Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-07-12
.PICRPOCEETS N CHURCH
They Deity Pilfer Purses
During Services.
POSE AS WORShlPPERS
They Dress Their Part and Generally
Escape Detection--A New Class
Of Thieves Developed by the
Changed Conditions In the Metro
poIis-Trained Impersonators.

New lOIh VIcHpDIhSe7 W 49,
roadne their operations 70 street
cars or crowds in public places. but
ply their trade in churches. a
Young woman relates the following;
In company with another girl
and her grandfather, who several
Years ago was a prominent police
official, l attended the evening SER
vice OF a church on the upper west
Tide Of Manhattan Island. In the
pew 10 which we were assigned
came another young woman, whom
/ did not know, but who looked
perfectly respectable. She sat down
beside me. ! was carrying a purse
over my arm. and when II came time
20 pray, as the purse was a silver
one and made a jangling noise when
moved about, / slipped Il Of my arm
and laid 10 on the seat OF the pew.
There was very little in II Of value
two dollar bill. some silver coins
and a few trinkets. When the prayer
was over and / resumed my seat /
picked up the purse again 10 slip
over my arm. Much 10 my surprise
noticed that Il was open. / looked
in II, naturally, and saw that the two
dollar bill was missing. ] them no.
ticed that the young woman who
had come IN and sat beside me had
also left the church. She did II
very quitely while we were at prayer.
After the service ] spoke 10 my
friends grandfather, the former po-
lice official. and told him OF my loss.
He had sat in the pew right behind
as and he said that undoubtedly the
young woman who sat next TO me
had been the pickpocket, as her face
was familiar TO him. He remem-
bered having seen II In the Rogues'
Gallery.
He also told me that he had
been Informed OF the prevalence OF
this sort OF thieying. and that II had
IN the last year become very seri-
Gus matter"
Investigation has shown that the
annoyance this young lady was sub
jected TO is a very common one and
growing menace to the security OF
church worship. II Is certainly not
pleasant thing to attend devotional
exercises with the haunting fear that
pretty pickpocket is masqnerading
next to you as a deyotee.
According TO the New York police
new class OF thieves has blossomed
out 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 a purse or
chatelaine bag while the owner Is
absorbed In prayer is considered
high art-an accomplishment for any
lady thief to be proud Of.
In the old days blear eyed profess
SIGNALS had the monopoly OF most Of
the fancy crime OF the metropolis.
Now, with skyscrapers, subwayg and
million dollar dividends and other
modern improvements a new class
Of 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
selves when toughs and tramps
crowd against them In cars or other
public places; but this invasion OF
churches by quiet woman trained to
every kind OF impersonation, from
demure chit OF an errand girl to the
sharp eyed, mousy miss OF eighteen,
schooled from childhood 10 every
phase of crime known on the calen-
dar, Is a novelty menace 10 the
wives and daughters of families who
habitually attend church.
But this is not ALL These sneak
thieves fix themselves up so as TO
attract little attention and haunt
places OF entertainment, such as
fairs. church exhibitions, and parti-
cuIaily weddings and funerals.
In the case OF an extraordinary
theft in a fashionable church in
Orange, ". j., IT was a business man
having an Office in New York who
had a hundred dollar oycrcoat and a
silver mounted twenty dollar UNI
brella stolen almost before his very
eyes
the wedding, as the bride was a
friend Of his family. He arrived at
the church rather early and, seeing
a friend across the way. neatly
folded HIS coat and laid II on an
empty seat near the pulpit with HIS
umbrella and gloves, 10 mark Il as
his own. Becoming interested IN
his conversation with the friend while
the guests were filling the church, he
remained on that side of the aisle
until the ceremony was over anc
then made hts way TO the seat where
he had left his coat to find II gone.
II required a couple OF weeks for
the police to find II, but they dis
covered It in pawnshop, where the
owner recovered Il on payment OF the
$40 advanced 10 the smooth talking
young man who pawned II. This
case was an exception for woman
had no hand IN New York Her
aid