Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-19
THE FACE OF A CROOK
Why 1T IS THAT A THIEF IS GEN.
ERALLY DETECTED.

Why IT IS THAT A THIEF IS GEN
ERALLY DETECTED.
There Are, Almost Invariably, Some
Marks About His Countenance or About
His Appearance That Inevitably BE-
tray Him to 0mcers of the Law.
"Policel Policel Where's the polices
Some thiefs stolen my pocketbookr'
A tail, bearded and excited country
man yelled out these words in the Grand
Central depot one morning some months
ago. The alarm created the usual ex-
citement which follows the announce
ment Of robbery in crowd. Some Of
the stream Of arriving and departing
travellers stopped in their places to has
tily ascertain whether or not their own
wallets were safe. Others crowded
around the countryman in eager curios-
ity to hear what he had to say. Some
of the chronically cautious hurried their
steps trife from the scene of trouble
and looked back somewhat fearfully at
the big policeman who was elbowing
his way vigorously toward the center of
the crowd.
Any one Of the score of people who did
not stop might be the thief. The rob-
berry had just "come off, !" for the coun-
tryman had set up his outcry the mo-
ment his wallet was jerked by some
mysterious force from his fingers. Now,
in all this confusion of hurrying people,
how was suspicion to be pointed toward
any particular man2 One would say
impossible" But one would be wrong.
A plainly dressed man, with sharp,
black eyes, who had been standing in
the door of the restaurant when the cry
of robbery went up, stepped quietly out
Of the doorway and turned his keen eyes
in series of quick glances to right and
left. He did not once look at the coun-
tryman or the little crowd around him,
but in ten seconds he had scanned with
lightning rapidity the face of every per-
son who was walking away. A sudden
look, as though of recognition, and he
walked quickly, unhesitatingly toward
rather well dressed man who was carry
ing small valise up the stairway. He
overlook him at the top of the stairs and
: tapped him on the shoulder.
"You are my prisoner" he said.
The thief was found.
WHY HE WAS RECOGNIZED.
How did the detective know him? That
is q complex question to answer. Nat
ural instinct of an order unclassed in
human psychology is what makes the
detective. A fox hound has it, and it
makes the dog hunt foxes and find them
and catch them where other dogs would
fail impotently or through lack of effort.
If this instinct was lacking in the man
he would be no detective. He would
not only lack ability in thief catching,
but would have no disposition to go into
the business.
This instinct which tempts him into
his distasteful and often perilious call
ing is developed by experience and OBJ
servation and constant study until it be-
comes almost a supernumerary sense.
He knows thief when he sees him, if
it is for the first time. It sounds inn
possible, doesn't it? But it has been
proved hundreds of times.
Physiognomy has something to do with
it; fund of knowledge of the tricks and
devices Of the escaping robber, quick
perception Of tiny details which lead to
suspicion, supersensitiveness to the
hints Of circumstance, all go to make up
the professional instinct Of the detective.
But the most powerful element of all,
and that which all serve but to reinforce,
is the mysterious sort of animal magnet
ism which tells detective-a genuine
detective-that thief's thief.
The man who was arrested in the
Grand Central depot was afterward
proved to be professional pickpocket.
He made bold front when the detective
asked him for moments conversation
and became highly indignant before the
cause of his detention was told. This is
the mistake which nearly every petty
thief makes The countrymans wallet
was found on him, and witnesses re-
membered having seen the thief walk
out of the crowd and pick up his valise
just before the cry Of robbery was raised.
They would never have remembered the
circumstance If the detective had not
stopped the thief as he was escaping.
HOW A THIEF Is PICKED OUT.
''How do pick out thief" said one
of the cleverest detectives at police head
quarters in response to question.
'Well. there's whole lot of things that
help man to pick outa thief, but it's
hard to just say in words what they are.
ANY fly copper win tell you that there is
something characteristic about the ap-
pearance of every thief. And it's only
good sense to believe it.
'sIf man spends his whole time study
ing thieves faces, haunts and habits, he's
bound to get the thing down pretty fine
If he has anything of head on him. /
dent say that you can pick top notcher
Ia CON man or bunko sharp-out of
q crowd, because he's mighty smart
man, and his whole business is to de-
ceive people by his appearance and man.
ner; but you take pickpocket or sneak
and You can get on to him in crowd
nearly every time, provided, of course,
that you've got every reason to believe
that there is such man in the crowd
and you're looking for him.
There's something about the eyes
particularly that every common thief l
ever saw had. Then they nearly all
have dissipated look. That's because
they're nearly all dissfpated. A thief