The Washington times., 1901-10-20
AN old THIEF CATCHER.
Strange Experiences Related by a
Retiring London Detective.
Twenty-Five Years Spent in Hunting
Law Brcakers-A Case of Mistaken
Identify-HOnor Among Rogues
The Matter of Various Disguises.

Pickpockets. shopifters. confidence
tricksters, iong-firm men, hotel and rail-
way thieves. and swindlers of every de-
gree will rejoice to learn that ex-Detec-
/ tive Inspector Charles Bryan. after a
quarter of a century's service under the
| vigilant Superintendent McWnliam of Old
| Jewry. is no longer keeNng them under
/ observation
II am firmly of opinion" said the de-
tective, reviewing his career, that a
| pickpocket is rarely curabie. l can recol-
.lect only one man who abandoned his old
| associates to take up honest employment.
and he was always in fear that he would
be found by his friends. Once a pick
| pocket. always n piekpocket. So II is
| with long-firm swindIing-once the taste
| for it is acquired it must be continually
| gratifod. And one might say the same
| of the evergreen but never stale cOnf-
dence trick-usually worked by Ameri-
| cans. but not always. 1 have had any
number of such men through my hands.
| and have watched some of them from
| their youth upward
I'm disguise ever?'' was leading ques-
tion.
| Not as an inspector-one gets too well
! knOwn-but as a plain clothes man and
| detective sergeant, in my early career
| frequently. 1 was at Snow Hill from 1876
until 1879, then transferred to the Old
Jewry, remaining until 1889. when 1 was
made detective sergeant and stationed at
| Bridewell l recoIlect once, at a funeral
in st. Paurs, we were watching a woman,
and presently / saw her edge up to a
lady in the crowd and take her purse.
She made off and we followed. and pres
emily asked her what she had been do
ing. telling iier who We We're
:" I don't believe you are police Off
GERS at all. she cried
Il forgot 1 was posing as a bricklayer.
However. she dropped the purse, and
when we returned to ST Paurs church.
yard L found the rightful owner in the
same place, still unconscious of her loss.
Several Involuntary compliments have
been paid to the effectiveness of my dis
guise. once observation was being kept
upon a public house, and a trap drove up.
Here, my man. cried the driver to
me. just look after my horse, and he
went into the bar.
I've got a job said to q fellow-of-
ficer
Fortunately. our man did not leave the
house, or L should have left the horse.
When the owner came out he said. Funds
rather Iow,' and dropped three halfpence
time 1 earned money in that way. 1t was
early morning outside a railway station.
ana the keeper of a coffee stall, noticing
was lettering about, said:
Ere, mate, got anyfink to do? 1 told
him no. Then just look arter this little
lot. So l was installed pro tenn, and
when my employer came back he gave
me threepence for the job
I'VE were speaking about pickpockets.
1 suppose they often give one another
away?' -
mo. There is honor among thieves to
this extent. If one of them turns police
mar there is never any chance for him
again. But they will often whip each
other. For example, it frequently takes
two men 10 get a purse. One fellow will
watch the victim and seize d favorable
moment to snick open the lady's bag. His
companion will come along and dip his
hand into the opened bag and take the
purse. Then No. l Will reappear and ask
how much they have got to share. and
No. will produce three sovereigns, per-
hapS, retaining a Go note which was also
in the purse, but which his confederate
did not have the chance of seeing in it.
Sometimes extraordinary condolences
lead to captures. Thus, on the Under
ground Railway Bryan once saw pick
pocket take a gentleman's y watch. lie at
once informed the loser, whereupon the
victim turned round, crying, You scoun-
drell You know something about 1t,
seizing him fast. BE quiet, Whispered
| the police officer, Il am a detective.
| Come with me and We will get your
| watch. But the gentleman held him
| tight, and he had 10 be more or less drag.
| ged along to the stairs up which the thief
| was making off. and he was only con-
| WINGED of his error oy the proof that the
real culprit was not the detective. Ii SO
| happened that the very same hook was
| caught by Bryan a second time red hand
| ed at another station, on the Metropoli-
tan Railway. which is perhaps the only
| instance of two arrests OF the same man
| for similar offences by the same officer.
| Familiarity with the appearance and an
| tecedents of rogaes was invaluable to the
| detective as for instance. when he saw
| two pickpCckets running off, and seized
| both by the collar.one with each hand. one
| however, was enough, and, as the other
| broke away and made on he lay kicking
! on the ground. de kicked with purpose,
/ because under him were two stolen purses.
| On the way TO the station the owner was
| met, Dewailing her loss. She was speedily
! comforted. Next day, acting on the knowi-
| edge that the missing thief was once
| traced to a certain common lodging house,
| a visit was paid TO this haunt, ana the
| runaway was recaptured. At one time IL
| was far more common than 1t Is now Tor
| thieves to Use such lodges as this one: a
| piece Of some adhesive substance Is slip
| ped under the edge of the counter; num-
| Der of trinketS are shown to the cuSto-
| mer" who sticks ring, Ii may be, under
| the counter and leaves his confederate,
| who quickly follows him into the shop, to
abstract it unperceiVed- The method
| adopted by one rogue was more ingenious
| He was aways pre- pared with the money
| sufficient to pay for the ring he stole in
case Of discovery. He we Mt upon the we'll
known reluctance OF shopkee epers to in
stitUte prosecutions when the property
was recovered, and there was rlSk OF an
action for false imprisonment
Did you ever make mistake in iden-
tificatiCn?' was the question now put to
the officer, and he candidly replied:
We'll, did on one occasion in, | think,
May 1851. l had been sent for to Marlbor-
ough Street Police Court to recognize an
old Jail bird. After my evidence the man
was committed for trial, with two others.
for picking pockets. The case came on
for trial at the AIiddleseX Sessions. before
Sir Peter Edlin. all three prisoners being
found guilty. / was called upon to testify
previous convictions of John Jones, who
fatty denied having been convicted as
alleged. and. To the general surprise and
to my astonishment, the real Simon Pure,
passing Reave, was called into court
Immediately | saw him l realized l was
mistaken in the prisoner. The judge did
not blame me. Another officer proved
convictions against the accused Jones,
who was sentenced to penal SerVitude--
An amusing experience is related by
Bryan. while engaged, he says, in
connection with an important hotel rob-
berry, I was making enquiries at West
End railway station, and for a few min
utes sat on a bench. An old fellow, ap-
parently retired farmer, walked toward
me. put on his spectac.es, and sat beside
me but l recognized him confidence
trick man. known as Johnny while a
few yards away was his companion,
whose nickname was The Nut Johnny
opened his mouth, but before he had got
very far with his fairy story | eXclaim-
ed: Well. Johnny Did you take me for
the mug?' Who is going TO tell the tale?
You or The Nut?' "
on another occasion a singular adven-
ture befell Bryan.
"A few years ago." he says. Il traced