The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-01-07
PROFESSIONAL PILFERERS.
INTERESTING FACTS CONCERNING
CROOKED" PEOPLE.
Men and Women Who Wake q Living
by RObbery-Thcir Peculiar Meth
Ods Of Operations

Men and Women Who Make a Living
by RObbery-Thcir Peculiar Meth
DDS Of Operations
In 1.-THE course of a reporters converse
ton with a Buffalo On. " detective the
latter said: IT,.
Women generally follow the business
of shop lifting. A professional has no
regular abiding place, unless, indeed,
she retires from business, and some Of
them do retire on ample fortunes"
elbow do they operate9"
"a woman or may be two will arrive
in q city from-no matter where. They
put up at some fashionable private board
ing house, dress in the fashion and 60
shopping nearly every day. Their stay
in the city is governed by the length
| of time it takes to fill their trunks. They
never come home from a shopping expe-
dition without a good haul. Now, you
wonder how they manage to take the
goods unobserved. In the first place
they are as quick as. lightning, almost,
and no movement of the clerk escapes
their eyes. The latter, as a rule, is en-
tirely unsuspicious of his richly attired
customers. and waits on them with the
utmost respect, while whole webs of silk
and yards of lace are being stolen right
before his eyes,"
But how do they manage to conceal
so much :"
easily enough. Under their rich
and costly silk dresses are thick, heavy
skirts, in which are huge bags or pockets.
| Cleverly concealed Sits in the dresses
| communicate with these pockets, and
the goods 60 in with the utmost ease.
Generally n does the stealing while
the other engages the clerks atten.
ton"
"How do they dispose of the plum,
der 2"
ooh, they deal with the fences with
whom they have made a previous agree
mcnt, and they fill their orders just the
same as any well-regulated business con-
Germ, only they have a larger margin to
work on than regular business people:
The fence generally keeps a store, and
the women have their trunks taken there
and unpacked. This is the reason ped
oilers can sometimes undersell store-keep-
crs. They get the goods cheap, and can
afford to sell cheap"
do men ever practice shop lifting 2"
"Very rarely, You see a man has NO
chance to conceal the goods. The male
rogues prefer some other business, such
as till.tapping, Showing the queer or
better still, exploring the vaults of some
rich banker. The old method of enter
ing o house through the scuttle is not
practiced now as much as formerly"
"What means are commonly employed
in effecting en- c%ntrance?"
"Skeleton keys are mostly used.
Sometimes a man gains access to q house
during the day and at night lets in an
accomplish. Together they noiselessly
do the house. In the morning the in
mates find their treasures gone, and the
papers chronicle another mysterious
robbery"
Glow do bank robbers manage to
open safes which are secured with com
bination locks!"
"They don't undertake to unlock
the Safes, They simply blow them open.
There is another way of getting money
out of the bank, however, which is more
popular and not attended with so great
risk"
"Wha is it,"
"a man dressed in an office coat and
skull cap stands in the hall leading to
some large banking establishment. A
lady enters and draws 5000 or perhaps
$500. As a RULE she will place the money
in her bank book, if it is in bills. She
is just about to enter her carriage when
she is touched on the shoulder. She
turns and 10, our friend of the skull
cap stands before her. 'Exuse me,
madam he says, but the clerk has
made q mistake, and begs that you will
return the book a moment. She hands
him the book and money. He disappears
in the bank, and is seen no more. The
lady waits until tired, visits the bank
and finds she has been swindled. The
clever operator simply passed through
the bank and out of another door, wdere
an accomplish waited with coat and hat.
In q moment they we're lost sight of i'll
the throng. In nine cases out of ten
money stolen in this manner is never re.
covered. 1t is an old game but people
are slow in learning It,"