The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-09-11
ARMLEss ARM THIEVES.
Remarkable Cripple Criminals Who
Cause the Police Trouble.
London Answers.

Huny Dllnu OF OlHcI"lSC plyoiS"iS
incapacitated persons who earn their
own living.
But the cripple criminal is novel
development, and very strange one.
Criminals, are of course, frequently
mentally deficient, but usually they
are in full possession Of their bodily
faculties Yet the French press has
recently been greatly stirred by the
extraordinary career of man whom
they term the Centaur Highwayman.
He is an arab, and the scene Of his
exploits has been Algeria.
He began his career as bandit chief
nearly twenty years ago, being then
in full possession Of all his limbs. He
was caught and imprisoned, and while
serving his sentence met with an ac-
cident which resulted in both his legs
being amputatcd. He was pardoncd
in consequence, but as soon as he was
set free perfect reign Of terror be-
gan, Farm houses and villas were rob-
bed and travellers held up in good old
fashioned style on the road. The
leader of the bandits was man mag
nificcntly mounted.
At least IA police trap proved sue
ccssful. lie was caught and turned
out to be no other than the original
convict. His loss OF legs did not
interfere in the least with his powers
Of riding.
The managcrcss of Stroud green
shop. arrivin" carly one Saturday
morning, suddenly caught sight OF
man s boot stickin" ont from under
coat hun" upon the wall. With
great presence of mind she said moth
ing. but closed the door and hurried
sff for policeman. The unwclcome
visitor proved to be a woodcn-legged
burglar, who had got in by the sky
light, and lowered himself by Il rope.
Unluckilv for him, the rope broke, and
with his wooden log he was unable
to climb ont again.
1t was a wooden leg. also, that PROV
ed the undoing Of an lrishman, who
appeared at E}ournsmouth charged
with stealing Il dog. lie was taking
the animal up Alum Chine when the
owner came down the path. The thief
truncd to escape, took to the beach
and sank up to his amputated knee in
the soft sand.
The disadvantages Of being one
armed seem slight compared with the
loss Of leg, but it is somewhat as
tonishing to hear of n onc-armcd burg
lar being charged with thirty-nine diff
fcrcnt offences. Wonder grows at
=. news that this burglar is also wo-
man. This astonishing criminal has
earned Il large income for Fifteen
years by clever thcfts all over Aus
tra. Her total sroils arc estimated to
exceed $4,000 In several eases she
has stripped houses during the alb
scncc of their owners in broad day
light, and on one occasion, at least,
had actually got policeman to guard
her spnils till the van drove up.
For a person without arms at all
to go in for thicvin@ seems absurd on
the face of it, yet there is at least
one ease on record Of such an extra
ordinary crime. An armless youth
named Ward was recently convicted
at Utica, New York state, Of stealing
vegetables from garden. 1t was
shown that he piled them up with his
toes. The Judge fined him IS where
upon he pulled rool Of bills from his
coat pocket with the toes Of his right
foot and, selecting one with as much
ease rs you or l could do with our
fingers, and passed it over to the
clerk.
The story of curious tragedy was
recently reported from Paris. ~
man named Louis Bignot had the mis-
fortune to lose both legs by accident
on the eve Of his marriage. His fian-
Gee threw him over and married q
wine shop keeper in the Rue Menlem-
ontant. Every night afterward the
leglcss man wheeled himself to the
shop and sat there silent. One night
man was foolish enough to chaff
him about his hopeless attachment
Bignot picked up syphon and hurl-
ed it with such good aim that he
split the skull of the other. Two by
ISLANDERS rushed in and Bignot stab,
bed them both. A fearful fight en-
sued before the legless desperate was
captured.