The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-01-11
'KErcHUM, IDAHO SATURDAY. JANUARY II, 1896.
A FAMOUS THIEF.

a FAMOUS THIEF.
An English Pickpooket Who Was
King OF His Kind.
He Estahaished Thieves Trust in Eng
Aad, Of which He Was Presi-
aent-Incidents Of His
Career.
The ex-king of pickpockets in Lon
don, Mr.. Joseph VALLEY, has just died
of pneumonia at the age of So years,
10 Of which he spent from time to time
in jail. Like grand old-time mon
arch, he had several wives; at least
seven nre known to have constituted
his better half. His family, of course,
was extremely numerous, but he didn't
bother himself much about looking
after them. He was born at South
a1npton, and commenced to practice
his profession at the age of ten. He
was then engaged almost exclusively
in the handkerchief department, but
lie progressed rapidly, and was soon
promoted to the branch of jcwelry and
rocket-books When he was about IS
years old he was president Of the first
pickpocket trust ever formed in Eng
land.
Mrs. Valley, his mother, was good
and religious woman, and when her bad
son, Joe, was sent to Jail for the first
time she died of grief Joe cried bit
terly over the loss of his mother, but
soon dried his tears and resumed his
old vocation. He became tired of
Southampton and started for the cap
ital. On his way to London he was at
tackled by footpads. He pitched into
them and killed one, but they finally
succeeded in robbing him, and he ar
rived in London penniless. Six months
after his arrival there he found him.
self, as he said, "in comfortable cir
cumstances." He had now the means
of extending his operations. He found
ed and directed for several years a
band of robbers in different lines, in
Guiding burglars, footpads, pickpock-
cts and sneak-thieves, that were the
terror of the suburbs of London.
Most of Valleys companions were
captured and sent to jail, but he for a
long time managed to hide himself
from the police. On one occasic (. he
jumped into the Thames, and the
morning papers came out the next day
with an account of his suicide. But
VALLEY was an all-round athlete, and
swimming was one OF his notable ac-
complishments. So he reappeared at
Cravesend, where he was the most suc-
cessful blackmailer on record. This
new branch of his profession amused
him most, because he did not know be-
fore he took it up that there were SO
many fools in the world as there really
are. What he termed his very simplest
tricks brought him large revenues.
The trust was extended until it had
members in nll the principal cities in
England, and VALLEY was still king,
except during the interregnum that
followed any one of his numerous con-
victions. At last, when he became
rich, he began to think of retiring from
business and living peaceably upon his
hard-earned money.
His mind took a religious twist, prob
ably an inheritance from his mother
One Sunday morning, while wandering
through Victoria park, he noticed q
large crowd gathered around a stand
from which colored man was preach
/ ing. The colored man was Celestin
Edwardy With the oid-time instinct
of a p;ckpoclet, VALLEY at first thought
he would work the crowd, but he
simply worked his way near enough tc
/ the preacher to be able to listen to his
words; and he did listen with the
1 greatest attention. He became moved
/ and tears rolled down his cheeks. Then
4 and there he confessed his sins-no
small affair. Without speaking of his
| ephemcral transgressions, such as his
seven or eight marriages, VALLEY had
amassed fortune of about $100,0c(
by active practice in all the various
branches of his profession.
| Upon the question of restitution
linked to his repentance the records ara
silent. But at all events he got re-
ligion, and got it bad, as his pals used
to say He turned preacher, and was
considered one of the most eloquent
among the lurid orators of the open
air religious meetings in London. He
became as great favorite among the
good and righteous as he had beer
among the bad and ungodly. A great
4 tllrong attended his funeral, and II
| that throng, by way of honoring the
dead, the pickpockets were present
! Y IL