Morning journal and courier., 1890-05-03
DRUGGING VIOTIMS. New Dangers Against Which Tfavel- CTS are Warned.


 The terrible outrage recently committed upon an English lady travelling in railway train in Germany brings to mind, says Galignani, the fact that there exists in that country, as also in England, organized bands of thieves, who make use of chloryform and other stupsfying drugs in order to prevent resistance on the part of their victims. Per haps the most accomplished scoundrsls of this class hail from America. We are very glad to be able to give some particulars as to the modus operandi of these scientific ruff ians, inasmuch as they do not usuallyD.in- spire distrust, being generally "got up" as of this kind have been committed both in France and abroad, but up to the present time the police have been unable to lay hands upon the perpetrators. There are two distinct schools in this department of scien- ti6o thieves who operate with opium, and those who use ehloroform. The opiumites carry on their nsfarious busi- ness in railway trains or other for the time being secluded places. They are generally very anxious to make friends with any stranger who appears to be rich. Whom they have made sure that he possesses we'll filled pocketbook, they endeavor to find an opportunity for carrying out their project. This, of course, is comparatively an easy matter. They will take their victim into a private compartment of restaurant or other convenient place, and at the proper moment they secretly introduce the narcotic into the victims cup of coffee, or offer him @ cigar saturated with opium. As soon as he goes to sleep, the thieves take particular care to relieve him of the valuable property he may have in his possession. They then disguise themselves in the most approved manner and vanish.
 The process is very much the same in a railway train. The scientific thief is gener- ally a man or gentlemanly demeanor, who has the happy knack of making himself agreeable to all sorts and conditions of peo- pie. He carries we'll filled travelling bag, from which, in the course of conversation, he brings forth flask of brandy, cigar, or some kind of fruit, and offers it to his trav- cling ..companion. If the latter is a wary person, however, he will probably decline. The thief then adopts other tactics, settles himself in corner like an honest traveller who wants to go to sleep. He does not go to sleep, however, but covertly watches his asleep he stealthily approaches. removes the stopper from the chloroform bottle, and holds 1t few seconds under the victims nose. In order to secure that the narcotic shall have its full effect, the scientific thief makes use of a very thin sheet of parchment, which he places over the sleeper's mouth 80 as to oblige him to breathe through the nose The sheet of parchment is called '"stiher," and Is moulded 50 as to fit like a mask over s persons face. AS a rule, the railway thief leaves @ certain sum of money on his victim as well as his jewelry. He believes in taking current coin of the realm. Sometimes, how. ever, an inexperienced operator with nar- cotics miscaleulates the dose, and the victim sleeps away into death. In such case as this the authorities generally find the de- ceased in possession of jewels and money to and attribute his death to t'natural causes" The relatives of the deceased are informed of the fact, and no difficulty is made as to burial. M. Mace, the eminent French de- tective, says that there are large number of thieves operating the way described. They are admirably organized and speak different languages. Many of them have occupied very high positions, and they have the man. ners and appearance of perfect gentlemen. They are consequently very dangerous scoun- drels, and NJ. Mace thinks the best way to deal with them would be to organize an inter- national detective system in order to run them to earth. He says he has known cases where high.cla thieves have been arrested with chloroform still in their possession. A great many of the "sudden deaths" in rail- way trans may no doubt be attributed to the chloroform gangs. M. Mace gives instances of three such deaths in one day on the same line of railway. Two of the parties were train.