Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-08-24
criminals that the police of the present

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! 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 Chocago, and countless others from
New York TO San Francisco, have been
known to do this mary times. One pecu-
| liar thing noticeable in the profession.
Is that male pickpockets go through men
and women unfortunately, while dips
OF the female sex Ccnf1nc their operations
entirely to the steiner sex
"a Large crowd of excited men and
women, such as always Concrcgatcs
around a fire or the scene of an accident.
Ii the pickpockot's paradise. Here. with
This pals. for he very seldom travels alone.
he pushes his way toward tho center of
the crowd and commences operations. hi,
pals keeping very nearly in line, one be-
hind the other should the intended VIC
tim he lady, the latter crowds up close
to her and commences tanning or feel
ing for her pocket Having located this.
he determines if it contains a purse; if 1t
docs he gives his pals the nudge. Then
he pulls the skiSt out slightly 80 as not
to touch the body and begins 'rling' the
pocket; in other words turning tho pool et
Inside out. The professional dip does not
touch the purse at all, but simply keeps
pulling the pocket upward until the ieath-
cl' falls out In his hand. Just as soon as
he secures the purse. or whatever it may
he, ne at once passes 1t to the man behind
MIN, who, In turn, passes it to the neat,
until in less than a half a minute the
. stolen property is i'm the possession OF "A
person probably twenty feet away from
the victim. Should the victim become
aware of hey loss suspicion would natur-
ally fall on those near hor; those are the
men usually placed under arrest. but the
stolen property is not found once in a
hundred times
whenever pickpockets work in gangs,
as they do when following a circus or a
campo ign speaker this is "A method they
always use. If dip happens to ne
caught in the act. you can bet dollars to
doushnutS that he is surrounded by his
pals, who, always well dressed. cannot
be distinguished from the rest of the
crowd.
AN pickpockets who make n speciality
of NiCtimizing women carry short bladed
and very sharp kn'vcs. If they oxpe-
rence too much trouble in hndsg the en-
trance to womans pc 'kct. they simply
locate thr pocket by feeling cut a slit in
the skirt, t'oach in and Gu; oft the entire
pocket, carrying off the purse. pocket, and
all
THE Shevin boys, of Chicago arc prob
ably the most skillful pickpockets in tho
world 80 far as taking watches and all
kinds of jewelry Worn on the person is
concerned, EVcn hngoC rings do not cs-
cape their notice.
Having picked out some man standing
quietly in a crowd, the dip takes his 20
sition directly in front of him. and his
pals, If he has ANY. line IN in front OF
the leader. He then quietly puts his
hands behind his back and proceeds as
fellows.
First, he very cautiously opens the
bottom buttons of the unsuspoCting mans
vest ard lifts the vest away from The
hff 10
If he succeeds, passes the watch ahead
If he cannot unsnap it, he breaks the
chain, or takes watch. chain and all
ITO take watch from a man moving
along is an entirely different matter. and
/ the Shevlins were the first pickpockets
ever known successfully 10 perform this
act. dip with the air of a country
gteenhorn stumbles against this man, and
before either has recovered equilibrium
he has tho watch and few inches of the
chain. This apparently accidental STUN
Tie creates a rather deep effect on the
victims nervous system. If you approach
ore of your friends and slap him sharp
~ on the shoulder or fall AGAINST him SC
as 10 touch only the upper part of his
body. all the nerves seem to concentrate
their sensbility at the point where YOU
strike him and for a few seconds the
sorse of feeling is rot very keen in any
othcC part Of the body. 1t is during those
few seconds that the professional dip
relieves YOU of your property. If it is
your watch he simply gives the chait
what is known as the 'two-iinser twist
It trick that will break the strongest
chain.
But there is another method The
dip walks along by your: side When youl
attention is directed elsewhere he quick
ly and skllfully reaches over and gives
your chain the same twist and with cx.
al
skillful dip has been known to walk be.
tween two mon and take a watch from
each at the same time.
THE "TWO-FINGER TWIST.
''1he 'two-fngor twist, invented by
Chicago pickpockcts, is very hard to ex.
plain and must he seen to he thoroughly
understood. In all his operations the dip
uses only his thumb and two largo fingers
ls breaking the chain he simply gives II
enc wind around the index finger and thet
around the next finger holding the watch
in the palm of his hand. \ quick. dexter.
| ious jerk of the fingers separates the
strongest chain.
81 he female pick oCkct, owing to her
light touch and endless opportunities. (,
FAR more dangerous than her male rivals
female pickpocket is generally an aban,
doned woman or a great fiirt and thu.
has many opportunities. She is no to al
wad of paper for a vad of bills or replac.
ing diamond stud with fake one IN
either case the poor dupe does not as a
rule miss his property for some time.
SOME RAPID "DIPPING."
! ''The quickest and most skillful piece OF
piCkpockct work on CcCord was performed
by an unknown dip during the World.
/ Fair at Chicago A wealthy physician of
! Milwaukee arrived in Chicago one even.
ing and alighted AT the Wells street de
pot. While ascending the stairs that Lead
up from the basement Woll-dresso,
young man stumbled against him, eXcus
ed himself. ana passed on.
"When the physician reached the ton Of
tho stairs he discovered that his watch
diamond stud and pocketbook We're gone
The total loss WAS 5000. No one was
ever arrested for the theft
This remarkable job, performed in a
fraction of n minute. should be warning
to all wearers of iewelIy. especially those
who frequent large cities, for there Is
absolutely no limit to the nerve and skill
Of these criminals. some of the most
dangerous, not being represented in the
rrgues gallery, travel from coast t. coast
without ever being moles,ed or even sus,
pected by the police"