The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-16

would be difficult for the most light-fin-
gercd man to fitch YOU of Dortemannaie
when you were getting damned into n
car on the Brooklyn bridge, nor would
II be easy for him to work when in the
car, because it is too crowded at such
rush hours. When you get out, say on
the Brooklyn side, as the half dozens
streams Of human beings split up i'm many
directions. that is his opportunity. Gen
mates who help him, and il is the artfuI
dodger and the Charley Bates over and
over again.. Accidentally some one butts
into you and asks your pardon" while an
other man will tell you what IAN outrage
II is to be so hustled about" and then
the trick is done. The greater jostle OF
the one man who was the catapult quite
obliterates the little tumble of the other
man, who has gone to the bottom of your
pocket man who carries In his port
monnaie anything more than his card case
or his address book or his memoranda de-
serves to be robbed.
When three sturdy and aggressive
thieves combine and have pluck, and a
street is not OVer-thTonged. they may cas-
lily rife man, and he cannot help himself
There are three rascals in the job and
practice has made them perfect. Thief
No l is little in advance of thief No.
,. and No. is to his right about three
feet behind him, but both facing the vic
tim. Thief No. is walking i'm the same
direction as is the man to be robbed. but
not directly behind him, a trihe to the
right. Then the No. l and No. > are in
front, and No to the back of the victim
The No. in front of him, and the No.
3 behind him pass each an arm un-
der the arms of the man to he robbed
They hold him by the suddenness of their
movement as in vice The principal
thief, with both arms free, could kill the
victim if he pleased. He is satisfied with
passing all the property on the person or
in the pockets of the man who is so caught
into his own pockets. If necessary, with
the assistance of the man in front the vic
tim can be thrown but this is rarely done.
Just for the joke of the thing it is
said that certain Of these rascals in New
York, having perfected themselves. took
off a mans nose his steel-rimmed specta-
cles, and then, with a contemptuous
laugh, threw them back to him. BelieV-
ing themselves to be past masters in the
trick. this same gang worked 1T for some
time in the west, but became short of
money just as they wanted to take a
train out Of Chicago. There they spotted
a man at the hotel who showed a we'll
garnshed wallet. 1t was asceFtained that
he was to take the same train as them
selves, and more than that the intended
victim had made up his mind to walk to
the station. 1t was in a suburb of Chi
CagO, where certain dark and narrow
lane is to be crossed. The trick was tried,
and no resistance was offered 1t was so
far an apparently easy job. The wallet
was snatched and the three thieves ran
for it. Just then the victim on his knees
made some of the prettiest pistol practice
on record breaking the leg of the princi-
pal thief and lodging a bullet in the neck
of the other The intended victim turned
out to be Montana sheriff, as cool as
a cucumber and the only dispara ging re-
mark he made was to say:
Just to think, now. that never put a
shot into the third man. He scudded
quicker nor a coyote. I'm most ashamed
to face the boys at home after that. Sure
". L amt as spry as I used to was"
Sometimes the stories of these French
knaves have their amusing side. There
was wedding party in a little country
town near Paris. The bride. the BRIDE
groom and their respective families were
wel-to-do people. Certain thieves, thor
oughly posted as to the surroundings had
introduced confederates in both the
houses of the father of the bride and the
mother of the groom. During a some
what protracted ceremony a the church
both houses of the parents of the young
couple We're riied. Even the silver which
bedecked the wedding breakfast and all
the handsome presents to the bride had
disappeared. There was no repast then
for the invited guests.
Let us at least go to our new home.
dearest" said the bridegroom. "There we
Will lind happiness and forget all these
minor troubles"
And the two went on their way to that
home the new husband had prepared with
such care. The thieves had executed a
triple trick. A comedy in three acts with
the final climax; The nest of the lovers
had been looted, too. If the absolute
facts in the case were not cited it might
be believed that the whole of the story
had been pure invention.