The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-22
THIEVES IN HONEST LIVERY.
Hfshonest Bootblacl<s and Bogus
Ncwsboys who Rob Customers.

Ncwsboys Who Rob Customers.
From the Chicago chronicle.)
II Fagin and the Artful Dodger and
harley Bates were in Chicago today they
Eould hardly earn their cigarettes, SO out,
Sf-date would their methods be. Fagin
you'd ind his school without pupils and
| his two chief disciples would be nabbed
before they had been at work i've minutes.
Fashions change in the work of thieves as
wen as that Of other people. and the map
VINO cannot keep up to the times in pick
Ing pockets finds himself handicapped by
his antiquated methods.
OF course. the nimble-fngered gentry
who operate In crowds are still at work.
but with long years Of bitter experience
the public has become on its guard against
these people, and when crowds are gath
cred people are on the watch for the pos
sible man who covets timepieces and purs-
es. Attention has lately been called to a
new danger for the unwary There are
one or two new wrinkles which have been
introduced in the business of relieving
thoughtless people Of their money. One of
these is practiced by urchins who pretend
to be newsboys for the purpose Of stealing
change out Of the pockets Of pedestrians.
These pests are very thick about the en-.
frances to the theatres at night. They
carry few newspapers, generally not
Of the current date.
These they trust into the faces of men
about to enter the theatres, while with the
other hand they search in the pockets of
their victim for whatever they can find. In
some instances they get large sums of
money, but oftener they get only little
change, but sufficient for their work. They
were very successful last fall during an
engagement OF Mansfield at the Grand OPP
era House. They infested the walk about
the theatre entrance and did a rushing
business until the Attention Of the man
ayers and the police was called to them.
They were very adept at their business.
and sometimes as many as three would be
working in the SAND crowd at the same
time.
When they made q haul they would dart
away up the alley and there meet young
man. who was evidently their manager.
They gave him all their stealings and later
in the night .hsy alt met him on the west
side, where he gave them a small per-
centage for the work. Several OF these
boys were arrested, and one Of them was
made to confess where and how he had
learned his first lesson in crime. 1t was
a story equal to the one told by Dickens
Another device of the pickpockets is TO
hang about the telescopes which astrono-
mers have upon the streets these summer
nights. While the man who has paid 5 csnts
for peek at the pleiades or orion is trying
to get his moneys worth of the solar sys-
tenn and the astronomer is telling him
where to direct his gaze. the crook. very
often young boy, extracts whatever he
can from the gazcr's pockets.
Sometimes 1t Is 2 purse, sometimes loose
change. sometimes a watch. OF course. it
is not to be understood that the man with
the telescope has anything to do with the
operation. except unknowningly. He Is
an entirely innocent person. As like as
not the thief will rob him before the night
Is over
But there is still later method of pick
pockets. Within two weeks a man who ]
runs small bootblacking stand in the !
business district Of the city was caught in |
the act of robbing a man whose boots he |
had just shined and whom he was busting |
of. The blackies have habit of going |
through a lot Of funny motions when they |
have shined your shoes.
For the purpose Of extorting an honora- |
rum from their customers they make q |
pretence Of busting their clothes. 1t is the |
veriest farce, of course. but the customers |
submit to II. Some men become sleepy as |
soon as they recline in a BARRIERS chair and |
are under the manipulation of the man |
with a razor. When customer reached |
that point Of sleepiness the barber would |
give the signal to the thief. II thers was
no one else in the shop. and while the
process went on the assistant |
crept up and under cover Of the apron and
the BARRIERS work relieved the reclining |
man of his cash.