The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1903-02-20
TRICKS or KNAVES.
Ingenious n thods by Which They
Evade Fulau ng Officers.
Some Schemes OF sharpers and Trick
sters Which Have Saved Them
from Terms of Penal
Servitude.

To the habitual criminal it is often
of vital Importance that he should. be
able to communicate swiftly and Sc
cretly with an aCcomplice, either to
elaborate scheme of rascality or
send a warning of imminent danger
from the police. Nobody knows bet
ter than he, however, by availing him
self of the orthodox channels he runs
the risk of discovery. Hence it is
becoming a common practice for clev-
er rogues never to communicate in
straightforward way if they can avoid
it, but, instead, to set up and use pc
culiar post offices, which are essen
tally their own, says Cassell's Sat
urday Journal.
typical case was that of a man
who was wanted" in connection with
certain notorious turf frauds. When
the warrant was issued he sought shell
ter in a shabby lodging in a back
street OF five miles from the Bank of
Englan~. He had friends who strong
ly objected to his capture, mainly be-
cause his appearance in the dock
would have led to unpleasant conse-
were all so we'll known to the police
and detectives that it was impossible
for them to send a message directly to
the fugitive, though he had adopted an
alias. much less to pay him a visit.
All Of them, however, agreed to keep
watch on his behalf and to send him
word Immediately they had reason to
fear his place of refuge was in dan
ger Of discovery and the time come
for him to make final bolt
One of the watching gang learned of
the coming danger to the fugitive by
methods he saw fit not to talk about,
and carelessly sent the servant of his
lodgings to dispatch wire to another
of the allies in Edinburgh, to the eff
feet that his aunt was dead The be-
reaved nephew mastered his grief so
far as to in turn dispatch wire ac-
companied by telegraph money or
der, to a hostler in the city of Lor.
don, desiring him to send half dozen
black ties to given address without
delay. The articles were duly taken
to the gentleman in retirement by an
unsuspecting errand boy, and the
trick was done. Every apparently in
significant detail was a part of pre-
arranged code. The firm sending the
ties, their number and color-all con-
veyed a hint to the 0erson most inter
ested as to the sat1s. mode of fight
the best port at which to attempt en-
barkation, and the very street in
which he was to jostle against a sup
I 4.
tiously transfer to him store Of
money and his passage counter-foils.
which had been taken under a false
name.
Nothing is too elaborate or ingen-
iously audacious to men playing
game the loss of which means penal
servitude to them. In a midland town
lived in lordly style and the odor of
outer respectability person who was
strongly suspected of being in league
with a gang of "smashers"-that is
coiners-who also disposed of sham
foreign notes and did quite a brisk
business in worthless securities.
There was no doubt that, while they
were all scattered about the country,
their operations were being directed
by a master mind. whom the authori-
ties had no moral doubt was identical
with the aforementioned gentleman,
who may be called Smith. Smith was
never to be seen in dubious company,
and the postman never brought him
letter which he was not willing to af-
fably show to anybody. For months
there came to Smiths house every
morning a young millIman with
placid smile and shiny brow of innO-
"opce He had set himself MP TO ex-
! plain to his customers generally with
n legacy left to him by his uncle. and
every morning he handed quart can
Of milk in ut Smiths area door-and
every morning Smiths Illegal CORE
e0onCpnce was lying at the bottom of
| that oua~t can in a metal box. and the
Stout cock who took it in (for appear
a~ces are shockinPlv dec"itfuD was
one of the most cool and daring of all
Smiths tools. while the rrilliman was
~notfar TIE "sma ehers" had set him
W. In business simnlv and solely that
| ,hev ~ight have an innocent address
/ "a -. ich o.. send the mis- ives IL was his