The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-07-23


Modern Thieves.
The days when border moss-troopers
made raids on the well-stocked farm.
yards Of Northumberland. or when
Highland caterans swooped down from
Rob Roy's country to levy "black mali
or "toom fauld" in the Lennox or IN
the Carse of Stirling and departed
leaving burning byres or weeping
widows behind, are forever gone. Gone,
too, are those later days when bold
highwaymen OF the Dick Turpin type
ali we'll mounted and equipped. il we
are to credit the legends that have come
down to us-stopped the mail-coach or
the travelling post-chaise, aud made the
terrified passengers hand over their
valuables. A large number OF thieves
are merely skirmishers or auxiliaries,
as il were. on the TANKS of the regular
army. These auxiliaries do not live
wholly by crime, but have some osten-
sible occupation which they follow. A
thief we'll known in Dundee does the
'pigeon" trick. His method is to look
out for an open window. ring the bell,
and say that pigeon has just flown
away from him on the street and Hut
tered in at the window. Would they
kindly search for it or permit him to do
SOY Once in, ten TO one but the clever
thief manages to commit theft before
he goes out lamenting the loss OF his
bird, which, ofcourse, cannot be found.
A decrepit youth used to go about the
city in which the writer lives. The
lads legs were useless, so he had fiat
boards fastened with straps below his
knees and. assisted by short crutches,
he crept along the pavement. He was
a dexterous thief. If lady stopped to
look in at shop-window he could just
reach her handbag or pocket, and If she
was unwary she was minus her purse
in few seconds, while the insignii-
cant appearance of the thief disarmed
suspicion. Stolen property is often
slowed away in very curious hiding
places. A lame man was convicted at
Leeds assizes last year of passing base
coin. When unprecedented it was found
he had receptacle in his wooden leg,
in which a considerable stock Of the
+, bad money was cunningly secreted,
Two detectives were once searching
the house of a well-known thief for
some stolen jewelry. The scent was
keen and the examination searching.
High and low they rummaged, but
without success. From the air OF the
thief the officers were satisfied the
stolen property was concealed in or
about the room. One of them observed
that the interest OF the suspect" got
always most intense as they approached
the window. Taking this as his cue,
the officer narrowly examined the shut
tiers, and even torn of the straps that
kept in the window sashes, but without
result. Suddenly thought struck
him, and lifting the lower sash, he
scanned the outside OF the wall closely.
About three feet below the window
sill he saw q stone in the wall that ap-
peared to be loose. Calling his COM
!rade to hold him by the legs he reached
down, pulled out small square stone,
thrust in his hand. and found nice
little hide" containing not only the
articles he was in search OF, but also
other stolen property sufficient to con-
meet the thief with several ''jobs," and
to procure him long term of quiet
contemplation. \ smart female thief
once very nearly out witted an officer by
wrapping crumpled and dirty f5 note
around candle, and stutfing it into a
candiestick. which she then obligingly
handed to him. He searched a con-
siderable time before discovering that he
had the object of his search in his hand
One morning a merchant who had
come by rail fl I'M his country residence
was .hurrying along the street to his
counting house III a pouring rain. He
had forgotten his umbrella but spying
as he thought, friend with large one
little before him. he fastened up, and
seizing the handle of the umbrell
jocularly remarked: Hello? is this
mine you've got?' He had JUS. had
time TO observe that the man was q
complete stranger to him, and wa:
about to apologize, in some embar'
rassment, when the unknown saved hin
the trouble, by saving cooily: ooh
its yours, is IL? Pardon me; 1 did not
know" And he hurried off. leaving
the astonished merchant in full posses
sion.- Chambers Journal.