St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-06-30
THIEVES AT THE EXPOSITION.
Criminals Of All Nationalities
!. FIocking to Paris for a Rich

FlOckfng to Paris for a Rich
Harvest.
London Telegraph. Paris Letter.
Prince SOutzO, i'll returning from the
exposition, was pushed against rather
violently on the Solferino bridge by
three or four well-dressed men, who.
after having made hurried apologies,
disappeared. On arriving home the
prince found that his purse, containing
considerable sum of money in bank
notes, had been taken out of his breast
pocket. This was the first exploit
of the gang of international pickpockets
OF Swell-mObsmen by whom Paris is in
vaded at the present moment, and some
of whom are said occasionally to con-
duct their professional operations with
ochred faces and attired in magnificent
Oriental costumes. None OF these
sharperS have as yet been captured i'll
flagrante deIicto within the precincts of
the exhibition, but three Italians were
arrested on information received yes
terday, and in their possession were
found various articles which demon
strated their calling abundantly. One
of the men is notorious rascal, who
has made a name in his profession"
as skilful ripper OF pockets with
raZOrS.
M. Goron, the head of the detective
department, says that bands of pick
pockets have been specially organized
for the Paris exhibition both in London
and New York. These people give the
French detectives no end of trouble,
owing to the consummate skill, cool
ness and audicity with which they
work. Even when a detective thinks
that he is sure of his man and arrests
him, he finds nothing in the fellows
possession, for the plumber has been
adroitly ''passed" to co confederate.
Then the gentlemanly, or, as the case
may be, ladyllke. pickpocket reports
the detective at headquarters, and en-
deavors to set diplomatic or consular
machinery in motion. as was notorious
" the case about twelve months ago,
when great fuss was made over an
American woman Who had been ar
rested for pocket-picking.
M. Goron. however, has organized
his little plans as well as the cosmo-
7politan sharpers. He has had from the
London and New York police photo
graphs and full personal descriptions
and biographies of all the principal
British and American pickpockets.
These the French police officer has
bound in a book, which he facetiously
calls his ''breviary," and over which he
pores diurnally, just as a priest does
over his mathis, lauds, compline and
vespers. Furthermore, the astute NJ.
.Gdron has formed a special brigade des
pickpockets. which is composed of his
best pupils. whom he has instructed with
the aid of his ''breviary." Finally,
the Chef de la Surete has qualified HIM
self and some of his pupils for the task
before them by learning English, so
that Anglo-SaXon sharpers will have 70
be sextremely active and "wide awake
in order to carry on their operations in a
successful manner during the exhibit
ton. NJ. Goron and his members lray
be foiled frequently, but, OH the whole,
they have given proofs of remarkable
ability down to the present, and, with
their newly-acquired attachments, they
ought to prove a match for the most
formidable of the modern cut-purses
who are at present within the walls of
Paris.