The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-21

F said that some Of these lfEhf-fugereT gen
I tlemer have slcl ski u ils hand tnal
f operating as described through the pro-
tecung coat. they are able 10 md and
empty a WOmau5s pocket az their leisure.
Ati me lp-lo-late s1opnILer, usually 2
woman, mas methods OF ner own % meet
new conditions and the greater watchful-
ness exercised against her. The clumsy
bags worn Under cloak have long since
skirt Wdlch is really a bag encircliug the
Wuole body, or the pocket umbrella. ad-
mirable for small articles. and allowed 70
ltns most conveniently from the coun-
Ter while the lady iuspecfs what r. shown
ner ana a1stracting what takes her fancy,
drops u into the open mouth Then there
any desired object Of small dimensions,
Waereupon said object disappears-
Since vaults have been so generally pro-
tectel by network OF wires hidden in
the woodwork around them. and since the
system OF all night electric signals sent ny
one OF two Watchmen has been generally
introduced. the occupation Of the oid-time
bank robDer has gone. 10 a great extent.
the most approved methods against banks
today being those of the expert sneak
thief OF OF men who work In collision
with some one employed by. the bank.
Criminals, as well as mOraEsts, realize
that there Is no electric device so deli
cate as 10 indicate the honesty or dis
honesty OF a Waterman, a clerk or a cash
Ter As 70 the sneak thieves. they no
longer attempt the time-honOred trick Of
the lady at the door In carriage who
wishes to see the president, but they 10
conspire against the paying teller. in spite
Of the brass cage than envelOps him, and
while one or two plausible gentlemen en-
gage him in conversation through the
window, the other has been known to
extract a package Of 500 bills, drawn
through the openings OF the cage with the
help OF a cane furnished at one end with
a spring clutch. This trick IS possible, but
not easy.
OF recent years the awkward heavy tools
that burglars used at one time in breaking
safes, have been replaced by folding
and wonderfully compact OUTFIT, that may
be easily carried unObserved about the
person. And hotel thieves need no other
stock Ia trade than the vest pocket Jim
my" no larger than a thick lead pencil,
which IS abundantly sufficient for OPEN
ing bureau drawers and jewel cases.
Another modern tool Is the safe rip
per, now In high favor, for its simplicity
and wonderful efficiency. II Is an iron
loop which is adjusted over the knob
and combination Of the safe, and which,
with proper leverage, tears out the
whole thing, leaving the safe defense
less.
A remarkable instance Of sagacity in
criminals is reported by Dr. Henry Smith
Williams OF a patient whom he examined
at Matteawan asylum. The criminal In
question was only temporarily connned
at the asylum, and save for single
hallucinatiOn, was perfectly sane. DR..
Williams talked frequently with him and
drew from him many interesting details
of the conduct of his profession, which
was that Of a confidence man. The lat
ter declared, in one conversation, that
he did not regard the Sherlock Holmes
stories as exaggerated or particularly
wonderful, but that on the contrary an
accomplished confidence man had Ito be
almost as keen as a judge Of human
nature and as apt at drawing differences
as DR.. Doyles character.
One day one Of the attending physicians,
in conversation with the prisoner, asked
IL he never made a mistake in sizing up
his man. The prisoner replied Never.
Let me study a man half an hour, or
even less, and l can tell whether / can
work him or not, absolutely. 1 can grasp
his peculiarlties, ! will know where he
keeps his money and whether 1t will be
easy for me to get 1t away from him or
not"
can You tell me about myself?'
"Oh, nothing IN particular" the priso-
ner replied, because l never studied you.
But then" he added, Il can tell you a
little. For example, you always keep your
money in your left hand trousers pocket.
1t is loose and you keep nothing else
there" Asked how he had guessed this,
the guess being correct the prisoner re-
piled: well. when in your rounds Of the
wards I have noticed that you go into all
other pockets If you happen to want a
pencil or piece of paper or anything like
that, and from the fact that you never
go into your left hand trousers pockets. 1
concluded that you keep your money there
and nothing else. l can see that II is
loose, as purse would show.
For another thing" the prisoner went
on, lin your inner vest pocket you have a
little case Of some kind. / do not know
just what It is-it is not pocketbook, but
Il Is valuable and contains something that
you think a good deal Of"
The physician owned up that the case
was there and that it contained a picture
of his sweetheart.
DR.. Williams adds regarding this indivi-
dual that he was as proud of his skill as
a confidence men as an ordinary man
would be OF any valuable accomplishment,
and took quite as much delight in the
practice OF his profession"
In attempting to explain such a type,
Dr. Williams adds that it is simply the
outcome of an innate popularity, an in
born bent, which makes such a man spend
his time thinking up schemes and ways
to bunco people, Just as other men will
plan and work to succeed in business, pol
tiles, literature or the like.