The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-05-16
P|CKPOCKETS IN CHURCH
They Deity Pilfer Purses
During Services.
POSE AS WORSHPPERS
They Dress Their Part and Generally
Escape Dctcction-A New Class
of Thieves Developed by the
Changed Conditions In the Metro
polis--Traincd Impcrsonators.

ccnfine their operations to street
cars or crowds in public places. but
ply their trade in churches. A
young woman relates the following:
In company with another girl
ard her grandfather, who several
years ago was prominent police
official, attended the evening SER
vice of church on the upper west
side of Manhattan Island. In the
pew to which we were assigned
came another young woman. whom
/ did not know, but who looked
perfectly respectable. She sat down
beside me. l was carrying a purse
oyer my arm, and when 1t came time
To pray, as the purse was q silver
one and made a jangling noise when
moved about, | slipped 1t off my arru
and laid 1t on the seat of the pew.
There was very little in it of value
a two dollar bill, some silver coins
and few trinkets. When the prayer
VAS over aud ! resumed my seat
picked up the purse again to slip
over my arm. Much to my surprise
1 noticed that it was open. | looked
IN il, naturally, and saw that the two
dollar bill was missing. | them no
diced that the young woman who
had come in and sat beside me had
also left the church. She did 1t
very quitely while we were at prayer.
After the service ! spoke to my
friends grandfather, the former po-
lice official, aud told him of my loss.
he had sat in the pew right behind
Us and he said that undoubtedly the
youug woman who sat next to me
had been the pickpocket. as her face
vas familiar to him. He remem-
bered having seen 1t In the Rogues'
Gallery.
He also told me that he had
been informed of the prevalence of
this sort of thieving, and that 1t had
ia the last year become a very seri-
Gus matter"
Investigation has shown that the
annoyance this young lady was sub
Jccted to Is n very common one and
3 growing menace to the security of
church worship. 1t is certainly not
pleasant thing to attend devotional
exercises with the haunting fear that
a pretty pickpocket is masquerading
neYt to you as a devotee.
According to the New York police
a new class of thieves has blossomed
ous They are scarcely more than
children, are exceedingly adept. so
sly and expert in their sleight-of-
hand craft as to defy detection. To
extract the contents of purse or
chatelaine bag while the owner Is
absorbed IN prayer Is considered
high art-an accomplishment for any
lH6y thief to be proud Of.
IN the old days blear eyed profes-
sionals had the monopoly of most of
tbs fancy crime of the metropolis.
Now, with skyscrapers, subways and
million dollar dividends and other
modern improvements a new class
OK thieves swarming like insects,
into hooks and corners OF the city
where the best people congregate.
Men OF travel and business are
usually able to take care of them
Seayes when toughs and tramps
erowd against them In cars or other
public places; but this invasion OF
churches by quiet woman trained to
every kind of impersonation, from
dsfnure chit Of an errand girl to the
sharp eyed. mousy miss Of eighteen,
schooled from childhood to every
Iasse Of crime known on the calen-
Asy. Is novelty-a menace to the
wives and daughters Of families who
Asbitually attend church.
&ut this is not all. These sneak
thieves fix themselves up so as to
attract little attention and haunt
kfsces of entertainment. such as
fairs, church exhibitions. and parti-
calaIly weddings and funerals.
In the case Of an extraordinary
theft in a fashionable church In
Grange, N. j., 1t was a business man
having an Office in New York who
had a hundred dollar overcoat and a
xffver mounted twenty dollar UNI
brella stolen almost before his very
eses.
He was very much interested In
the wedding, as the bride was a
friend of his family. He arrived at
t&a church rather early and, seeing
friend across the way, neatly
folded his coat and laid it on an
empty seat near the pulpit with his
umbrella and gloves, to mark 1t as
his own. Becoming interested In
hts conversation with the friend while
tae guests were filling the church, he
remained on that side Of the aisle
satil the ceremony was over and
then made his way to the seat where
he had left his coat to find 1t gone.
It required couple of weeks for
TIE police to find 1t, but they dis
covered 1t In a pawnshop, where the
owner recovered It on payment of the
sac advanced to the smooth talking
young man who pawned 1t. This
ease was an exception for woman
had no hand in it.-New York Her
aid.
LII