The daily critic., 1890-10-29
CAREFUL TREINING FOR THE BUSINESS.
The English Artists Are at the Top
of the Profession.
THEv tRE m0REEW RTAND DANGEROUS
Than Those Of Any Other Nationality
The "NiIper," the Blind, and
the Receiver Some Of
the Tricks.

AT no other time Of the year is Lon
don so safe a place 10 walk in or 10 mix
with crowds as during August and Sep
tember, writes correspondent from that
big town. II 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 ia
vorite rendezvous for provincials aud
strangers about this season, six or seven
thousand British pickpockets, Il has
been estimated, End their way there
siugly OF in groups. They are recog.
nized by the police as more expert and
dangerous than those Of any other ma
tionality. 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 nip
per, the "blind" and the receiver"
Pickpockets dislike working alone, the
danger of being caught is so much
the selected victim, the "nipper" avails
himself Of his discontinue or wrath to
extract 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 with the "swag,"
while his more suspiciously clad accom-.
plice draws upon himself the attention Of
the police, and even challenges Il, In the
security Of having nothing compromis
ing on his person.
-
In certain cases where the booty is
important the "nipper" has been known
10 assume the appearance Of frightened
guilt to give his pal better chance and
more time to get away. The tipsy man
who reels into an omnibus and ha
words with the conductor, the stout
woman, evidently from the country,
who suddenly discovers that she Is IN
the wrong carriage, clamOrs 10 be le
down, appealing To her fellow passeu-
gers against TIE iniquity Of being made
10 pay her fare the foreigner who ex
Citcdly begins Il story in broken Eng
lish, are the aCcomplices Of the super.
cillious lady and clerical gentleman
who. obiecting to the unseemly dis
iuTbanCe, request 10 be let down. not
however. before they have successfully
ayailed themselves Of the commotion 10
explore the pockets of their nelghbors
while their attention was diverted.
-
Since tailors have made mems pOck-
cts less loose, and dressmakers hidden
those OF women In clinging folds. the
'nipper" has had to alter his style.
lie can no longer insert his whole palm
through the narrow aperture, so he
artihclally elongates. with delicate
pinceTs. the two fingers which alone
can be thrust in, and the riding process
is the same Those who lave never |
been able 10 acquire the requisite sup |
pleness of manipulation, or whose |
hands are naturally 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 |
leaden balls, coated with glue or cob |
bler's wax, which are dropped into the 1
pocket Anything II contains adheres |
10 the balls, and can be dragged out |
win tANhA y HAAlAAa AAAA main NbAAs
IL the thief notices any obstruction, or |
the lining Is likely TO come out also, he |
cuts the cord with a sharp knife aud |
walks of. leaving the balls behind him. |
However, he rarely resorts to this ex- |
tTemity, and is ashamed Of himself |
when he does.
-
Crowds are an essential condition to |
pickpockets. This Is why they haunt |
railway stations landing 81 ses al the |
busy hours, music halls, be waiting |
halls Of important banks which they |
call melon frames" It IS vel. known |
that 10 mail boat leaves Calais or Dover |
without carrying several pickpocksts,
and that hardly ever Is a crossing |
Effected, during which some passengers |
are not robbed yet It is only at great |
intervals that detectives. constantly 0n |
The watch, have been able 10 take a /
thief red handed When there are no /
crowds the pickpOCkets create one, aud 1
have little trouble In 50 doing. One /
piCkpOcket was famous for the realism 4
with which he acted an eDilepdc ht 1
and rolled foaming on the sidewalk
but the iBquisitiVe OF charitable 4
Ha7aAAe- ~ y 10 eAHHEAA ~ ASSIST 1A aAe d
him assisted, paid dearly for their be /
neyOlenee or curiosity; other pick /
pockets quarrel, call on the spectators i
TO make a ring and see fair play; the 1
sham boxing begins, until at a certain /
preconCerJgd signal, telling them that /
The game Is played. they suddenly be- |
come Teconciled shake hands, and 20 1
on their separate ways.
-
About a century ago Paris had only 4
about ffly pickpoekets, now the po-
lice reports show that their number /
has reached 1000 IN the metropolis 4
alone, and about 10000 IN the rest Of 1
France. These igures are nearly 4
doubled al times Of reviews races,
popular Jstss and exhibitions By re-
Cruits from abroad. But singularly /
enough, they all come from on have been /
trained II Great Britain. England Is 4
The cradle and h0lbed Of pickpockets. 1
II Is a profession as hrmlY established 4
as carpenieriDg or bricklaying it has 1
It's apprentices. graduates, professors 4
experts and commercial agents. nov i
ices are taught % recognize q French
man from q native a Russian from a 4
German q South American from an .
Italian they are made acquainted with 1
he slight but an important differences i
in each nationality ID the cut Of the 4
clothes, the place Of the pockets, the
mode Of carrying jeWelFY. watches.
purses or loose cash. When the pupils
aIe supposed b have pE0lt6d sum