Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-09-01

S pickpockets; but
despite the precautions taken the cry, "Au
voleur! Au voleurl' stop thief is not at all
uncommon, and the desire to have thlef
stopped is not always expressed IN French.
Oh, no. Germans, Americans, Engishmen,
in fact people of all nationalities, are marked
for victims by the Gallo Artfui Dodgers,
who show no sort of race prejudice Whle
plying their trade.
Wherever a crowd is, there also are the
pickpockets and there also are the police.
An amusing story is told Of the experience
of a young American girl. Her father Is a
well known resident of Chicago, who has
made an immense fortune in the pork line.
The young woman is of an adventurous
disposition and decided that she never could
be perfectly happy until she had PAID vlslU
10 the exposition alone and unattended. In
order TO bring about the desired result she
zesorted to a little strategy One day she
announced that her party was paying alto
gether too much attention TO the exposition
and too little to she other wonders OF the
French capital In order TO eqUalize matters,
she proposed that the next day should be de-
voted to visit to the wonderful sewers of
Paris, about which so much has been printed.
the others assented TO her plan, and on the
next morning were full of the days project.
Shortly after breakfast the young lady an
72ounced llnuch to the CONSERVATION of the
Young male members of the party that she
had raging headache and would be unable
TO make the trip.
The Others protested that there would be
no enjoyment without her, and unanimously
decided to postpone the excursion. But she
wouldn't permit that Why dear me, if they
should stay at the hotel all day on her ac-
count she would feel 50 badly that she would
cry her eyes out and make her headache
worse. So at last they went. Whereupon
the sly miss washed the camphor off her face,
removed the bandage from about her tenn
pies and started for the exposition with
well filed purse and alone.
All went merrily until she elbowed her
way into a crowd standing about one Of the
exhibits of flowers When she backed out of
the crowd she saw a particularly pretty sou
venir, and felt in her pocket for her purse.
Horrorsi it was gone.
1t took a second or two for her to realize
her situation. Then she stood there with
trembling lip and rapidly filing eyes, getting
ready to cry. She thought better of it,
though, and screamed-just once. Then she
gave words to the thought that was boiling
in her brain
s'AIy pocket has been picked and haven't
cent to pay for cab to the hotel" said she.
The bystanders looked at her with polite
surprise They probably thought she was an
adventures and was trying to work on their
sympathy-those of them who understood
her English They gazed moment and
turned away. There are so many interest
ING things at the big show that even pretty
= Ill, +y.a,-
All at once young man stepped forward
and with a bow-a real Frenchman's bow
said in a charming mixture of French and
English:
"Pardonnez moi, mile, but is it that you
have lose your poorse? You VIII permit me
to fer the time relieve re Inconvenience, sill
vous plait."
She notioned him back, but he advanced
and drew "A crisp French bank note out of a
well filed pocketbook, and pressing 1t into
her hand vanished in the crowd.
He had taken the money from her own
purse. She had recognized it at a glance.
OF course he was the thief, but be was very
polite thief.
That night. after she had gone to bed, she
related the adventure to her girl chum (who
had explored the Paris sewers while she was
of alone at the exposition, getting her
pocket picked, and as they nestled up to go
10 sleep she whispered:
And, Oh, Nelll he was so handsome"
The police arrangements for the arrest of
picl5pockets are as nearly perfect as possible.
A special detective force has been organized
70 look after tbeT1
The French system of identifying prisoners,
together with the prompt and severe punish
unent meted out to them. has struck terror
into the ranks of professional piokpockets.
One of the first things done when the French
police arrest any one is to measure him and
see if be is not in their books already. The
rneaSl,rament and Identification department