Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-05-10
sAnpeAos OUT OF VOGUE.


The Modern uiehwaymas Considers
Thcm Too Antlquntcd' for Use.
you hear a great deal about
'sandhagging' just now said u Cen.
trail station detective. "'rhe sand.
bug Is no longer used by a profcs.
tional criminal; there aro better
ways OF robbing a man than 10y
knocking him over the head with "a
weapon which. If found on the pos.
SCISSOR. would make it pretty bard
for him to exoapo tho rough hand OF
the law.
"The sandbag, anyhow, is an an.
Gent weapon If the pounding into
inscnsibfiiy Of a victim Is desired q
billy is far handler than a sandbag.
Nowadays the crooks carry as few
evidences of their calling as possible.
a vast number OF them go entirely
unarmcd. As for the highwaymcn,
many Of them have neither revolver
nor billy when pursuing their pccul.
iar business.
"Tho old, old system Of gurroting
Is the favorite method In vogue, and
this is invested with certain modern
details The victim, instead of being
pounded into inscnsibility and hurt
20 as TO be permanently disabled, Is
LETT with temporary feeling Of dis.
tres. while the safety Of the high.
wayincn l. as assured as Il was under
the old plan The modern highway
men travel In twos, threca or fours.
Usually they go In pairs, It is late
at night, wen say. A street is al.
most deserted. a pedestrian hurries
along. io sees ahead of him two
men, walking slowly, almost side by
side.
AS tho fellow In "A hurry nears
them they separate to let him pass
between. When you see this move
made you can gamble the fellows arc
highwaymcn. A. our friend passes
between them the man nearest him
throws an arm deity under his chin,
and the grip ON his throat prevents
any cutlery The other fellow
punches him in tho bread basket.
You know how man feels when
he's hit IN the stomach. In minute
they have riiled his pockets. have
disappeared, and the victim, dnzcd
ana distressed, Is lying on the ground
recovering from the shock.
with an occasional variation Ia
suit circumstances this is the favortc
method Of the highwaymen A few
try the plan of holding a revolver
under q mans nose, Some still use
the billy, sneal;ing up TO their VIC
tim from behind. But they ar
bunglcrs. II two men are walking
ahead Of you, or are coming toward
you, and separate 10 let you pass be
tween them, don't pass. Take the
middle OF the street and he prepared
90 run.
when highwaymen travel IN
fours they work this way. Tile quar-
let stands ut a corner waiting Tor q
victim. They see him In the distance
approaching. Two Of the crook,
walk ahead The pedestrian, uncon
scious Of danger, walks after them
Behind him fall in theother two rob
bers. Tho man Is surrounded-twC
crooks half a block ahead Of him, tw,
half q block behind. Thisprocessior
Is Kept up till u favorable spot /.
reached. The men ahead Stacker
their pace. Tie men behind hasten
The victim IS hcmmed In. III,
chances are that he viii meet will
violence, for these fellows are des
perate. They use u revolver or billy
and drag their victim into an alley Il
one is near 1t is bad trap to fal
into.
"A man who is held up generally
doesn't care about the valuables Ii,
loses so much as about the smuggling
Some highwaymen are unnecessarily
brutal; the expert resorts TO no need
less violence. Chicago Tribune.