The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-01
IA PICKPOCKET NABBED
CAPTAIN FORBES PLAYED ROLE
 OF CITY PATROtMAN.
Strange Man Went for Watch of Street Fair Director and Was Caught in Collar and
 Jailed.

A pickpocket, becoming emboidened oy the immense crowd that thronged the Festival district last night. tackled one of the directors of the Street Fair Asso. against the real thing and a few min utes later he WIS studying the ceiling
 in the city prison. taken there by the cit izen he tried to rob.
 who is a splendid specimen ot vigorous
 manhood When Captain Forbes caught
 Sir Pickpocket with his watch in his
 hand he turned city policeman, grasped
 the thief by the collar and marched him off to police headquarters. The thief gave
 his name ss John O'Neill and was locked
 up over night.
 The street cars diverge from Court
 Square and 1t was at this point that the crowd was the thickest about 10 o'clock
 last night. Hundreds of persons were
 pressing towards the cars. Captain
 Forbes was in the act of boarding west
 bound Belt Line car to go to his homo Mrs. Forbes into the car and his foot was on the running board when he felt . tug at his waistcoat pocket. His hand went to the pocket and 1t came into con- tact with another hand. Captain Forbes was dumbfounded to see his watch nest. ling in the strange hand and he acted quickly. One good strong arm shot out and the man who owned the strange hand was firmly Srasped in the collar. There was little time for words but
 Captain Forbes held on to the throat of
 the thief. The crowd was too busy with itself to observe the little street drama that was being enacted and lost an op- portunity of witnessing the tricks to which piekpockets resort when they real ize they are about to get in limbo. The watch was thrown into the street but the attention of the strong-armed director of the Montgomery Street Fair Association was not detracted in the last. This man had not only tried to rob him but he had outraged the management of the Fall Festival and Captain Forbes had a fixed purpose to land his man.
 The popular MontFomerian. with the greatest tact. managed to communicate with a gentleman friend who took charge of Mrs. Forbes. hastily explained the cir- securing his watch from the street. marched proudly off to police headquart- CTS with the light-hngered gent who had been caught preying upon the public. firm grip upon the throat of the man who says his name Is O'Neill.
 Reaching police headquarters he turned the pickpocket over to the Desk Sergeant, told the story and then hastened home ward. Captain Forbes reported to the police that the pickpocket had a partner who darted into the crowd and escaped. It Is we'll known that this class of thieves operate in pairs. One attracts the atten- tion of the victim while the other does the work.
 The pickpocket gave his name as John ONeill. He said he lived in Alabama but refused to give the name of the town or his occupation. The Desk Sergeant wrote professional pickpocket'' opposite his name on the register where the criminals are classified. ONeill Is about 28 years old. He wears good clothes and Is of genteel appearance and intelligent face.
 When searched the policemen found $11 in his coat pockets and were about to take hin off to a cell when, upon further examination, $90 was found in one of his shoes,