Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-08-01
"a TITLED ROGUE.
THE FAMOUS KING OF THE PAR
ISLAM PICKPOCKETS
AS Mild-Mannereda and Elegant a Man
as Ever Rified a Fat Purse-His
Dcft-Fingcrcd Pals-Immu-
nifty From Arrest.

iciI Lohuon 10 20 there can only be
guessed. 1t is said that he fed to France
to avoid serving ten years in an English
penitentiary. One thing is certain, the
gay Partisan world awoHc one morning to
ind him part OF it. lie had, as he
Sill has, small, slender figure, pale,
earnest face, small hands, and shapely
feet. He was faultlcssly dressed from
his patent leather boot tips to the top of
his silk hat
lie began at the foot of the blackle"s'
ladder by picking pockets with bis own
hands. He gradually resigned this dirty
work to pals, us his personal magnetism
aud proven skill won him the fealty of
the pocket picking Parisians. Two or
thTee narrow escapes from arrest gave
HIM something of Il shock, and he de-
cided finally to devote himself exclusive
~ to planning sneak thcfts for the exc
cntion OF the army of blacklegs who had
sworn allegiance to him.
So it came that Fred, as he was evcry.
where known, was king of the pickpoci-
cts in fact rs well MS in name. He fire..
quented the best hotels, restaurants and
cafes. lie was familiar figure Mt the
race tracks and baths. Every road tray
eied by the wealth and fashion of the
French capital was travelled also by Fred
lie had an eye Of unprecedented keenness
Tor faces, lat purses and valuable level
~. He marked his victims rs he walked
! on the boulevard, drank his coffee. laid
ms money on his favorite, or fondled his
billiard cue. He communicated nil his
discoveries and plans to his corps OF fol-
lowers at their rendezvous, aud shortly
the victims were plundcrcd in strict ac
cordancc with the minute directions rs
10 time, place, face and articles which
! Freds marvellous memory enabled him to
give.
| Not only IN his eventual abstinence
from actual pocket picking, but also in
ms methods of business after lie became
KING OF the pickpockets, Fred showed in
/ stincts that do credit to men in more renu-
table professions. lie never made use of
the lnnumcrable compromising papers that
fell into his hands with the pocketbooks
| of his victims. He had not haIr of the
| biackmailer in his head, and kent .
sealed mouth concerning all private af.
fairs OF other people revealed to him in
the course OF his professional relation
with them
NO better illustration of Fred's bust.
ness methods can be cited than the ex.
| perience of prominent Partisan Jour.
/ nalist with him about ten months 400.
The journalist had just lost IA purse con.
tanning $500 and papers that he valued
more highly than the money. He went
directly to Fred and said:
Frederic, my pocket has been picked
OF $500 and several papers"
on shall have back the papers n,
once" answered Fred.
''And the noney?"
Eyes, my dear sir, but your demands
must be reasonable. l need the money
myself just now, and l don't see how
can spare it,"
'Wcll, let 500 of it go"
''Say 5000 and will agree to it."
After little haggling Fred agreed to
return $3.50 and the papers at q o'clock
the next morning. At one minute to Q
on the following day messenger an
pearcd at the journalists chamber with n
| package. In it were the pocketbook,
the papers, the S120 and calling card,
correctly bent at the corner and bearing
the words: "Frederic, Comic de Wal
der. Noblesse oblige."
The consideration shown bv Fred to
the horse jockey Storrs ut Trouville three
years ago is traditional in French turf
circles. S!orrs arrived in Trouvilie on
the morning of the day on which he WIS
| 10 ride i'll the Grand Prix. When he
| got to his hotel he discovered that the
trunk containing all his riding clothes
had been stolen. He ordered a cab and
drove directly to Fred's hotel, for the
king OF the pickpockcts always passed at
least two months of the season at Trou-
vile Storrs hurried up to Fred, who
sat on the porch, and begged him to re-
turn the trunk. Fred listened to him n
minute or two, and then said:
''M. Storrs, have laid my money on
your antagonist. Nevertheless, you shall
have your trunk at II o'clock" At IL
O'Clock Storrs's trunk was delivered at
his room.
Fred's urbanity and consideration for
men he had robbed won him peculiar
kind of popularity and immunity from
| punishment.
On the drives and promenades of Paris,
IN the cafes and gardens, and at the
tracks every man had word and
smile for the small, pale-faced, elegant
KING OF the pickpockets. No one shook
hands with him, but every one risked
Bon jour, Fred" and Fred, who was
not proud, acknowledged the greetings
smilingly toward all sides Some few,
who wished to be more distant, addressed
Fred as Monsieur le Comte, for since the
days Of his prosperity were come Fred
had assumed title
Ii was sad coincidence that Fred.
met his Waterloo Mt the race track,
where he had laid and executed his most
brilliant plans and enjoyed the half
kindly regard of all the turfmen A
Captain in the French army stood before
Fred at the track on the fatal afternoon.
He bet heavily, and frequently drew n
big roll of bank notes from his overcoat
pocket to add to it his winnings and
then replace it. Fred, as usual, had
rocketful OF money, but some way the
old-time itching came back to his palm