The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1904-12-29
SCHOOL FOR THIEVES
LONDON FAelns TEACH eovs AND
GIRLS TO STEAL.

Criminal e8o00P0~ Are Trained &
Their vvork-lGethods Of the Jove
ale Second Story Burglars.
Daring crimes are often committed
BY children In London, and only Scot
land Yard 10 aware Of the fact.
Youthful offenders are rarely caugh
in the act Of committing even Sigh
offenses. or, II they are, tolerant
policeman is more often than not in
clined to look with lenient eyes on .
mfsdemeanOr, that in an older persol
would mean arrest. by boxing the ear,
Of the tiny culprtt and letting him 60
A recent remarkable series of house
breaking cases in the Enfield district
In which the father Of an errand boy
was sentenced to six years pena
servitude for teaching his fourteen
year-old son to commit burglaries
shows conclusively that the criminal
classes do not hesitate to teach chill.
dren to do what they fear to practice
themselves.
The Scotland Yard authorities know
that many criminals. too old now to
commit various crimes with IMMUNITY,
to all intents and purposes reform and
become respectable members Of the
community. They open small shops,
and then in a very quiet way hold
classes Of pupils eager to pay for learn.
ing the secrets Of the craft"
The first thing the master" does ID
to examine the would be probationer'a
hands. 1.-THE chiefs mark" must show
up strongly on both or the boy or girl
is not worth the risk Of training. Even
II the child has clever light fingered
parents, and the ''thiefs marx" 10 alb
sent from its hands, the trainer viii
have nothing to do with the case. He
does not believe In child inheriting
its parents evil propensities.
Girls are mostly taught pocket pick
ing and how to steal tribes from shop
Showcases. Members Of both sexes are
well drilled IN the art Of unblushingly
telling lies. They daily rehearse hold
ups BY imaginary policemen. The
trainer, OF course, acts the latter role
and instructs the young idea how to
invent plausible excuses at q seconds
notice.
The girls are the sharpest at this
game and very seldom get caught. A
trainer viii never have anything more
to do with child that has once entered
4 reformatory. The clergyman there
has generally worked on the youthful
conscience, and ever after fits Of re-
pentance must be counted on to occur
at inopportune moments.
Boy burglars are trained in very
simple manner. It is argued that most
people living in villas pay a great deal
Of attention to bolts and bars on their
ground floors, but very little II any to
those on the upper floors.
Accordingly the juvenile Bill Skies
10 provided in the early days Of his
training with a ten foot silken rope
tied in knots foot apart. Fastened
at the end is a strong but light steel
hook. The boy is required to practice
with this rope, throwing it in much the
same way as a lasso would be up to
window sill six or more feet above him,
20 that the hook holds to the stone.
When the lassoing is acquired to the
trainers satisfaction the lad is next re-
quired to shin up the rope without dis
lodging the hook from the sill. This re
quires great deal Of practice, and
many are the falls endured. AZ the
height is seldom more than ten feet.
and prior to this stage the boy has been
taught how to fail. only slight bruises
result.
The children in their first expedi-
lions are always taken and shown the
house that fs to be entered in the day.
time and instructed % to the best
methods Of entry to the back.
Then late at night the instructor
takes the little lad to the "crib" and
from q convenient spot watches his
pupil disappear according to instruc.
lions. The presence Of an adult With
q boy OF tender years late at night die.
arms any suspicion an alert police.
man might have II the boy were seen
waking through street alone.
Once at the back Of the house. the
boy, quite at his leisure, makes an In
spectiou Of every window on the
ground door. II one opens readily he
enters BY It; II not he surveys the next
tier, and in nine cases out Of ten dis.
covers that the bathroom window q
partly open. That 70 sufficient. From
IL side pocket he draws the coll Of
silken rope and couple OF minutes
later Il standing inside the little room.
The juvenile burglar 10 instructed to
make his entry BY q bathroom wher.
ever possible, because there 10 always
q risk In villadom Of any and every
nom being occupied 40 bedroom, and
/ window opening with Q sleeper In
The room would nearly always insure
IN alarm being raised.
Not long ago Q remarkable thing
happened at q villa on Brixton hill.
When the people awakened in the
morning the house was In perfect or
der. Every window was closed and
fastened; every door was bolted. Yet
swAev n,npa v,orlrAfa had hAen ri6eds