The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1899-05-04
FEMALE PlCkPoCkETS.
They Are Meaner and Far More Re-
mOrseless Than the Men.

They Are Meaner and Far More Re-
morseless Than the Men.
"a woman pickpocket is a meaner
thief than a. man in the same line"
said Detective McQuaide. "A man is
usually looking for 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 i'll 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 poor woman who is buying food
for her family, perhaps take from her
want for that period.
''The professional female pickpocket
will do more. She may find in the purse
she steals a few trinkets of trifing
value, pin or a locket containing
lock of hair, child's ring, worn may
be by little one that is dead, worth
less to her, but priceless to the owner.
She will Immediately take the money
and throw the purse and trinkets down
the nearest sewer opening, where they
are lost forever. Money cannot be iden-
titled; the purse and trinkets could be.
81 recall with satisfaction an Incl
dent in which female pickpocket fig
ured She stole the purse of poor old
woman, and 1 arrested her shortly after
the act. She had disposed of the purse
before got her. There had been about
81 in CASH in it and a small piece of
jewelry that belonged to a dead child
of the woman. The poor woman would
have willingly given the thief the mon
ey in the purse and more for the return
Of the keepsake, but it was lost to her
beyond recovery.
81 worked up fair case against the
pickpocket. got her in court, did my
best to convict her, but because the
purse was not found in her possession
she was acquitted. Sympathy for Il wo-
man had much to do with the verdict,
but there was no sympathy for the wo-
man who had been robbed. 1t was with
great regret that l saw the pickpocket
walk out of the courtroom free.
"In the corridor she met one of the
jurors. He smiled, and she walked up
to him and thanked him for the YER
dict. He assured her that that was un-
necessary, 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.
IA female pickpocket had recently
was boarding in house on Ninth
street. She would say grace before ev-
cry meal, and she went to church at
every opportunity. Her arrest was an
nounced as an outrage by the family
with whom she boarded They believed
her to be religious woman. Her home
is in Ireland. Her husband runs a small
| store there. She makes regular tri pS to
the United States for the purpose OF
picking pockets shOplifting and open
ing satchels. She had with her when
we arrested her blank drafts on an Eng
lish bank. She sent her stealings reg
ularly to her husband in Ireland. She
operates almost entirely among poor
women. Jurors have so much mirplac.
ed sympathy when woman il the
prisoner that it is difficult to convict
her, yet professional female thief is
the meanest of all thieves. - Pittsburg
| News.