The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-02-05
TOLD BY A THIEF.
"Mollie Matches" Relates What
He Knows Of Picking Pockets.

work.
II cam" he said, ''get thousand pock-
et-books beforo am detected onco, and
then tho discovery will occur through
tho clumsincss of ono of my stalls
Yes, 1t would seem as though my bust
ness would pay, but you must recall tho
fact that most pockct-books do not con-
tain much money. We open them fro
quently and find no money ut all-noth-
ing but receipts and other papers.
Those VIC call readers Wc strike so
many readers that the money mado in
pockct-piclSing is no. as great as one
might think. Then, tho expenses arc
heavy. 1t takes at least three mon to
do tho work, and four arc bcttcr. In
this mob as VIC term Ii, is ono pick
pocket proper; tho rest arc hclpors.
Tho expenses OF mob OF fouc
arc high. If you arc working on
train, and this frequently happens,
you have your railway faro in ad-
dition to regular expenses. These four
men will average in thcir expenses
about fifty dollars day, the best you
can do. Then, besides, thcro goes twcn-
ty per cont for protection Thieves
nro great protectionists, VIII ether pro-
SSNSAOHAoSo diS y IthO OilCNCS Or
not If they can-and thcy do more fro
qucntly than you would thinll-thcy fix
things with police officials. Many q time
I'vo worked under tho actual ego of q
detective. III event of tumble and
sqncal he would in tho hurry and hustle
rash in and grab tho man who was
touched and hold him until tho boys
and got out of sight Then, of course,
he would apologize and dcplorc his mis-
take in grabbing tho wrong man. The
gang would be safo by then, however.
WE'LL rs | say, that sort of thing costs
twenty per cent. Then, another thing.
Thieves lose vastly on tho stuff they
take, unless it's money. Watches, dia-
monds and similar plumber we only get
about thirty-fivc or forty cents on dol
lar for. There is another reason why
profits in thievcry arc not largo. Ono
can not work forever. A mans ncrvo
begins to shake after about two weeks
and then he has TO lay off until he is
himself again. OF all men on Garth,
pickpockct has to possess nerve, and
have it with him. The man who takes
as q rule passes the stuff out of his
hands as soon as he can. If n thief car
ries hot leather that is somo pocket
book just taken, or that there is n row
about, he doesn't put it in his pocket
He carries it under his vest, SO that by
simply drawing in his breath it will fall
to the ground. He does this, OF course,
and lets tho leather go in cvont Of be-
ing taken. Ho will drop tho wallet as
he and tho officer are walking along.
In the dark. it's easy. Just drop the
stuff, and walk over 1t. I've walked
over hundreds in my time.
"Thicves don't work IL tho winter If
thcy can help 1t, either, as ovcrcoats
and that sort of cold weather harness
mako it very risky.
81 don't myself SEQ any moral wrong
in robbery. It's like any othor business.
A dry-goods man, if he can, will mako
you pay thousand dollars for what
costs him ono He don't inquire what
he should get or what you should pay.
Tho question never is what is right and
honest? His idea is to pay as little and
get as much as he can.
Sometimes thieves get reckless and
will turn a trick for fun, and Just to
demonstrate how smart they are. saw
man once in u seat ahead of mo on tho
train who put his pocket-bool1 in his hip
pocket after he paid his faro. Just to
show what could do waited until no
sat doing in his seat Then began to
push In the back of the car seat with
one knee, and as fast rs raised tho seat
back held it by wcdging my other foot
in bctwoen it and the bottom of tho
scat. lay back and pretended to sleep
all this time myself, and worked so
slowly and 30 steadily that my friend
nevor woke at all. When / had tho
back Of tho seat raised so high that 1
could mako tho trip reached under and
took tho pocket-book. 1t took forty-five
minutes to get the pocket-book, and
there wasn't any thing In it then, but
tho people with me thought It was o
great feat.
"Thieves never take silver watch.
1t Is not valuable enough. In getting
watches the man who does the work
stands still with his back to the party
wanted. This sort of work will occur
on race tracks and ut any place whore
crowds arc standing. Tho stalls get
behind the victim and commence crowd
ing until ono way and another they get
tho gentleman square against tho loft
shoulder OF tho pickpockct On his left
arm he carries dustor or q shawl as q
cover and when tho victim Is all
placed tho pickpockot goes through
him with his right hand, reaching across
himself to do tho feat, covering the
right arm and hand from sight with a