St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-03-18
FEMALE pIcKp0cKETs.
A Detective says They Are Meanes
and Far More Remorse1ess
Than the Men.

az woman pickpocket is meaner
thief than a map in the same line, said
Detective Thomas McQuaide. ~ man
is usually looking for pocket that is
worth while picking and one that will
not miss what is taken, but with wom-
an 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 con-
scienceless. She will steal the purse Of
q poor woman who is buying food for
her family, perhaps take from her
weeks income and leave the family in
want for that period.
"The professional female pickpocket t
will do more. She may find in the purse
she steals a few trinkets of trihing
value, a pin or locket containing 4
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
identified; the purse and trinkets could.
II recall with satisfaction an incident
in which female pickpocket figured.
She stole the purse of poor old wom-
an and / arrested her shortly after The
act. She had disposed of the purse before
got her. There had been about seven
dollars 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 thief the
money in the purse and more for the
return of the keepsake. but ii was lost
to her beyond recovery.
II 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
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 pick
pocket walk out OF the courtroom free.
>''In the corridor she met one of the
jurors. He smiled and she walked up
10 uIIII anu tuduACu AOt tuV sNAuaNs.
He assured her that that was unneces-
sAry, for he never for moment doubt
ed her innocence. That evening he re-
ported to the front Office the loss of his
gold watch. The woman had picked his
pocket while thanking him for acquit-
ting her. She got away from US.
"A female pickpocket had recently
was boarding in house down on Ninth
street. She would say grace before
every 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 small
store there. She makes regular trips
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 English
bank. She sent her stealings regularly
to her husband in ireland. She operates
almost entirely among poor women.
Jurors have so much misplaced SYM
pathy when a woman is the prisoner
that it is difficult to convict them. yet a
| professional female thief is the meanest
| of all thieves. News.