Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-03
EXPERT PICKPOCKETS.
LONDON SEEMS TO BE THE TRAIN
/ ING SCHOOL FOR THEM.

Has a Pretty Large Crowd of Them
Also-They Belong to Clubs and Have
Savings Banks of Their Own.
About century ago Paris had only
about fifty pickpockets, now the police
reports show that their number has
reached four thousand in the metropolis
alone, and about ten thousand in the
rest of France. These figures are nearly
doubled at times of reviews, races
popular fetes, and exhibitions by re-
cruits from abroad. But, singularly
enough, they all come or have been
trained in Great Britain. England is
the cradle and hotbed of pickpockets
1t is profession as firmly established as
carpentering or bricklaying; it has its
apprentices, graduates, professors, ex-
perts, and commercial agents. Novices
are taught to distinguish Frenchman
from native, Russian from a Ger
man, South American from an Italian:
they are made acquainted with the
slight but all important differences in
each nationality in the cut of the
clothes, the place of the pockets, the
mode of carrying jewelry, watches
purses, or loose cash.
When the pupils are supposed to have
proited sufficiently by their education
they are dispatched at Christmas time to
certain suburb of London, where they
are farmed out. The agent, who has
come to select trio, puts them through
their PAGES, and if they acquit them
selves creditably he engages them, gives
them clothes, board and special instruc-
tions, and takes them abroad to ply their
trade under his management. AS soon,
however, as their personality has become
inconveniently familiar to the police of
the locality, they are returned and ex-
changed for fresh set, under the same
conditions.
The community numbers 10000 in
London, including women and children;
their headquarters are in the obscure
purlieus of st. Giles, Whitechapel, the
Minories and the low lying wharves of
the Thames. It 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
tAC1 peilo w uO ctiO LII, Slld1OWtQ VI III
prison. They form regular associa-
ton, like the housebreakers and shop
iifters, from whom, however, they are
quite distinct.
AT WORK IN PARIS.
During their visits in Paris, although
operating in common, they do not dwell
together, but are scattered all over the
city, meeting only to share the spoils at
certain specified moments, in dark or
borgne taverns and wine shops situated
in the neighborhood of the Champs
Elysees and the Grand Opera. The
foreign, as we'll as the French, operators
have their receiving houses, called in
Paris meumers (millers), where they dis
pose Of their gleanings, and it is re-
markable feature of these transactions
that they are carried on on both sides
with scrupulous fairness and honesty.
A sharp and observant person might
detect the pickpocket who shadows him
with evil intent by the peculiar rowing
restlessness of the eye, of which even
the most experienced ones cannot en-
tirely divest themselves. The habit is
contracted at the onset of their careers:
imperative then, it becomes inveterate
The pickpocket embraces at glance the
particular article in a shop window cal
eculated to attract the passerby, the con-
formation of the victims pockets, the
foot passengers around him and the
quarter from which his bugbear, the
"Bobby," is likely to appear. The En-
glish pickpocket rarely offers any oppo-
sition if caught in the act; he submits
silently to be led off by his captor; only
the women howl, thrash, sob, scratch
and fight. 1t is the characteristic ma
tional GOODNESS and lack of emotional
irritability that contribute more than
any physical aptitude to make the Brit
ish pickpocket facile princeps in his art,
and an object of envy and admiration to
members Of the professions in other
countries.
THE FRENCH WAY.
In each couatry the profession retains
its own particular methods. The Span
lard, like the South American, does not
attempt to operate save in tolerably
thick crowd; the Italian works generally
only on ladies, and badly, because he is
too precipitate; the Turk is fearless
awkward, audacious, and even in the
clutches of the police, with one hand
pinioned, attempts to steal with the
other. The French make a speciality of
recognition" which is effected by one
pal affecting to recognize in some inno-
cent, rustic looking individual a relation
or old friend, effusively falling ON his
or her neck: while the error is explained
and apologies offered the deed is done by
an associate. The most dangerous of
that species is the becotcuse, usually a
young and very pretty girl, who rushes
into the arms of a benevolent old man,
kisses him on both cheeks and calls him
'uncle," relationship he will have good
cause to remember, as it has cost him
all his portable property.
The utter carelessness of 1he public
facilitates the operations of the pick
pockets to a degree which has often
elected from them expressions of wither-
ing contempt. To supplement the legend
which bids people beware Of them, the
authorities would do well to affix few
simple rules, the observance of which
would be an effective protection.
don Cor. New York Sun.