The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1892-07-09
sANDBAes NOT IN VOGUE.
Tho Modern Methods Used by Highway
men In Robbing Victims.


men In Robbing Victims.
"You hear great deal about sand
bagging just now," said central sta
ton detective. ''The sandbag is no
longer used by a professional criminal;
there are better ways of robbing man
than by knocking HIM over the head
with weapon which, if found on the
possessor, would make it pretty hard
for him to escape the rough hand of the
law
"The sandbag, anyhow, is an ancient
weapon. If the pounding into insensi-
bility is desired billy is far handler
than sandbag. Nowadays the crooks
carry as few evidences of their calling
as possible. A vast number of them go
entirely unarmed. AS for the highway.
men, many of them have neither re-
volver nor billy when pursuing their
peculiar business.
"The old, old system Of garroting is
the favorite method in vogue, and this
is invested with certain modern de-
tails. The victim, instead of being
pounded into insensibility and hurt so
as to be permanently disabled, is left
with temporary feeling of distress,
while the safety of the highwayman is
assured as it was under the old plan
The modern highwaymen travel in
twos, threes or fours. Usually they go
in pairs. 1t is late at night we'll say.
A street is almost deserted. "A pedes-
trian hurries along. He sees ahead of
him two men walking slowly, almost
side by side. Perhaps they stagger a
little, as if intoxicated. AS the fellow
in hurry nears them they separate to
let him pass between. When you see
this move you can gamble the fellows
arc highwaymen. AS our friend
passes between them the nearest
him throws an arm deity under
his chin and the grip on his
throat prevents any outcry. The other
| fellow punches him in the bread basket.
| You know how man feels when he's
| hit in the stomach. In minute they have
riaed his pockets, have disappeared,
and the victim, ydazed and distressed. is
| lying on the ground recovering from the
| shock.
| with an occasional variation to suit
| circumstances this is the favorite
method of the ehighwaymen A few try
the plan of holding revolver under a
mans nose. Some still use the billy,
sneaking up to their victim from be-
hind. But they are bunglers. If two
men are walking ahead of you, or are
coming toward you, and separate to let
| You pass between them, don't pass.
Take the middle of the streetand be pre-
pared to run.
"When highwaymen travel in fours
they work this way: The quartet stand
at q corner waiting for victim. They
see him in the distance approaching.
Two of the crooks walk ahead. The
pedestrian, unconscious of danger,
walks after them. Behind him fall in
the other two robbers. The man is
surrounded-two crooks half block
ahead of him, two half block behind.
This procession is kept up till favor.
able spot is reached. The men ahead
slacken their pace. The men behind
hasten. The victim is hemmed in.
The chances are that,he will meet with
violence for these fellows are desperate.
They use revolver or billy and drag
their victim into an alley if one is near
1t is a bad trap to fall into.
ga man who is held up generally
doesn't care about the valuables he
loses SO much as the slugging. Some
highwaymen are unnecessarily brutal
but the expert'resorts to no needless vio
lence. Chicago Tribune.