Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1904-10-20
TRICKS OF KNAVES.
Ingenious Methods by Which They
Evade Pursuing Officers.
Some Schemes Of shsrpers and Trick
sters which Have saved Them
from Terms of Penal
servitude.

To the habitual criminal IL is often
OF vital importance that he should be
able to communicate swiftly and se-
cretly with an atcomplice, either to
elaborate scheme of rascality or
send warning Of imminent danger
from the police. Nobody knows let
ter than he, however, by ayail'ng him
the risk Of discovery. Hence 1t is
becoming a common practice for clev-
er rogues never to communicate in a
straightforward way II they can avoid
It, but, instead. to set up and use pc
culiar post Offices, which are essen
TALLY their own, says Cnssells Sat
urday Journal.
A typical case was that Of man
who was wanted" in connection with
certain notorious turf frauds. When
the warrant was issued he sought shell
ter in n shabby lodging in a back
street It five miles from the Bank Of
Englal- lie had friends Who strong
ly objected to lis capture, mainly be-
cause his appearance in the dock
would have led to unpleasant conse-
quences to themselves. But they
we're all so well known to the police
and detectives that II was impossible
for them to send me.sage directly to
the fugitive, though he had adopted an
alias. much LEES To pay him II 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 ~ the watching gang learned OF
the coming danger to the fugitive by
methods he saw tit not TO talk about,
and carelessly sent the servant Of his
lodgings To- dispatch a wire to another
OF the allies in Edinburgh. to the ef-
feet that his aunt was dead. The be-
reayed nephew mastered his grief so
far as to in turn dispatch wire ac-
sompnnied by a telegraph money or
der, to hostler in the city Of Lon
don, desiring him to send half dozen
black ties TO a given address without
delay. The articles were duly taken
to the gentleman in retirement by an
unsuspcting errand boy, and the
trick was done. Every apparently in
significant detail was a part OF pre-
arranged code, The frm sending the
ties, their number and color--all con
veyed n hint to the rerson most inter
ested hs to the saI,., mode OF flight,
the best port at which to attempt ems
barkation, and the very street in
which he was TO jostle against sup
posed stranger who wns TO surrepti-
tiuusly transfer to him a store OF
money and his passage counterfoils,
which had been taken under false
name.
Nothing IL too elaborate or ingen-
iously audacious to men playing
game the loss of which means penal
teryitude 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 gang Of "smHshers"-that is,
coiners also disposed OF sham
foreign notes and did quite brisk
business in worthless securities
There was no doubt that, while they
were all scattered about the country,
their operations were being directed
by master mind, whom the authori-
ties had no moral doubt was identical
with the aforem mentioned gentleman,
who may be called Smith, Smith was
never to be seen in dubious company
and the postman never brought him a
letter which he was not willing to ~.
fably show to anybody. For months
there came tn Smiths house every
morning young milkmau with a
nlacid smile and shiny brow Of limo.
'cnce. He had set himself up to ex.
plain to hi, customers generally with
= legacy left to him by his uncle. and
every morning he handed quart can
~ milk in at Smiths area door and
every morning Smith's Illegal corre-
sncndeuce was lying at the bottom ct
that quart can IN y metal box, and the
stout cook who took it in (tor appear.
0nceS are shuckiugly deceittuN was
one ~ the most cool and daring ~ all
Smiths tools, while the milkmHn was
another The "smashers" had set him
up in business simply and solely that
they might have an innocent address
to which 60 send the uaissives It was his
duty to deliver.