Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-06-06
DRUGglNG VICTIMS.
New Dangers Against Which Travellers
Are Warmed.

New Dangers Against "hAoH ArAVoAoEb
Are Warned.
The terrible outrage recently COM
nitted upon ON English lady travelling
in o railway train in Germany brings to
mind, says Galignani, the fact that
there exists in that country, as also III
England, organized bands of thieves,
who make use of chloroform and other
Supplying drugs in order to prevent re-
s~istance on the part of their victims.
Perhaps the most accomplished scoun-
drels Of this class hail from America.
We are very glad to be able to give
some particulars as to the modus ope-
randi of these scientific rutfians, mas
much as they do not usually inspire dis
trust, being generally "got up" a per-
feet gentlemen. A great many rob
berries of this kind have been committed
both in France and abroad, but up to
the present time the police have been
unable to lay ha1's upon the perpetra-
tors. There are two distinct schools in
this department Of scientific scoundrel-
d~om-thieves who operate with opium,
and those who use chloroform. The
opiumites carry on their nefarious bust
ness in railway trains or othe. for the
time being secluded places. They are
generally very anxious to make friends
with any stranger who appears to be
rich. When they have made sure that
he possesses o well-filled pocketbook,
they endeavor to find al opportunity for
carrying out their project. This, of
course, is comparatively an easy matter,
They will take their victim in a private
compartment of a restaurant or other
convenient place, and at the proper no
ment they secretly introduce the nar-
cotic into the victims cup of coffee, or
offer him a cigar saturated with opium.
AS o 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 man
per and vanish.
The process Is very much the same in
a railway train. The scientific thief is
generally a man Of g~entlemanly de-
meanor, who has the happy knack of
making himself agreeable to all sorts
and conditions of people. He carries a
we'll filed travelling bag, from which,
in the course of conversation, he brings
forth a flask of brandy, a cigar, OF some
kind of fruit, and offers it to his travel
ing companion. If the latter is a wary
person, however, he will probably de-
cline. The thief then adopts other tao
tics, settles himself in a corner like an
honest traveller who wants to go to
sleep. He does not go to sleep, how
ever but covertly watches his intended
victim. AS soon as he sees him fall
asleep he stealthily approaches, removes
the stopper from the chloroform bottle,
and holds it a 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 so as to oblige
him to breathe through the nose. The
sheet of parchment is called a "%stiiler,
and is moulded so as to fit like a mask
over q persons face. AS a rule, the
railway thief leaves a certain sum o.
money on his victim as we'll as his jew
elry. He believes in taking current
coin of the realm. Sometimes, however
an inexperienced operator with narcotics
m~iscalculates the dose, and the victim
sleeps away into death. In such a case
as this the authorities generally find the
deceased in possession of jewess anC
money to a certain amount, as we'll a.
private papers, and attribute his death
to natural causes" The relatives 0
the deceased are informed of the fact
and no difficulty is made as to burial
M. Mace, the eminent French detective
says there are a large number of thieve
operating in the way described. The,
are admirably organized and speak diff
ferent languages. Many of them hav'
occupied very high positions, and the,
have the anner and appearance 0
J perfect gentlemen. They II conse
quently very dangerous scoundrels, an,
J M. Mace thinks the best way TO dea
with them would be to organize au in
ternational detective system in order t
ruiz them to earth. He says he know
cases where high-class thieves hav
been arrested with chloroform still il
. their possession. A great many of til
sudden deaths" in railway trains ma
no doubt be attributed to the chlorc
, form gangs. M. Mace gives instance
l Of three such deaths in one day on til
same line Of railway. Two of the pal
. ties were found dead in the same con
! partment.-BOston Herald.