The St. Johns herald., 1891-09-03
A DEADLY TRAP.
Catching a Thief with Pocket Lined
 with F:shhoolEs.

They were discussing the best way to
 bring a prisoner from the place of his
 lrrest to headquarters at the central of
 fee not long ago, says the New York
 Times. and the collar, cuff, and arm grips were instanccd as manual expedi- ents, and handcufTs. nippers and pocket bludTe0a tho1gs as mechanical aids.
 ''I know" said a detective who had been to Europe and passed some time in the society Of London detectives, ''how a piclpocl1et was once arrested with out his captor seeing his prisoners face before he got to the lookup, and with out anyone putting hand on him. It happened this way: \ detective who was often detailed to gatherings, we'd dings, the houses of parliament, Vest minister abbey. and other public places, often ran across a wiry little man who he discovered had TO business where he was seen. and did nothing for living.
 ''Coincidental 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 espe- cially silk handlzerchiefs. The detectives suspected the little wiry man, but he ev- idently had more than one confederate to pass what was stolen so as to be clean for the officer who was watch ing him, and who was nettled at re- proof from his superiors for his negli- gence in not discovering the pickpock- ct. had him arrested twice by other of ficers and shaken down without find- ing 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- termined to get him by hook or by crook Now I don't mean this for 9 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 unsnelled hooks of the size and strength used here for blackish, some flax thread and 6 needle, he passed an afternoon in turn ing the tail-pocl1ets Of an old-fashioned frock coat into a thief-trap. The hooks were ringed and with the needle were scwed bent out just inside the pocket, permitting a hand to enter, but prevent ing its withdrawal. He knew of a book sale that would be largely attended at the cast end of the Strand and made up carefully for it, so that when he left home he was 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. It 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 to risk the agony that tearing away forcibly would inlict. So he said quietly: If you follow mo our surgeon will relieve you and attecptedto walk to Scotland Yard, half mile away, the trapped thief following with his hand in the detectives pocket.
 But such Q large crowd gathered that the detective had to take q cab aud he landed the man safely in the detectives office. He was held by four of tho hooks and the bar5s had to be cut of before they were extracted. The thief con- fessed and went to prison for 9 short term, but the Scotland Yard authorities frowred on the detectives method and prohibited any further experiments of the sort for fear the newspapers would denouncc the cxpedient as cruel. But a deadlier trap could not be baited fora 'clyfaker.