The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-06-17
THE ART OF INVISIBILITY.
How It Is Practiced by Some Clever
Orientals.
lThe New Penny MasazinaA

(The New Penny Magazine.)
very interesting and valuable report
was issued several years ago by the In
spector OF Prisons of the Indian Empire
IN winch almost incredible accounts are
gwen of the practice Of this extraordin-
airy art by the thieves of lower Bombay.
The thieves themselves, with better rea-
son, feel doubly secure; for if, in spite of
his invisibility, by some unlocked for and
unlucky chance, one is seized his oily
body slips away like an cells; and in the
still more unlikely contingency of his be-
ing held With an unbreakable grip, he has
slung by slender cord about his neck
little knife with an edge as sharp as
that Of the keenest razor, with which he
cuts the tendons Of the intrudng wrist
This, however, he considers last resort
for he prides himself upon doing his work
without inflicting bodily harm upon his
victims. To enter a zenana, or tho wo-
mems apartment in a native house, where
all the family treasures are kept, is the
ambition of every native thief This is
no easy matter. for the zenana is in the
center Of the house, surrounded by other
apartments occupied by ever wakeful
sentlnels. In order to reach it. the thief
burrows under the house until the tun-
mel reaches a point beneath the floor Of
the room to which access is sought. But
the cautious native does not at once en-
ter. Full we'll he knows that the inmates
of the house sometimes detect the miner
at work and stand over the hole, armed
with deadly weapons, silently awaiting
his appearance. He has with him a piece
of bamboo, at one end of which bunch
of grass represents a human head, and
this he thrusts up through the completed
breach. If the vicarious head does not
come to grief, the real one takes it's place
and the thief. entering the zenana. Sc
cretes himself; or, finding everything al
ready favorable for his purpose, proceeds
to attempt what seems an impossible un-
dertaking. This indeed, is no less a task
than to remove from the ears and arms
and noses the earrings. bracelets, bangles
and nose rings of the sleepers without
awakening them, and to get safely away
with his plumber. Who, but a dacoit
would be equal to so delicate, dangerous
and difficult piece of work? But the da-
colt seldom falls. These adroit burglars"
says my authority, commit the most
daring robberes in the midst of the En-
glish army. Knowing the position Of the
tents, they mark out one which is occu-
pied by an officer Of high rank, and creep
silently toward 1t. Arrived at the tent,
their sharp knife makes them a door In
the canvas. and they glide undiscovered
into the interior. Indeed, so wonderfully
adroit are they that even the very watch
dogs do not discover them. and thief
has been known to actually step over a
dog without disturbing the animal"
But the most marvellously clever de-
vice practised by the thieves of lower
Bombay Is that used by the Mooches
$50 hat OBJ
The Mooches come down in gangs from
the back country and raid the settle
ments. Their speciality is poisoning cat
tle They smear plantain leaves with
their own particular brand Of cattle exc
terminator and scatter them about
among the herds at night. In the morn
ing, as many of the cattle as have par
taken are dead and have been abandoned
by their owners. The MoOches fay the
dead animals and sell their hides. Pur-
sued, these honest creatures make at full
speed for the jungle. II they reach it, all
| hope of capturing them is at an end,
| but even when they discover that they
must be overtaken before they reach it
| they by no means lose heart, and are
measurably sure of escaping. especially
If, as is often the case in India, the sur
| face is burned over and the trees and
bushes that have not been consumed are
charred and blackened and bereft of their
foliage. and many perhaps reduced to lit
| tie more than blackened stumps by the
| fire by which the fields are annually
burned over. II hard pressed in such a
country as this they cease TO- fly, ana
Immediately disappear. For long time
the English troops which policsd the
| districts where they made their raids
were completely nonplussed: again and
again, ON the very point of being cap
| tured the Mooches escaped by miraou.