Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1891-11-05
gone to the foreign race courses Tbon.

gone to the foreign race courses Thou-
sands of them go to Paris, and huns
dreds to other places, and we are not
so busy with them at home. NYes, sir,
we have one hundred thousand of this
evil class in London, more thieves
than you have honest people in some
of your pretty American cities 1t is
to our shame, of course, but how are
we to help it?
"A large per cent. of foreign pick
pockets have been trained in London.
We have thief training schools here,
lots of them. Precocious boys, who
have no homes, are picked off of the
streets by the observant pickpocket,
who takes them to the secret schools,
where they are trained by the Fagins
in charge of them. The little novices
are taught all the secrets of petty
thieving, and, after awhile, graduate
accomplished pickpockets They are
taught, also, to recognize at sight the
different people who flock to London.
They know the Frenchman from the
native, a German from Russian, and
Americans are told at once. How do
they do this? Sometimes by the cut
of ones clothes, by the manner of car
rying jewelry. You brought your
clothes from New York, did you not??'
| acknowledged that my garments
were fresh from the shop of an Amer.
lean tailor, at which Sergt. Denny
smiled, and added that he would have
taken me for an American ION sight.
''The great headquarters of our Fa.
gins" he continued, ''are the dark and
dismal purlieus of st. Giles, White
chapel and the long, low wharves of
the Thames. They are there by thou
sands, young and old and both sexes.
They have societies and even savings
banks, and when one of their mum Der
is in our hands the others are willing
to put up money to get him out 1 do
not wonder that some tourists get
robbed. They will go down into these
parts of the city without proper es-
cort. and the next day they are at
Scotland Yard, telling story of woe.
had an amusing experience once with
one of this class. He was nice-look-
ing man, indeed-was an American pro-
lessor. He came to London, so he Said,
for the purpose of making study of
our criminal classes. did not know
this, OF course, until after the expert
ence am about to relate.
swell, our professor went down into
st. Giles, and while exercising eyes and
ears he was robbed by boy scarcely
ten years old. The little. fellow was
shrewd pickpocket, and as had had
some experience with him guessed
that he was concerned in the robbery,
for it had taken place on his grounds,
though the professor maintained that
he had been robbed by man from
whom he was trying to obtain some
statistical information. Accompanied
by the complainant went to the dan
gerous quarter and nabbed little Billy
before he was aware of my presence.
You must discharge this child, SIR
said the American. He had nothing
to do with the theft. Why, sir, he
couldn't take anything
:" Just as you say I answered with
an amused smile, at the same time
stealing a look al Billy.
''The boy, who felt that I knew he
had committed the robbery, went up to
the gentleman and thanked him pro-
fusely for his kindness, after which he
hurriedly departed and walked on.
Half a square from the scene of the en-
counter l turned suddenly and asked
the professor the time of day. He
reached for his watch, but, to his sur
prise, it was gone, whereupon he looked
at me thunderstruck. He was inclined
toget angry, saying that he had been
plundered while under the escort of a
London policeman. The following mo-
ment. to his amazement. pulled out
his watch and extended it.
PRAY, how did you get hold of it?'
he exclaimed.
The boy gave it to me. He
touched" you while he was thanking
you for asking me to discharge him.
In short time we shall have your
purse as we'll
THE American could not believe that
the boy Billy was the person who had
taken the purse, but the adroit theft of
the watch went a long way toward
limiting THAT he might be mistaken;
and when, yet that day, HAD the sat
isfaction of restoring his purse, which
had been brought in and surrendered
by the boy, his wonder knew no
bounds. dare say that your country
man did not venture into the thieves
quarter again without different opin.
ion of the Shire wdness of the gamins
who jostle one on every corner there"
Sergt. Denny related many more
incidents connected with his expe-
riences with the light-fngered frater-
nifty of London, and l was not aware
that the morning had vanished till he
called my attention to it. He narrated
how, when the victims pockets are
tight, the thief will drop into them two
little leaden balls attached to string.
The balls are coated with shoemaker's
wax and adhere to anything they
touch: In this manner the piclzpocket
manages to abstract the pocketbook
without the owners knowledge A
friend of mine once found two such
balls in his pocket on returning from
street ramble in London The thief
had simply cut the string when he
found that the pocket was too
close for the work, and left the balls
with his intended victim. This my
friend learned when he exhibited the
balls at the hotel.
The day after my adventure on the
Strand my advertisement, as drawn up
by sergt. Denny, appeared in the
Times, and several days passed with
out any results. was beginning to
have poor opinion of the tender hearts
of London's Fagins, when one after
noon, upon my return from walk,
was surprised to have my landlady
hand me the identical souvenir ring.
1T was brought to the house by
well-bred gentleman, who begged
leave to say he was sorry he had not
seen your notice sooner" she said in
explanation. He was very polite, and
when I offered him the guinea he said
he could not think of taking it, as YOU
had been put to SO much expense al
ready"
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