The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-10
From the Chicago Journal.

From the Chicago Journal.
II HE well-dressed crook has be-
w come a fixture. Chicago has him
in large numbers. Nattily CARRIED
he moves wherever he pleases, haunts
the hotels, Tolls in a seat at the matinee,
and loafs where the polite crowd dimes.
As far as the confidence worker, pick
pocket. wire tappers hotel thief shoplifter,
and all the like are concerned, it is now
that they be dressed we'll if not in the
height of fashion.
In London these well-dressed crooks
have come to be called "Gleasons." The
name is derived from Annie Gleason. She
is the best-dressed woman thief in the
world. She is known to Scotland Yard as
the Princess of Thieves She Is serving
her last year of a three-year term for
stealing a $4,000 pearl necklace in London,
England. She was once comic opera
actress who during her stage career more
than once visited Chicago.
There are two reasons why these classes
of criminals must be CARRIED as are pros-
porous men and women Not only is it
much easier for a well-dressed criminal
to approach the victim or mingle with re-
spectacle people, but also, in the case of
an alarm, suspicion would be much less
likely to fall on one who appeared to -be
affuent than upon one who seemed to
have spent night in the street.
The clever criminal plays tennis, golf
and bridge. can often steer an automobile
with the skill of a French chauffeur, anG
has new and novel methods of convincing
the intended victim that he is dealing
with a man of social and financial stand
ing.
Woman criminals, the higher class of
whom have increased in number during
the last few years, follow in the footsteps
of the male members of the profession"
and dress in rich silks and organdies. ac-
eording to the season The woman thief
sonal appearance to interfere with her
work.
London. Paris, New York and Chicago
are the favorte fields for the high class
thief OF the present time A stylishly
dressed sneak thief who can rob jewel
box in a high class apartment or extract
wallet from the innermost pocket of a
maps coat with comparative ease, is
found equally frequently at Saratoga, on
Michigan avenue and on Broadway.
Colonel Ed Trailer is one of the Beau
Brummels of crime, Dressed always in
Immaculate clothes, and always frequent
ing the very best hotels, he long made
the lives Of detectives of dozen cities
miserable. For time the Colonel
worked successfully from some of the
Michigan avenue hotels, but afterward
found the town too hot for him. Clever
and novel confidence games were his
forte
Eddie Mines "the Bishop" was as sue
cessful as Ed Trailer and operated along
the same lines Mines, who always tray
eled as an influential layman or curate of
the Catholic church, once so successfully
impersonated priest that he swindled the
chancellor of the diocese of ST. Louis out
of 5000. He has presided at churches in
Chicago for day at time, and as a re-
suit swindled the churchmen out of money
which they thought they were giving for
church and charitable purposes. When he
appeared Ill ciolnts otiier tilin lhoSe "a Inv
clergy. he has always dressed quietly, but
in the height of fashion. On several oeea-
sions, once in Chicago. he successfully
impersonated bishop.
Hungry Joe" Lewis, the man who
swindled Oscar Wilde out of $40. 900 and
Governor Adams of Massachusetts of an
amount almost as great, is also known TO
the police of Chicago as a swell dressed
con man Bill Brush. of the same repu-
tation has now exchanged the modish
garments which he formerly wore in the
Hobbies of Chicago hotels for the more