Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-12-21
sPoRTIVE ELEMENT IN CRIME.
Great Thieves Who Play the Game
Joyously.

Some there are who steal under
pressure of want, and there are many
whose crimes cannot be attributed to
any special cause whatever, but the
depredations of not few are due neith-
er to want nor to wantonness. 1t Is a
love Of adventure that gives this par
ticular turn to their activities. The
unfortunates who are driven to steal
by pressure of circumstances find no
pleasure in their evil deeds and they
would like to forget them as soon as
possible. But just as the sportsman
enjoys the anticipation Of his sport
writes Sir Robert Anderson, late head
of the criminal investigation depart
ment of Scotland Yard, in the London
Daily Graphic, and delights in talking
over his successes and even his fail
ures, so is 1t with the criminal OF
sporting tendencies.
My friend Frank White, so long
the esteemed pastor Of Talbot Taber-
nacle, Noting HILL has told me Of an
experience he had in a recent visit to
America. He was invited to conduct
the Sunday service in one of the large
| prisons. for in the jails of the United
| States religion is not laid on" official
| ly, as in England like the water and
the gas. After the preaching he was
asked to visit some of the conyicts in
their cells. One Of the number was a
man of good education and Of excep-
tional ability.
To find such a man In such circum-
stances was distressing and deplorable
and in talking to him Mr.. White sought
to improve the occasion. When he had
finished his homily the prisoner asked
him IL fox hunting was still practiced
In England. Yes" said my friend,
distressed at what he took to be a
broad hint to change the subject.
But don't they get nasty fall now
and then?" Yes, but that does not
stop the hunting" We'll, that's just
like me-" said the convict. I've had
a nasty fall and no mistake, but hope
for better luck another time" I need
not point the moral. 1t was not with
a dangerous trade but with a danger
Gus sport that he compared his life as
q criminal.
| With convinced disciple of Hobbies,
who ignores the Ten Commandments
and suffers from no twinges Of con-
science, stalking a deer is poor work
I'm comparison with stalking a million
aire. The brutal criminal who covets
the rich mans hoard will murder his
victim and break open his safe with a
sledge hammer. But that is utterly
unworthy of the sportsman. And the
Dick Turpin of the present day can
not take to the highway, like his pro-
totype. He must have recourse to
modern methods. l need not draw
upon my imagination here: for truth
Is stranger than fiction" and my
memory will supply illustrations.
The hero Of my first story rented a
bedroom near the railway station from
which the Dives he was stalking trav-
eled daily to town. Well dressed and
we'll groomed he took his seat in the
same compartment, attracting notice
only by his apparent desire to remain
unnoticed, while he dealt with the pa
pers he carried in handbag.
| One morning after few such jour-
neys he gave vent to his annoyance al
having forgotten his keys. A stranger
sitting in the opposite corner politely
offered him his bunch in the hope that
he would find on it key to open the
bag. But none Of them would fit the
lock- At the suggestion of the stran-
ger (who Of course, was an accom-
plice), Dives then produced his bunch
of keys, and a few seconds sufficed tc
sion Of the keys of Dives's safe. A
few weeke later the safe was rifled
and before the crime was discovered
the thief was across the Channel witt
his booty.
u This trick has been often played, but
the plot am about to describe Is alb
solutely unique. The genius who plan
ned 1t claimed to have discovered the
master secret Of alchemy; he could
double the weight of gold. One Of oul
great city houses. on being approached
in strict confidence, offered him facil.
tiles to test his scheme. But he
through scorn" to treat few hundred
sovereigns; it would not be worth hi:
while to deal with less than 100000
OF course, the merchants ran no risks
for they could take adequate precau'
tions against pilfering or fraud. Th'
fellow stipulated that no one but him.
self should ever enter the laboratory
provided for the purpose Of his eXper'
iment, but he ostentatiously submit
ted to a rigid search after each Of hi:
daily visits.
One Monday morning he failed t
put in an appearance, and when afteI
an interval the laboratory was opened
the tanks in which the 10000 sover
eigns had been deposited were fount
to be empty. How the gold had beer
spirited away was a mystery which
perhaps would never have been SOLVED
had not the sporting instincts Of th'
thief compelled him to boast Of hi
success.
A letter posted in territory that knew
: no extradition treaty brought a full
disclosure of the plot. A gentleman
I ly" sort of letter it was expressing re
| gret at the credulity of his victims ant
congratuating them that the loss o
100000 was of small account to them
He would maintain absolute secrec.
in the matter, for If the story wer
: known they would become Laughing
= stock in every capital of Europe.
t may here say that they took the hint
The crime has remained a secret to tn
p present hour The only police officer
? who had knowledge Of 1t are dead
> But how was the gold abstracted
| The thief explained that the handsom
walking cane which he invariably car
ried was the biggest sovereign purs
y ever manufactured and every time h
T visited the laboratory he filled it witt