The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-11-02
SCHOOL FOR THIEVES
LONDON FsGlNS TEACH BOYS AND
GIRLS TO STEAL.

nile Second Story Burglars.
Daring crimes are often committed
By children in London, and only Scot
land Yard is aware Of the fact.
Youthful offenders are rarely caught
in the act Of committing even slight
offenses, or, if they are, a tolerant
policeman is more often than not in
clined to look with lenient eyes on 4
misdemeanor, that in an older person
would mean arrest, by boxing the ears
of the tiny culprit and letting him go.
4 recent remarkable series Of house
breaking cases in the Enfield district,
in which the father Of an errand boy
was sentenced to six years penal
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 impunity,
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 is
to examine the would be probationary
hands. THE 'sthief's mark must show
up strongly on both or the boy or girl
is not worth the risk Of training. Even
if the child has clever light fingered
parents, and the 'thief's mark" is abb
sent from its hands, the trainer will
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 trifes 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 will never have anything more
to do with child that has once entered
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 a very
simple manner. 1t is argued that most
people living in villas pay great deal
of attention to bolts and bars on their
ground floors, but very little if any to
those cn the upper floors.
Accordingly the juvenile Bill Skies
is provided in the early days of his
training with ten foot silken rope
tied in knots a 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,
so that the hook holds to the stone.
When the lassoing is acquired to the
trainers satisfaction the lad is next re-
uuired to shin up the rope without dis
lodging the hook from the sill. This re-
quires a great deal Of practice, and
many are the falls endured. As the
height is seldom more than ten feet
and prior to this stage the boy has been
taught how to fall, only slight bruises
result.
The children in their first expedi-
tons are always taken and shown the
house that is to be entered in the day
time and instructed as to the best
methods Of entry to the back
Then late at night the instructor
takes the little lad to the "crib" and
from a convenient spot watches his
pupil disappear according to instruc-
tions. The presence Of an adult with
a boy Of tender years late at night dis
arms any suspicion an alert police
man might have if the boy were seen
walking through street alone.
Once at the back Of the house, the
boy, quite at his leisure, makes an IN
spection Of every window on the
ground floor. If one opens readily ne
enters by it; If not he surveys the next
tier, and in nine cases out Of ten dis
covers that the bathroom window is
partly open. That is sufficient. From
a side pocket he draws the coil OF
silken rope and couple Of minutes
later is standing inside the little room
The juvenile burglar is instructed to
make his entry by a bathroom wher-
ever possible, because there is always
a risk in villadom Of any and every
room being occupied as bedroom, and
a winslcE opening with q sleeper IN
the room would nearly always insure
an alarm being raised.
Not long ago a 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
every ones pockets had been rifed;
every article Of jevelry had been tax
en- away during the night The maid
and her boxes were searched, but even
she was minus her months money,
paid the day before.
The police were communicated with.
On examination tiny finger marks We're
found on the bathroom window, and
traces of hook were plainly visible
on the window sill 4 clever boy bur-
glar had paid the villa q visit. BE
was never caught, for he had depart.
ed in the way he had come, taking
with him only yaluaDles that could be
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