The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-11-10
A FIsHY STORY.
An Account Of a Detectives Gap
ture OF q Thief
a Method of Catching Plckpockets
Which, Whether Practicable or
Net, Was Certainly Very
49, Ingenious.

They were discussing the best way to
bring u prisoner from the place of his
arrest to headquarters at the central
office not long ago, and the collar, cuff
and arm grips were instanced as manual
eSpedients, and handouts, nippers and
pocket bludgeons thongs as mechanical
aids.
II know" said Il detective who had
been to Europe and passed some time
in the society of London detectives to n
New York Times reporter, chow a pick
pocket was once arrested without his
captor seeing his prisoners face before
he got to the lookup, and without
anyone putting hand on him. 1t hap
pencd this way: a detective, who was
often detailed to gatherings. weddings,
the houses OF parliament. Westminster
Abbey and other public places, often ran
across wiry little man who he discov-
cred had 10 business where he was seen
and did nothing for living
''Coincidcntnl with the mans visits to
crowded places were complaints of lar
cenies of articles that were carried in
the pockets of tails of coats, and es-
pecially silk handlierchicfs. The de-
tective suspected the little why man,
but he evidently had more than one
confederate to pass what was stolen so
as to be clean, for the officer who was
watching him and was ncttlcd ut re-
proof from his supcriors for negligence
in not discovering the picl1poclsct had
him arrested twice by other officers and
shaken down without finding any
stolen goods i'll his possession.
Strange officers were used to make
the arrests in order that the suspected
man might not become familiar with
the principal detectives face, as he de-
termincd to get him by hook or by
crook Now l don't mean this for n
pun, but it came out that way. The de-
tective belonged to one of the many
fishing clubs that abound in London and
was familiar with tackle.
Procuring four dozen unsncllcd
hooks of the size and strength used here
Tor blackfish, some flax thread, and
needle, he passed an afternoon in turn
ing the tail pockets of an old-fashioncd
frocll coat into thief trap. The hooks
were ringed, and with the needle were
scwed bent out, just inside the pocket,
permitting the hand to enter, but pre-
venting it's withdrawal lie knew of a
book sale that would DC largely at
tended at the east end of the Strand
and made up carefully for it, so that
when he left home he was Il pleasant
faced old gobc mouchc
cat the book sale he took care to be
as vacuous and unmindful of his sur
roundings as possible, but noted tie
presence of the suspect and waited
calmly for Il bite. 1t came. There was
tug at his coat and bitter oath, and
he knew that his mans hand was seized
by the hooks, and that he would not
venture to risk the agony that tearing
away forcibly would inflict. So he said
quietly: If you follow me our surgeon
will relieve you, and attempted to walk
to Scotland Yard half n mile away, the
trapped thief following with his hand
in the detectives pocket.
But such large crowd gathered
that the detective had to take cab,
and he landed the man safely in the de-
tectives' Office. He was held by four of
the hooks and the barbs had to be cut
off before they were extracted The
thief confessed and went to prison for
short term, but the Scotland Yard
authorities frowncd on the detectives
method and prohibited any further OK
pcrimcnts of the sort for fear the news
papers would dcnounce the expedient
Us cruel But II deadlicr trap could not
be baitcd for 'clyfallcr.