The Rice belt journal., 1906-07-20

die Of blank paper SO familiar in di-
mensi0nS to the money they have alb
straCted that he cannot tell the differ
ence by touching the spurious roll
from the outside. There are both
white and black women in this branch
of thieving, and they are busy lot
When one of them has landed the
prize she has been after she makes
a sign-usually in the form OF
cOugh-and man or another W0m-
an steps smartly up and splits heI
out from her prey.
A Pinkerton man, who has spent
most of his life in finding out the
habits of criminals, says of the new
generation of pickp0ckets: IN CHI
cago there are several classes OF
| pickpOcketS, the newest of which,
perhaps, is made up of the boys who
operate in State street and in the
theater districts when audiences are
leaving the various playh0uses.
These are ostensibly newsboys, cry
ing the hardy serial with Haunting
red headlines. Their scheme is to
push the papers up into the faces OF
pedestrians, and, while under cover
of the ruse, they get off the fronts
of the dupes, who either stop to buy
onslaughts of the persistent young
sters.
For instance "a welldressed man
with a woman companion may be
emerging from a theater slowly fas
tening his coat. A boy rusheS up tC
him and posters him with paper
so that he becomes irritable anC
angry. He growls at the lad, but
that does not bother his t0rment0r
Having centered the attention of the
gentleman upon the newspaper II
his Jeff hand, the boy slips his righ
hand underneath the extra and II
an instant is in possession OF a watch
and sometimes a chain. These young
: sters go mainly for fObs, which ar
i more easily acquired than the othe
u sort, but they are sufficiently Skill
u full to take watch, chain and all whel
II it is convenient or necessary.
: This line of thieving has been dc
5 veloped mainly during the last l
l. months, and it has been carried t
Il such pass that the public ought t
u be warned to keep a sharp vigil whe
l. unduly pressed to buy paper.
"In the street cars there are VAR
! Gus methods of working, and it
| seldom that less than three or fou
| operators ply their trade togethe
! If there is a mob Of four only one
| them engages in the actual work
| depriving the mark of his or he
! valuables. The thief is called tn
| tool and the others are known
| stall. Quite often woman is en-
| pl0yed as stall BY some secr'
| code of signals the mark is d
| cided upon and the woman picks
| fuss with him, either accusing hi
of trying to firt with her or eXclain
ing that he has clumsily stepped upc
| her foot. Then, when he is busy Wi
! his expoStulations, the Others crow
! about him menacingly and the toe
Il Hakes his money and jewelry.
! THE best pickpockets do not wo
i as a rule in what are known as Il
| rush hours on the elevated and su
| face lines-the hours, that is to Sd
| when workingmen, clerks and sale
! women are going to and from the
homes. 1t is the theater crowd
ge the crowd going to the races that
tracts the pickpockets, who are aft
an the people that have money, not tho
er. of slender incomes"
ut Pickpockets, like other crimina
wv rarely have any money when tn
Or. come to lay down the cares of
h, busy life. The only noteworthy
re stance to the contrary was that of
cir famous pickpocket known as &c
of. Tooth Kid" who died five years az
tie and whose efforts for The relief
his humanity were largely confined
ne New York. although he had grac
Chicago and other large cities wi
~, his presence at various periods of /