Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-02-27
THE WAYS OF PIcKPocKETs.
a veteran Boston Detective Tells How
They Ply Their Trade.

Il
Women are the most successful
pickpockets"
1t was Police Inspector Knox who
said it. and he knows. Nobody in town
would dispute his right to be called the
| best man in town in this line of detect
i've service. He uses almost his entire
time in watching for pickpockets, and
what he says about them is peculiarly
! interesting.
| Said the Inspector, in explanation of
| the somewhat surprising statement
| quoted above. The female professional
| pickpockets always seek victims among
their own sex, as the women of to-day
are given to carrying their pocket
books and watches in exposed places.
Then, too, the thieves are less apt to be
suspected because of their sex, and,
| most important of all, for the reason
that in the wide range of style of
women's wraps nowadays they find
plenty of opportunity to hide their
| hands while at work. A shawl or wrap
of any sort, which seems to be care
| less1y carried on the left arm, hides
the right hand while it feels for the
location of a pocket and then makes its
way to the pocket opening, where the
| top of the lining is seized by the fingers.
| 1t is then but moments work to draw
the lining up until the pocket is practi-
| cally turned inside out and the contents
| drop into the pickpocket's hand. The
| fingers which do this work are never
inserted deep into the pocket. They
just catch the lining of the upper edge.
| The trick is done in a crowd where
| everybody's attention is riveted on a
| special object where a touch of a
strangers hand or even rough jostling
itself is not needed"
Generally pickpocket has confed-
crate. Then if, as sometimes happens
| the loss of pocketbook is Immediately
discovered, the real thief, having
| passed the purse to the confederate,
can be as sympathetic as anybody, and
| if suspicion makes it absolutely
necessary, can submit to an examina-
| ton with the same confidence in the
result that might be felt by the most
innocent person present. 1t is the
wrap, however, that gives the female
pickpockets the great advantage over
the light-fngered thieves of the other
sex, and the latter try to overcome this
| by using an overcoat, if the weather is
not so cold that an overcoat carried on
| the arm will attract attention, or a
| linen buster in summer. Sometimes
| the men make newspaper answer the
| purpose. If the male pickpockets are
not the more successful they are at
| least the more adroit and audacious.
They have to be so, for they don't con-
| fine themselves to women's pockets.
| They seldom try to take money from
mems pockets, as close-fitting clothes
make the risk of detection too great;
| but they find it an easy matter to steal,
or, as it is termed, ring" watches
from men. This is done while the vic
tim, with unbuttoned coat and expand
ed watch chain, stands in a street
crowd. The thief slyly gets the watch
from the pocket with one hand, while
with the other he grasps the chain
at the lower end. A short, quick jerk
with both hands in opposite directions,
and the ring which is the connecting
| link between the chain and the watch
| becomes separated from the watch
| stem. The watch is then in the hands
of the thief while the chain and ring
are dangling down the front of the vic
| TINS WalStcOat.
A person has but to try this trick
with his own watch to see how easily it
may be done. Pickpockets do these
| things in crowds, but they cannot al
ways find crowd, and sometimes have
to resort to making one themselves.
| They do this generally on railroad
trains, where the general hustle and
| hustle give them opportunity to get a
well-dressed man in their clutches. As
| the victim is about to enter the car he
is brought face to face with man who
is in Il hurry to get out. The two
squeeze together in a doorway, and
two other men, both in a hurry, as
| cend the platform and also try to get
! into the same car. Three of the men
are pickpockets, and the stranger is
between them by prearranged plan
He is quickly robbed of his watch, and
perhaps a diamond pin and his pocket
book. This trick is well known to the
police, but policemen do not travel on
every train.
1t is for the reason that crowds are
constantly congregating before the
windows of large stores that Inspector
Knox is detailed to patrol in citizens
clothes on Washington street in the
vicinity of Temple place. If there is a
crowd in that vicinity Knox is surely
standing in some doorway from which
he can view the face of almost
everybody in the crowd. He does not
watch hand; he watches faces. Not
that he recognizes the face of every
pickpocket, but he knows that if a man
or woman in that crowd is paying no
attention to the window scene or other
attraction, but is occupied in viewing
the clothing of his or her neighbors, he
or she is, nine times out of ten a pick
pocket. The suspicion may be strength
ened by the nervous or cautious way in
which the thief occasionally turns his
head, presumable to ascertain if he is
watched. The Inspector still pays 40
attention to the hands. He waits
patiently till the suspected person
leaves the crowd. If the latter is
really pickpocket he will walk quick
" along, turn into side street, where,
in doorway, he will wait for his con-
| federate; or, if there be no confederate,
will take out the stolen pocketbooks
and examine them. While he is en-
gagged the Inspector interferes.
''Pickpockets, said Inspector Knox,
care of all ages. I've arrested during
my twenty-three years of service as
police officer in uniform and citizens
dress, 3, 900 persons, and at least 1, 200
were pickpockets. The oldest pick
pocket know is an Englishman named
Richard Busby, who is now serving a