q
cane executed theft very neatly in Q
New York diamond house. Pointing
over the counter with his cane at an
open package OF unmounted stones, and
asking to be shown q certain one, he
lightly touch gem with the end Of his
stick, which. had been dipped in some
glutinous cement. A diam ond worth
5000 adhered to the tip, and the thief
got away undetected. Some time after
ward he was caught while attempting
the same trick in Pb;ladelphis, and was
identified by his New York victim.