St. Paul daily globe., 1890-12-19
Continental Piekpockets Rec
ognize the Superior Lon
don Method.
How the Pocket Thieves of
Paris Work to Accomplish
a Steal.
Methods Adopted by Experts
Examples Of Their Great
Success.


with crowds as during August and Sep
sember. 1t is then that large exodus
of the light-fngered brigade occurs.
These gentry depart in great numbers
for the more profitable hunting grounds
of seaside and inland watering places,
for foreign race courses and all the re-
sorts where travellers of all nations are
wont to cOngregate. Paris being a
favorite rendezvous for provineials and
strangers about this season, 6,OOO or
1000 British pickpockets, it has been
estimated, find their way Increasingly
or III groups. They are recognized by
the police as more expertand dangerous
than those of any other nationality.
They are of both sexes and all ages;
as frequently as not woman is one of
the trio that almost invariably unites to
carry on operations, the ''nipper," the
''blind" and the receiver Pick
pockets dislike working alone. the dam
ger of being caught is so much greater.
As a rule the ''blind" jostles the in
tended victim, the ''nipper" avails him
self of his discontinue or wrath to ex-
tract watch, purse or jewels, which he
promptly drops into the hand of the
receiver" respectable well-dreSSed,
careless spectator of the incident, who
walks off leisurely and unSuspected
with the ''Swag," while his more sus-
piciousIy clad accomplice draws upon
himself the attention of the police, and
even challenges IL, in the security of
having nothing compromising on his
person.
In certain cases, where the booty is
important, the ''nipper'' has been
known to assume the appearance of
frightened guilt to give his pals better
chance and more time to get away. The
tipSy man who reels into all omnibus
and has words with the conductor;
the stout woman, evidently from the
country, who suddenly discovers that
she is in the wrong carriage, clamors to
be let down, appealing to her fellow
passengers against the iniquity of being
made to pay her fare; the foreigner
who eXcitedly begins story in broken
English, are accompliceS of the super
clliouS lady and clerical gentleman,
who, objecting to the unseemiy disturb
ance, request to be let down; not, how
ever, before they have successfully
avalled themselves of the cOmmotiOn to
explore the pockets of their neighborS
while their attention was diverted.
Since tallors have made mems pockets
less loose, and dresSmakerS hidden
those of women in clinging folds, the
'nipper" has had to alter his style. He
can no longer insert his whole palm
through the narrow aperture, SO he
artificially elOngateS, with delicate pin
GERS, the two fingers which alone can be
thrust in and the rifiing process is the
same. Those who have never been able
to acquire the requisite suppleness of
manipulation, or whose hands are nat
urally coarse and broad. cut the pocket
bodily away or use an ingenious little
appliance constructed as follows: TO
one central slender cord are fastened
four strings, ending in loaded balls
coated with glue or cobbler's
the pocket; any thing it con-
tainS adhereS to the balls and can be
dragged out with them by pulling the
main chord. If the thief notices any
obstruction, or the lining is likely to
come out also, he cuts the cord with a
sharp knife and walks off, leaving the
balls behind him. However, he rarely
resorts to this extremity and is ashamed
of himself when he does.
Crowds are an essential to pickpock-
cts. This is why they haunt railway
stations, landing stages at the busy
hours, music halls, the waiting halls of
important banks, which they call
''melOn frames" 1t is we'll known that
no mail boat leaves Calais or Dover
without carrying several pickpockets,
and that hardly ever is a crossing eff
fccted during which some passenger is
not robbed; yet it is only at great In
tervals that detectives constantly on
the watch have been able to take thief
red-handed.
When there are no crowds the pick
pockets create one, and have little trou-
BILE in so doing. One pickpocket was
famous for the realism with which he
acted an epileptic fit, anu rolled foam
ing on the sidewalk. but the inqusitive
or charitable passer-by who stopped to
assist or see him assisted paid dearly
for their benevolence OF curiosity.
Other pickpocketS quarrel, call on the
spectators to make ring and see fair
play; the sham boxing begins, until at
a certain preconcerted signal, telling
them that the game is played, they
suddenly become reconciled, shake
hands and go OH their separate ways.
About a century ago Paris had only
about fifty pickpockets; now the police
reports show that their number has
reached 1000 in the metropolis alone,
and about 10000 i'll the rest of France.
These figures are nearly doubled at
times of reviews, races, popular feteS
and exhibitions by recruits from
abroad. But singularly enough, they
come from or have been trained in Great
Britain. England is the cradle and hot
bed of pickpockets. 1t is profession
as firmly established as carpentering or
brlcklaying; 1t has its apprentices,
graduates, professors, experts and com
mereial agents. Novices are taught to
recognize Frenchman from native,
a Russian from German, a South
American from an Italian; they are
made acquainted with the slight but all
important differences in each national
ity in the cut of the clothes, the place
of the pockets, the mode of CARVING
Jewelry, watches, purses or loose cash.
When the pupils are supposed to have
prohted sufficiently by their education
they are dispatched at Christmas time
to a certain suburb of London, where
they are farmed out. The agent. who
has come to select a tito, puts them
through their PAGES, and if they acquit
themselves creditably he engages them,
gives them clothes, board and special
instructions, and takes them abroad to
ply their trade under his management.
AS soon, however, as their personality
has become inconvenientIy familiar to
the police of the locality, they are re-
turned and exchanged for fresh set,
under the same conditions.
The community numbers 100000 in
London, including women and children.
Their headquarters are in the obscure
purlieus of st. Giles, WhitechapeI. the
Min0ries and the low-lying wharyes of
the Thames. 1t is there that they hold
their meetings, organize their detach-
ments, deliberate on future movements,
have their savings banks and clubs and
settle on the way of assisting those of