Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-08-27

New York Morning Telegram.
1.-THE sharpest and shrewdest class OF
criminals that the police of the present
day have to deal with are the profess
sional pickpockets, or dips, as they are
known among themselves said my
friend, the criminal.
THAT any person, man or woman,
could walk between two men and take
a watch from each while passing along
would seem impossible, and yet the
Shevlin boys, of Chicago, and countless
Others from New York to San Fran
cisco. have been known to do this many
times. One peculiar thing noticeable
in the profession is that male pick
pockets go through men and women IN
discriminatory, while dips of the fe-
male sex confine their operations en-
tisely to the sterner sex.
CROWDS AID CROOKS.
"a large crowd OF excited men and
women. such as always congregates
around a fire or the scene OF an acct
dent, is the pickpocket's paradise.
Here, with his pals, for he very seldom
travels alone, he pushes his way toward
the center of the crowd and commences
operations, his pals keeping very near
ly in line, one behind the other. Should
the intended victim be lady, the lead
err crowds up close to her and common
ces tanning or feeling for her pocket.
Having located this, he determines II
it contains purse; if it does, he gives
his pals the nudge. Then he pulls the
skirt out slightly SO as not to touch
the body and begins 'rifting' the pock-
ct; in other words turning the pocket
inside out. The professional dip does
not touch the purse at all, but simply
keeps pulling the pocket upward until
the leather falls out in his hand.
Just as soon as he secures the purse,
or whatever it may be, he at once
passes it to the man behind him, who
in turn, passes it to the next, until in
less than half minute the stolen
property is in the possession of per-
son probably twenty feet away from
the victim Should the victim become
aware of her loss, suspicion would nat
urally fall on those near her; those are
the men usually placed under arrest,
but the stolen property is not found
once in a hundred times.
POCKET. PURSE, AND ALL.
whenever pickpockets work in
gangs, as they do when following a cir
Gus or a campaign speaker, this is a
method they always use. If dip
happens to be caught in the act, you
can bet dollars to doughnuts that he is
surrounded by his pals, who, always
well dressed, cannot be distinguished
from the rest of the crowd.
"AlI pickpockets who make special
ty of victimizing women carry short
bladed and very sharp knives If they
experience too much trouble in finding
the entrance to a woman's pocket,
they simply locate the pocket by feel
ingycut slit in the skirt, reach in and
cut off the entire pocket, carrying of
the purse, pocket. and all.
20
probably the most skillful pickpockets
in the world SO far as taking watches
and all kinds of jewelry worn on the
person is concerned Even finger rings
do not escape their notice.
Having picked out some man stand
ing quietly in a crowd, the dip takes
his position directly in front of him, and
his pals, if he has any, line up in front
Of the leader He then quietly puts his
hands behind his back and proceeds as
follows:
First, he very cautiously opens the
bottom buttons of the unsuspecting
mans vest, and lifts the vest away
from the body. He tries to unsnap
the chain, and if he succeeds, passes
the watch ahead. If he cannot unsnap
1t he breaks the chain, or takes watch,
chain, and all.
PILFERING EN- ROUTE.
ITO take a watch from man moving
along is an entirely different matter.
and the Shevlins were the first pick
pockets ever known successfully to
perform this act. A dip with the air
of a country greenhorn stumbles
against his man, and before either has
recovered equilibrium he has the watch
and a few inches of the chain. This
apparently accidental stumble creates
rather queer effect upon the victims
nervous system. If you approach one
of your friends and slap him on the
shoulder or fall against him so as to
touch only the upper part of his body,
all the nerves seem to concentrate their
sensibility at the point where you
strike him, and for few seconds the
sense of feeling is not very keen in
any other part of the body 1t is dur
inc thnco four cooonJc tbof +bo ,rafac