The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-23
CAREER OF MINNIE DAILY.
MOST BEAUTTFUL CRIMINAL IN HER
LINE KNOWN TO THE POLICE.

Against Her-Exhibitions of Her
sISiiI-Her Trip to the Queens Ju-
biIee.
From The Chicago Inter Ocean.
A few days ago there was buried in Chi
cago woman named Minnie DAILY, whose
funeral was attended by no fewer than
2Coo persons Tt was a gathering in which
no mans watch was safe. Most of the
expert hold-up men, second-story thieves,
picl-pockets, confidence men, counterfeit
ers' shopiifters and general crooks who in
fest Chicago were present at the final Ger
cmouies over one who had been The peer of
the best-or worst-of them in crime Not
only the police, but the fraternity of
crooks themselves say, that Minnie DAILY
had the highest finger and the coolest
nerve Of any man or woman who have
ever made living in this country by the
art of she gentle touch"-in other words,
That she was the most skillful pickpocket
in the American annals of crime
From what circumstances Minnie Daily
descended TO her career is not clearly
known, for she who was so ready to talk
of her exploits maintained an unbroken
silence as 10 her origin and early life. 1t
is said that she was the unacknowledged
child Of a well-known gambler and a sun
better-known actress, and that her early
childhood was carefully looked after until
she developed evil traits. Certainly she
had some education and was more delicate
in her tastes than those with whom she
consorted, but just as certainly she was
born criminal Her first appearance up
on the criminal records was in 1888, when
she could net have been more than 10
years old. 1t was the first and last time
in d career of varied risks that she was so
fairly caught at her business of picking
pocket as TO make "A conviction possible.
Il was young at il then" she used to
say of Ihis episode. Just as l had the
ticker out my elbow turned and the guy
had me by The wrist with his chain hang
ing from my hand"
The guy was merchant of whom she
had been asking directions at a railroad
station One year in Joliet penitentiary
was her sentence for this JOB and she
came Out eager 10 resume her shifty trade
Unfortunately, Minnie has left no auto
biography so details of her rise in the
profession are 10 be had only from the
general lore Of crime, and il is silent as
wear
following. one thing is knOwn-that she
did moi join ''mob'-one of those associa-
tons of pickpOckets who work from city to
city in some degree of connivance, and in
cases of arrest stand by to furnish bail,
provide legal aid, or even corrupt a jury
In the interest of their companion At
that time women We're not highly thought
of as mob" members, and it is more
than likely thai the girl, even with her
growing reputation, would have been I'M
able to join such an organization had she
desired to do so, and there is no reason
from her later course to believe that she
rad leanugs in that direction.
Where she got the money to start in life
anew after her release from Joliet is an
! other dark point though her name was
connected with that of a Chicago politi-
clan of evil repute. At any rate, she re-
turned to Chicago, set up a quiet little es-
| Establishment of her own, dressed well went
- the theaters and other places OF amuse-
ment and carried herself so circumspectfy
that her landlord supposed her to be q
well-paid employe of a department store
and a most respectable young person.
Some knowledge of the great stores she
had, for much of her work was done In
them, and she was not above adding to
| her resources by an occasional dab at
shOplifling, though she always said that
the returns in that line were inadequate
to the risks. Every store detective in the
city came TO know her as crook; not one
of them ever succeeded in catching her.
1t was a cash girl who came nearest to
getting hor, but the pickpockets ready wit
saved her then, ii did many times there
after. She had substituted her own pocket
! book for that of a woman who had laid
one on the counter while making a pur.
! chase and the little cash girl saw her
do il. All in excitement, she ran forward (:
tine criminal saw her and held out the
stolen purse to its owner
Pardon me- she said calmly; 81 think
took your purse in mistake for mine"
That was all ihere was to it. The cash
girl vehemently declared that it was a
case of theft, but there was no proof and
nothing could he done. Thereafter when
Minnie Daily visited that store a detec-
/ tive followed her about everywhere, and
this gave her great delight, 50 much so
that she made a practice of doing her
shopping at that place. Her presence of
mind in embarrassing situations was pow
erfully assisted by her appearance. OF
her, as She looked at that time, a Chicago
police officer says:
Il have seldom seen a more frank ex-
preston or more honest face than hers
1t was the finest outfit imaginable for a
crook She had light brown hair, wide,
clear blue eyes a rather square and de-
cidedy pretty face, and a certain style of
her own in dress and appearance. See her
out on the street and you'd take her for
"A respectable girl of good circumstances.
She never looked fast, and guess for a
woman who was on the crook she kept
herself pretty particular. l don't know
how many times we've arrested her, but
we never could get evidence TO convict her.
so we finally let her alone"
In 1891 Minnie DAILY took TO attending
public dances of decent character. such
as balls given by the political associations,
and it was an off night for her when she
did not bring back with her at least one
diamond usually a stud. 1t was her
boast that she could unscrew stud from
a man shirt front while she was talking
to him and MOI give him a suspicion of
what was going on literally under his
| very nose. A young Sport of a somewhat
| prominent family, who met her at one of
| these dances, and escorted her home aft
erward had her arrested on a charge OF
| stealing a gold watch and chain. "a da-