The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1891-09-15
A FISHY STORY.
An Account Of a Detectives Cap
ture of Thief.
A Method OF Catching Pickpockets
Which, Whether Practicable or
Not, Was Certainly yerv
Ingenious.

They were discussing the best way to
bring 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
expedients, and handouts, nippers and
pocket bludgeons thongs as mechanical
aids.
81 KNOW" said detective who had
been to Europe and passed some time
In the society of London detectives, to
New York Times reporter, chow 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
pened this way: A detective, who was
often detailed to gatherings, weddings,
the houses of parliament Westminster
Abbey and other public places, often ran
across a wiry little man who he discov-
cred had no business where he was seen
and did nothing for a living.
HCoincidental 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 handkerchiefs. The de-
tective 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 was nettled at re-
proof from his superiors for negligence
in not discovering the piclspocket had
him arrested twice by other officers and
shaken down without finding any
stolen goods in 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-
1ermined to get him by hook or by
crook Now l don't mean this for q
pun, but it came out that way. The de-
tective belonged to one of the man.
fishing clubs that abound in London and
WAS familiar with tackle.
Procuring four dozen unsnelled |
hooks of the size and strength used here |
for b]ackfsh, some flax thread, and a
needle, he passed an afternoon in turn I
ing the tail pockets of an old-fashioned |
frock coat into a thief trap. The hooks
were hinged, and with the needle were
'sewed bent out just inside the pocket,
permitting the hand to enter, but pre-
venting its withdrawal. He knew of
book sale that would be largely at
tended at the east end of the Strand
and made up carefully for it, SO that
when he left home he was a pleasant
faced old gobe mouche.
'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 bite. 1t came. There was
a 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 10 risk Jhe 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 mile away, the
trapped thief following with his hand
in the detectives pocket
'ISut such large crowd gathered
that the detective had to take a 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
frowned on the detectives 7
method and prohibited any further ex- 4
of the sort for fear the news !
papers would denounce the expedient
IS cruel. But deadlier trap could not +
he baited for 'clyfaker.' :" -
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