Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-20

rests had become troublesome l"tS to
were teaching the young idea nv Io,bt
shoot i'm the same direction, no ~ 20
getting a rake-off on the produces -,
their graduates. Boys Of from 10 W
20 underwent actual courses OF Iral..
ing and IL was not until they W.,
able to "lift" the money OF JSWen,,yt
of other and older crooks WI Wl'1p%y .boy
being detected by the latter tnat ny ny
were sent out to operate Vppso Ice
Tins Little girls also TOOK tuese . an
sons. with supplementary courses III
shoplifting.
Rut there are exceptions to TINS
general classification of plchpocke.s'
and they are the most danseIous' .'1s,,
Some of these are well educateu iiSr,,
of good address,, who are leSl,soiTviil 40 sweil
clad and ape the manners OF sWen
society. one Of this class IS an ltalian i,.n
who first introduced In America tlo
dress suit as an aid to pocket pllISI
ing. This Individual recently boarde9
car. picked several pockets anu
Jumped off when his last effort re-
suited i'm an outcry from the Victln.
The car was near the Waldorf Astoria
hotel. into which the thief dlsap-
peared Minglng with the many otn-
er gentlemen In evening dress, ms
identity was lost. He had timed MS
Job on the car for just such denoue-
ment.
Pickpockets, like express train rob
bers go after the biggest game they
can locate. This being the case there
are not so many of these gentry
aboard crowded cars at work-qult-
ting time as there are on cars Whlcn
carry bankers and brokers to business
or well dressed and bejeweled parties
to the theater. There are in Man
haitian gangs of pickpockets VINO hire
quarters near some of the principal
theaters. play cards to pass the time
during the performance and then sta
ton themselves at the exits of the
playhouses to rob the people coming
out or boarad the cars for the same
purpose. These thieves, like most OF
their ilk, in fact, travel in "mobs,
three or four to a mob. One is known
as the wire" or the tool" and he
does the actual work. The others,
called STALLS" in the language of the
trade, assist MIN by jostling or nudg-
ing the victim, by receiving the stolen
goods, or by acting as lookouts.
1t is a serious mistake to entertain
the notion that a pickpocket is neces-
sarily a low-browed, ill-clad, hulklng
sort of fellow The reverse is more
often true. That well-groomed young
man sitting next to you in the car,
or standing close to you in the crowd
on the street, who seems to be much
interested in his newspaper or in the
bulletin board across the way, may
be figuring on the surest and safest
way to get your watch or your pocket
book, or both, in the discretion of the
thief. One of the commonest tricks
is for a pickpocket to pretend to be
in his paper and lift your
watch by reaching his hand under
meath the paper. Another trick is for
the stall to nudge or hunch the victim,
attracting his attention or arousing
his Indignation, while the innocent
looking chap on the other side, the
wire or tool, "gets. the goods"
Pickpockets require remarkable dex-
terity in lingering bank rolls out of
pockets without alarming the victim
and in twisting watches loose from
their swivel rings. In old times it
was the custom to cut the chain, but
latter day dips" as the pickpocket
is known, consider this too clumsy.
They have a way of twisting the ring
loose without being detected in the
act.
Not only are pickpockets increasing
but they are becoming
much more proficient than of old.
This is due to their superior educa-
tion in their profession. When Inspec-
tor Mclaughlin was at the mead or
the New York detective force an old
time pickpocket, we'll known to him,
called at his office to complain that
one of the younger generation of
dips" had lifted" his gold watch.
He said that he never discovered his
loss until he saw his watch chain
dangling. The crook remarked that
the present day pickpocket is a very
superior article.
One Of the latest inventions in aid
of pocket picking is the false arm.
The well-dressed dip" carries his
overcoat on this artificial arm, with
the gloved hand visible. His real arm
is under his coat. Standing beside
victim he can reach his arm out at
the side or back and help himself
without being suspected, for nobody
save himself knows that he is a three
armed man.