Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-01-19
THE FACE OF A CROOK
WHY 1T IS THAT A THIEF is GEN.
ERALLY DETECTED.

Iarks About fiis Countouancr or Ahout
ni Appearance Hhat iuc,liabis lie
tray Him 90 omcs,. 81 the iaw.
"poiice! Pofeel WLer'a the polico'
Some thiors stolen my pockoihook!
a tall. bearded aud excited country.
man yelled ont those words in the GRIND
Central depot ono morning some months
ago Tho alarm created the usual oX-
element which follows the announce.
ment Of n robbery in crowd. Some of
the stream Of arriving md departing
travellers stopped In their places TO has.
tily ascertain whether or not their own
wallets were safe Others crowded
around tho counlTymnn IN eager curios.
ity to hear what be- had 10 say Some
of the chemically cautious hurried their
steps a triiio from the scene VI trouble
and looked back somewhat foarfully at
the big policeman who was elbowing
his way vigorously toward the center Of
the crowd.
Any ono Of the scoro Of people who did
not stop might he the thif. The rob
berry had Just "cume OIL, for the corn-
tryman had set mp his outcry the mo-
ment his wallet was icrkcd by some
mysterious force from his fingers. Now,
In all this confusion Of hdrrying people.
how was suspicion TO DO pointed toward
any particular nau! Ono would say
impossible" Bat one would be wrong.
A plainly dressed man. with sharp,
black oycs who had been standing in
the door Of tho restaurant when tm cry
Of robbery went up, stepped quietly out
Of the doorway and turned his keen eyes
in series % quick Chances 10 right AMI
left He did not once loUl. 70 the couu.
trynnn or the little crowd around him,
but ia ton seconds he had scanned with
lightning rapiiity the face " every per-
son who was Walking awny. a mddcn
look, rs though " recognition, and hn
walked quickly, unhoitatingly toward u
rather wcll dressed man who WA carry
ing small yal,se mp the stairway. lio
overlook him at ,he top Of the stairs and
tappcd him on the shoulder.
"You are my prisoner ho said.
The thief was found,
WHY iiE WAS RECOGNIZED
How did the detective know himy That
isa complex question To answer. Nat
ural instinct " an order Unbiased In
human psychology Is what makes Ito
detective. A fox hound has g. and 10
makes tho dog hunt foxes and iind them
and catch inom wh,rsother dogs would
tail inpdOntly ur through lnyl, OF clort
II this Instinct wa. lacking In tho man
Lc would boz no detective. Tie would
not only lack ability VA thief catching,
but would have no disposition 10 go into
the business.
This instinct which tomrts him into
his di7tastciul and often pUfliuus call.
ing h Developed by oXpuuonrc and ob.
scryg,iun and constant study until Il be.
comes almost ,upgrnmucrm sense.
lie knows u thief whou no see. him, II
1t Is for tho hr,t time. It sounds i'm.
possible doesn't ~ But II has been
proved hundreds Of times.
Physiugnomy has something To- do with
&; n fund Of knowledge OF the tricks and
devices Of the escaping rohbor, u az
perception Of tiny details which lead
suspicion. Representatives, 10 Il
hiuis Of circumstance, all 90 10 make
the professional instinct o. the detective.
But the most powerful element Of all.
aud hat which I'll serve but torc-cnforce.
y the inysiefious soT, of animal magnet.
ism when tells a deteotiye-a genuine
dc,cruye-that thiri's thioC
Tie man who was arrested IN the
Grmd Central depot WIS aftcrwHrd
proved 10 be n professional pckpockot.
He made n bold from, when the detective
asked him for q moments convor alton
and became highly indignant before the
cause Of his detention wiz told This Il
tho mistake which noarly every petty
thief makes Tho countrymgn8 wallet
was found on him, and witnesses re-
membcred having seen tho thief walk
ont Of tho crowd and pick up his yalise
just before the cry of robbery wns raised.
They would never have remembered the
circumstance II tho detective had not
stopped the thief rs he was escaping.
now 4 TiuHF IS PICKED OUT.
allow do pick ont THEIR said one
Of the cleyerest detectives NJ police head.
| quarters IN response TO a question.
"Well, there's u whole lot Of things that
holp a man to pick out a thief, but it's
bard TO just soy In words what they are.
Any fly copper will toll you that there ia
something characteristic about this up.
pearanco Of every thief. And it's only
good sense TO believe 1t.
'lf a man spends his whole time study.
ing thieves o., hAunts and habits. he's
bound Ia le thing down pretty fno
II he has ming Of head on him.
don't say At you can pick top notoher
"A con man or bunko sharp-out Of
n crowd, because he's mighty smart
, man, and his whole business Is TO de,
oaivo pcopio 10y hia appearance and mrn.
nor; but you take piokpocket or sneak,
and you can 10, on to him IN crowd
nearly every time, provided, of course,
That you've got every reason 10 believe
that there 1. suoh man in tho crowd
and you're looking for him.
"There's something about the oycs
particularly that every common thief
ever saw had. Then they nearly all
have u dissipated look. That's because
they're nearly all dissipatod. \ thief
VIII run chances OF getting ten years to
get money, and then will go and spend IL
as II had u million. never know u
common thief that didn't have some bad
habit besides stealing. llalf Of EN- hit
tie pipe or take drugs In some form; a
great many aro 'booltrs, and most OF
Thorn are the victims of somo worse de-
prauty. '-Cincinnati Enquirer.
NNHN.