Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-01-04
THIEVES IN SKIRTS.
SOME GESTLEwOMEN WHO BECOME CRIMINALS
FROM DIRE NECESSITY.
A Woman 10 Catch a Woman-Many RckPock-
cts Are Women and Nearly All the Shop
hAers Belong % that Sex.
ByNcu Nsisoa


is Inspector ByrneS. He Mortified me
with his exhibition of death caps aud
nOoSeS. distressed and chilled me with
his bloOd-curdhng stories, and surprised
me with an unexpected show OF heart.
lie was standing al the window watch
ing the storm when Sergeant an
nounced me.
How DO you like the prospect, SIRE
asked a subordinate.
Bad, very bad" and added with a
sigh as the door closed, God help
them
MAY ask for whom YOU make that
appeal"
For the miserable wretcheS who will
be driven 20 desperation by weather
like this. Poverty is frequently the
first cause Of crime. After that comes
temptation. There is much philosophy
I'm evil If people only knew il. Children
get their teaching from books. Later
their lessons is objective. Crimes are
living lessons and the multitude is tutor
ed by the uufortunateS OF society.
Take. for example, the holiday thief
who is planning for a splendid harvest
and for whose reception ! am already
prepared lie is not wholly 20 blame
for his depreciation nor is his victim
b'ameleSS. Why will the comfortably
circumStanced men aud women OF New
York Haunt their riches in the face OF
staryati0n2 What sort of personal vanity
is TO that leads q woman 90 walk along
the public streets with "a large wallet m
her tightly-glOved hand2 Has she real
IL any right 90 open belt-bag stuffed
with bank bills aud taunt the thinly-
clad woman who is cold and hungry
with her great abundance While /
would not say robbery serves her right.
/ believe that many invite their losses.
Human nature is very weak, and the
one thing that it cannot resist is temp
tatiOn. / do what l can 20 recover
stolen property for the women who
come 10 me, but 1 have no sympathy
whatever for the class who wear dla-
mOndS and watches on the street, who
carry purses in their fingers and 90
along with pocket-bookS sticking out OF
muffS, side and rear pockets.
The woman who lays her wallet on
counter in Il store frequented ny the
poor. the miserable, the ignorant and
the distressed, should be regarded with
interest as moral reformer, a public
bcnefactOr or lunatic. People who
will make experiments should be will
ing 20 stand the loss as amiably as the
gain that may accrue.
81 am looking at the case from
cOmmOn-ScnSe and not a sentimental
standpoint. Heroes can resist tempta-
ton. Criminals are made by tempta-
tion. Lessen the one and you decrease
the other. The honesty that needs
watching may not please the Puritan,
but all the same il has great moral
value. and / say for one, and l say it
foreibly." dealing his desk a S,edge-
hammer blow, that IL is the duty of
the rich 20 cover up their riches, 10 save
the needy from temptation. Prosperity
has obligations that society has right
20 exact for the general good
Thieves are divided into six classes;
bank SneakS, bank breakers, burglars,
common sneakS, pickpOcketS and shop
filters. The bank SneakS belong 20 the
400 circle of criminals. They are
scholars. as rule: they have certain
amount OF culture, good address, and
are invariably men OF great personal
magnetism. They work I'M groups OF
three and watch the bank for weeks NJ
a time in order 20 find the cashier and
teller alone. AT the OppOrtune mo-
mont one engages the teller in a talk of
.bsorbinr interest. and while the second
spcceeds in getting the cashier % one
side the third looks after the safe. Their
work is done In an instant and they dis
appear like flash. but we catch them.
~The bank breakers work NJ night
with their iimmieS. They travel in pairs
ar trios. and belong To- the second class.
The burglar who breaks into house
is generally fearless and always pre-
nared for the end Of the chapter. He
ra,es his life in his own hand and is
DreDared % kill or be- killed in case OF
an obstruction. Now and then thief
of this sort goes at his work unarmcd.
He has the confidence OF experience;
often the stakes are large and Jail has
no terror for him, but he has an anti
na-bv 10 add murder TO his record, and
81 does not trust himself with re-
volver or knife. lie thinks that if
.aucbt he may be able 20 break Jail, but
he knows that once In the shadow OF
yallOwS there is no escape.
~Sneaks are Subdiyided into area and
secoud-story thieves. One class watches
the basement door and runs OIL with the
coats. cloakS and hats that may be in
the hall. The other sneak waits MI
o'clock. and while the family Is al din
ner enters the house with false key,
Goes upstairs and steals the Jewelry OF
The bureau. On his way ont he LOOKS
into closets and takes whatever ne
thinks he can Secrete. These SneakS
ore "a rowardly lot of lOafers, who try 10
live without working and end by going
10 TAIL and working like slaves.
.,Many pickpockets are women and
nearly all shOplifterS belong 70 your SEX
PickDockets work in couples. Some
times they are husband and wife; some
times a man and a woman; occasionally
two sisters. aud again two men or TWO
women. They frequent crowded To-
,alities. Bazaar windows, such as
Macy. Bloomingdale aud other large
firms display, always attract the mem
bers Of the ight-fngered profession.
Natinees. where some great star plays
or Sims. are favored, and SO are the re-
Nrious. musical, social, tnd0strlal, Nd
tiornl and political Assem- blieS. re-
member. i'm 1876, the clever way tnat
Kate Armstrong endeavored TO utilize
the Moody and SanSey reyivalS IN
Madison SQUARE Garden. She * Il
biz. stout, quiet, lazy kind OF a
woman, with the most cunning touch
ever met. That woman can walk up to|
4 stranger on the street and in the shell
Ter OF a crowd open her handbag, mt
nut her pocket book aud handkerchief
.lose the bag and 20 OIL wiping the
smile of satisfaction from her lips
Three times she was caught and locked
mo. and when l thought, looking over
he record one day, that she had been
'.,red n message came in bearing her
o~resr She had Joined the revival, sat
~, the mercy seat, aud on the way cut
- canrbt in the act of stealing a
Sl,s ,,-aS semi IN sing Sing