Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1891-05-14
A DEADLY TRAP.
Catching Thief with Pocket Lined
with FiShhOOks.

They were discussing the best way
TO bring prisoner from the place of
his arrest to headquarters at the Gen.
trail office not long ago, says the N. Y.
Times. and the collar, cuff. and arm
grips were iDstanced us manual expe-
dients. and handouts, nippers, and
pocket bludgeon thongs as mechanical
aids.
II know" said a detective who had
been to Europe and passed some time
in the society of London detectives,
show pickpocket was once arrested
without his captor seeing his prisoners
face before lie got him to the lookup,
and without any one putting hand
on him. 1t happened this way: A de-
tective who was often detailed to gath
erings, weddings, the houses of par
lament, Westminster abbey, and other
public places, often ran across a wiry
little man who he discovered had no
business where he was seen, and did
nothing for a living.
'Coincidental with the mans visit
to crowded places were complaints of
larcenies of articles that were carried
in the pockets of tails of coats, and es-
pecially silk handkerchiefs. The de-
tectives suspected the little wiry 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 who was net
tied at reproof from his superiors for
negligence in not discovering the pick
pocket. had him arrested twice by 9TH
er officers and shaken down without
finding any stolen goods in his possess
sion.
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-
termined to get him by hook or by
crook Now don't mean this for a
pun, but it came out that way. The
detective belonged to one of the many
fishing clubs that abound in London,
and was familiar with tackle.
Procuring four dozen 2nsnelled
hooks of the size and strength used
here for Blacklist, some flax thread
and a needle, he passed an afternoon
in turning the tail-pockets of an old
fashioned frock coat into thief-trap.
The hooks were ringed and with the
needle were sewed bent out Just inside
the pocket. permitting had to enter,
put preventing its withdrawal. He
knew of book sale that would be
largely attended at the east end of the
Strand and made up carefully for it,
so that when he left home he was
pleasant-faced old gobemouche.
''At the book sale he took care to be
as vacuous and unmindful of his sur
roundings as possible. but noted the
presence of the suspect and waited
calmly for a bite. It 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 at
tempted to walk to Scotland Yard,
half a mile away, the trapped thief fol-
lowing with his hand in the detectives
pocket. 4
..But such a large crowd gathered
that the detective had to take cab and
he landed the man safely in the de-
tective's office. He was held BY four
of the hooks and the barbs had to be
cuI on DetoEe u tHe were extfacted.
The thief confessed and went to prison
for a short term. but the Scotland
Yard authorities frowned on the. de-
tective's method and prohibited any
further experiments of the sort for
fear the newspapers would denounce
the expedient as cruel. But a deadlier
trap could not be baited for ely
faker. g s' 7s