The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-09
FEMALE PiCKPoCKETs.
Meaner and More RemOrseIess Thar
Men Thieves In That Line.

Meaner and More RelnorseIess Than
Men Thieves I'm That Line.
From the Pittsburg News.
"A woman pickpocket is a meaner
thief than a man in the same line"
said Detective 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 it is different She plies
her calling among women who can ill
afford to lose a dollar. The female
pickpOcket hangs around the market
houses, large stores and places of that
sort. She is constituencies. She will
steal the purse of a poor woman who
is buying food for her family, per-
haps take from her a weeks income
and leave the family in want for that
period, The professional female pick
pocket will do more. She may find In
the purse she steals few trinkets Of
trifiing value, pin or locket contain
ing lock. of hair, a child's ring, worn
maybe by little one that is dead
worthless to her, but priceless to the
owner. She will Immediately take the
money and throw the purse and the
trinkets down the nearest sewer open
ing, where they are lost forever. Money
cannot be identified; the purse and the
trinkets could
81 recall with satisfaction an Incl
dent IN which a female pickpocket fig
ured. She stole the purse of a poor
old woman, and I arrested her shortly
after the act. She had disposed of the
purse before 1 got her There had
been about ST in cash in it and small
piece of jewelry that belonged to
dead child Of the woman The poor
woman would have willingly given the
theft the money in the purse and more
for the return of the Keepsake, but it
was lost to her beyond recovery.
Il worked up a fair case against the
pickpocket. I got her Fin court. did NV
best to convict her. but because the
purse was not found in her possession
she was acquitted. Sympathy for a
woman had much to do with the YER
dict, but there. was no sympathy for
the woman who had been robbed. 1t
was with great regret that I saw the
pickpocket walk out Of the court room
free.
In the corridor she met one of the
jurors. He smiled, and she walked
up to him and thanked him for the
verdict He assured her that that was
unnecessary, for he never for mo-
ment 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 u.s.
"a female pickpocket 1 had recently
was boarding in a house down on
Ninth street. She would say grace be-
fore every meal and she went to
church al every opportunity. Her ar
rest was announced as an outrage by
the family with whom she boarded.
Ihey believed her to be religious
woman Her shome is in Ireland. Her
husband runs a small store there. She
makes regular, trips to the United
states for. the purpose OF picking pock-
cts, shopliftfng and opening satcheIs.
She had with her when we arrested
her blank drafts on an English bank.
She sent her steaiings regularly to her
husband in Ireland. She operates al
most entirely among poor women.
jurors have SO much misplaced sym :
pathy when woman is the prisoner
that it is difficult to convict them. vet
professional female thief is the
meanest Of all thieves