The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-01
FEMALE PICKPOCKETs.
They Are Meaner and More Remorsc-
less Than Men.
From the Pittsburg News.


From the Pittsburg News.
"a woman pckpocket is a meaner thief
than man in the same line, said De-
tectve Thomas McQuaide "a man Is.
usually looking for a pocket that Is worth
while picking and one that will not miss
what is taken, but with a woman il is DIFF
ferent. She plies her calling AMONG women
who can i'll afford to lose dollar. The fe-
male pickpocket hangs around the market
houses, large stores, and places of that
sort She as constituencies She will steal
the purse of poor woman who is buying
food for her family, perhaps, take from
her a weeks income and leave the fam
lily in want for that period The profes,
sional female pickpocket win do more She
may find in the purse She steals a few
trinkets Of triflng value, a pin or a loeket
containing a lock of hair, a chld's ring
worn maybe by a little one that Is dead
worthless to her, but priceless to the OWL
er. She will Immediately take the money
and throw the purse and the trinkets down
the nearest sewer opening, where they
are lost forever Money cannot be identi-
fed, the purse and the trinkets could.
II recall with satisfaction an incident In
which a female pickpocket figured. She
stole the purse of a poor old wamon, and
/ arrested her shortly after the act She
had disposed Of the purse before / got
her. There had been about 81 in cash in IL
and a small piece Of jewelry that belong
ed to a dead child of the woman. The
poor woman would have willingly given
the thief the money in the purse and more
for the return Of the keepsake, but it was
lost to her beyond recovery.
II worked up q fair case against the
pickpocket. / got her in court, did my
best 10 convict her, but because the purse
was not found Ia her possession she was
acquitted sympathy for a woman had
much to do with the verdict, but there
was no sympathy for the woman who had
been robbed. 1t was with great regret
that ] saw the pickpocket walk out of the
court room free.
an the corridor she met one of the
Jurors He smiled and she walked up 20
him and thanked him for the verdict. He
assured her that that was unnecessary,
for he never for moment doubted her
innocence. That evening he reported to
the front Office the loss Of his gold watch.
The woman had picked his pocket while
thanking him for acquitting her. She
got away from us.
"A female pckpocket I had recently
was boarding in a house down on Ninth
street She would say grace before every
meal and she went to church at every OPP
portunity Her arrest was announced as
an outrage by the family with whom she
boarded. They believed her to be ie-
Iigious woman. Her home is in Ireland,
Her husband runs a small store there. She
makes regular trips to the United States
FOR The purpose of picking pockets, shop
lifting. and opening satchels. She had
with her when we arrested her blank
drafts on an English bank. She sent her
stedlings regularly TO her husband in Ire
land She operates almost entirely among
poor women. Jurors have so much mis-
placed sympathy when a woman is the
prisoner that it is difficult to convict them
yet a professional female thief is the
meanest OF all thieves"