The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1899-10-24

steal" His first ambition, as he naive
ly admits was to become an expert in
all forms of crime; but he quickly re-
allied that life was much too short
Tor this purpose, and finding that he
was born pickpocket," he deter
mined to confine himself to this form
OF art.
There are thousands of pickpock-
cts, Fernandez says, "but very few
artists 1t requires many years of
study and practice to become an artist
even when man has all the natural
qualifications, as | have"
With such an ambition and such an
equipment 1t is little wonder that Fer
nandez is to-day the despair alike Of
ms fellow-pickpockets and of the DO
nee OF two continents. Fernandez,
VINO Is delightfully."- frank about his art
tas nearly all sorts of pickpockets are)
mas described some of his metbods
which it Is to the interest of honest
folk to know.
The actual picking of a pocket be
says, is the least part OF clever pick
pockets work. The true test of his
skill is the planning of the crime and
the handling of the victim. Fernandez
works with gang of four men, includ-
ing himself, and his tours are arranged
with all the care and precision OF
travelling company of actors. the route
taking him wherever there are fairs
exhibitions or great gatherings Of peo-
pie. or the gang, one who is known as
the tool" does the actual picking of
the pockets; the remaining three men
VINO are known as stalls" manipulate
the victim and help and cover the
TOOL In his work. According to this
artist, ninety-nine men in every bun-
dred carry their money either in their
teft-hand trousers pocket or inside tha
waistcoat. The true artist can not
only tell at glance the man who is
carrying much money, but in which OF
these two receptacles he carries II ~
the victim carries his money IN HE
trousers pocket one OF the "stalIsn
brushes past him with Beg pardon
sir; ALLOW me to pass" and gently
raises his left arm. At that instant the
TOOL turns the pocket inside out. an
nexes the money and replaces the
pocket, while the two remaining
stalls" are hustling the victim on thu
right side and distractins his attention
II the money is carried in the inside
or the waistcoat the tool takes up a
position in front OF the victim, who Is
pushed hard against him by the
stalls" behind. While the man is pro-
testing against such unseemly crowd
Ing the tool" quickly unbuttons The
top buttons OF his waistcoat, slips the
pockethook or money out. and de-
camps. Fernandez boasts that In these
cases he invariably buttons the waist
coat up again before leaving his victim
with the pocketbook in hand, Fernan-
dez quickly strips 1t and losses It into
another mans pocket. Fernandez saws
that In no single case has he ever
known man to feel the din" into
his pocket. 1t is invariably some
stranger who sees the theft and gives
the alarm.
Fernandez considers that any dav
that does not yield $500 Is a bad one
and many of his individual hsuls have
been of ten times this sum. In spite OF
hA cleverness he has intimate knowl-
edge OF prison life and restrictions He
spends these periods OF enforced leisure
In perfecting an invention which he
hopes will some day relieve him from
the necessitv az nirlxino rn.,-4