The sun., 1890-01-05
THE WARS OF PICKPoCKETS
A Veteran BOSTON Detective Tells How
They Ply Their Trade.

A Veteran Roston Detective Tells How
They Ply Their Trade.
From tie Boston Transcript
Women are the most successful pick
II was Police Inspector Knox who said 1t
and he knows. Nobody In town wou ID dispute
this line OF detective service He uses almost
a ms entire h time In walohing Tor pickloGke;ts
teresins at this season. n.t as tSe Sodays are
coming the time when criminals OF this sort
are specially Troublesome.
| Said the Inspector. In explanation OF the
somewhat surprising statement quoted above,
The female professional pckpockets always
women Of to-day are given to carving their
' Encketbooks and watches in exposed places.
hs ,hsvef H are ss Sp to be
portant Of all. for the reason that in the wide
/ range Of style OF womenb wraps nowadays
Of amy sort. which seems to be care.
hand while It eels ior the location Of a pockot
and then makes it's way % the pocket opening
where the t.p OF the lining is seized e. by the fin:
turned inside out and the, contents drop into
this work are never inserted deep into the
pocket They lust catch the lining Of the upper
eSse s trick Il dGae IN IN e9wd
, object whore tough Of strqnger's hand or
even rough lost.ing iteelf is not Needed"
ueneruy a pickpocket has confederate
Then IT, as sometimes happens the loss Of a
pocketl ook Is Immediately discovered. the real
crate. can be as sympathetic as anybody ana,
II suspicion makes 1t absolutely necessary.
can submit to an examination with the same
confidence in the result that might be ielt by
the most inn' cent person present. II is the
wrap however. that gives the female pickpock-
thieves Of tho other sex. and the latter try to
overcome this by using an overcoat. II the
weather Is not SO cold that an oyercoat carried
duster in summer. Sometimes the men makea
newspaper answer the purpose. II the male
pickpockets are not the more success ul they
are at least the mote adroit and audacious.
They have to be so. for they don't c"ntine
try to take money from mems pockets as close
fitting clothes make The risk "f detection too
great; but they find II an easy matter to steal.
This is done while the victim. with unbuttoned
coat ami expanded watch chain. stands in a
from the pocket with one hand. while with the
other he Erasps the chnln nt the lower end.
Sd9 GncS d ek with 6Sth 6nas ia bs IN onn0se
ing link between the cha In and the watch be-
comes separated from the watch stem. The
walch Is then in the hands Of the thief while
the cha and ring are dangling down the front
OF the victims wnistcoat.
own watch to see how easily 1t may be done.
I1ckpockets do these things In crowds but
they nd % d
selves. They do this generally on railroad
trains, where The general hustle and hustle
man in their clutches. As the victim is about
to enter the. car he is brought face to face with
squeeze together In Il doorwa. and two other
men. both in a hurry ascend the platform
and al try to get Into the sa same car Three Of
quickly robbed Of his watch, and .rerhups q
IL well known to the police. but policemen do
not travel on every train.
It is for the reason that crowds are constantly
congreRating before the windows of large
that RnGE detailed to
crowd in that vicinity Knox is surely standing
In some doorway from which he can view the
does not watch hands: he watches aces. Not
that he recognizes the face OF every pick
R%S6s1 0s he knSTs that If pavnS
attention to the, window scene or other
astraStl9n Az but is occupied IL viewing wi
she is. nine times out OF ten pckpocket. The
suspicion may be strengthened hy the ne vous
turns kis head. rresumaby re to % ascertain il he
is watched The Inspector still DAYS no atten-
tion 10 the hands. tie walls patLently ~ rhe |
tor is really a pickpocket he will walk quickly |
along; turn into side street. where. In door:
there be no confe .erate will take out the stolen
pocke' books and examine Them While he is
enEuEeQ the lnSpe' t0r inter eFcS.
" Pick pnckets." said Inspector Knox. are OF |
all ages. I've arrested during my twenty-three
years Of service as police officer in uniform
and citizens dress, 5000 persons. and at least
] 900 we're pick pockets. The Oldest ric ckpocket
| know is mn EngliNhman named Richard
Busby. who Ia now serving n sentence OF seven
years in the State prison at Charlestown. He
Is 10 years old. arrested him about year
ago. and when saw him pics pockets on Wash
lnRton street at that time thought II was his
ghost. as had understood that he was dead.
Piekpockets never wear gloves and seldom
work In tho street during cold weather. for the
cold numbs their fingers" lnsuector Knox
gave this eatalogueo OF "donts" Tor the benefit
of holiday shoi perR:
Don't carry pock etbook in your hand.
Don't carry n pocket hook in O loose pocket
which hangs away from the person.
Don't lny your handbag containing your
oocketbook on the counter OF o store while YOU
Walk aero 8 the room to examine goods.
Don't wear watch in an outside pocket.
Don't wear rhatelRine watches.
Don't Judge strangers by their dress.
Don't 8 and long in tho same spot in crowd.
Don't go into crowd with your outer coat
lnbuttoned.
Don't carry valuabes In your outer coat
Don't make display Of your JewelrY.
Don't carry money In the pocket on the right
landed side of your + ousers; pickpockets ex-
,ect to find money there.
DON'T forget that you are just as likely as
nybody else to be victim OF pickpockets.