Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-11-01
A DANGEROUS HOBBY
TO Study the Ways Of Rogues
May Make a Rogue Of You.
CRIMINALS BY SUGGESTION.
An Abnormal interest In the Methods
Of Lawbreskers 10 Liable to Arouse
Even In Normally Honest Man Q
Spirit of Emulation.

Even IN q Normauy Hohest WI"
Spirit Of Emulation.
"It Is quite possible for normally
honest man to become criminal by
suggestion" was the curious state
ment made by a we'll known New York
detective who was in Washington re-
Gently on business. II am referring
now to men who permit themselves TO
develop an abnormal interest In the
ways of professional criminals.
II wouldn't call It safe thing for
any man to attempt to figure out in
his mind what he would have done to
escape arrest had he been In the boots
Of some captured criminal whom he
had read about. But that's thing
that thousands of men who think
they're honest are doing ali the time.
When there's big man hunt on, they
follow 1t with acute interest put them
selves In the place Of the hunted man
and dope out schemes Of escape for
him. A certain percentage Of such cal
culators are bound to experience the
laundering sooner or later to put their
schemes for evading the officers Of the
law into practical operation, If only
for the foolish purpose Of finding out
how their plans will work.
working In New York now on
salary Of few dollars week is
broken middle aged man who used to
be the treasurer of bonding and In
demnity company at salary Of S10-
600 year. This man developed q
queer bug for mentally tracing the
movements Of fugltives from justice,
especially embezzlers.
IT was acquainted with this man,
and he endeavored to pump me for all
L knew about such cases. He liked to
talk about the fleeing ones. He laid
out routes for them in his mind. BE
knew the extradition laws by heart
and had at his fingers ends every coun-
try in the world to which a pursued
man could run without fear Of extra
dltion. Once 1 gave this man a talk
ing to about this hobby Of his.
"'You'd better can that stuff told
him, 'or it'll begin to tester in the back
of your head and get you going. I've
known such things to happen, and no
man Is more than one-elghth as strong
as he thinks he is
"Well, he only laughed and told me
that he was interested In the subject
Just as other fellows were interested
in old fiddles or rare postage stamps.
"Anyhow,' he laughingly added, X
I did jump and you were sent after me
you'd never be subjected to the en-
barrassment Of taking me, because
you'd never get me. If couldn't beat
all of these pinheaded fugitives In max
ing safe and sure getaway, so that
none of you would ever nail me, I'd
want to have my head bagged.'
"Not more than six months after that
he made his jump, and I got him as
easy as hotfooting banana peddler.
I went straight to the little villa he
had taken outside Genoa, Italy. When
/ nailed him, he was the most stupe-
fed man you ever saw, for he'd made
his hop at the beginning OF his months
vacation and had laid all Of his plans
with what he thought was mastery
adroltness, according to his chart, with
thirty days margin Of time to accom-
plish the scheme IN. In consideration
of his returning most Of the swag ne
got only eight years.
.That man put himself In the way OF
becoming criminal by suggestion,
His studies of the movements or nee
ing absconders developed an irrespon-
sibillty In him and an ache to put TO
the test the getaway plans that ne
spent 80 much of his time in doping out
while yet he was an honest man.
sThere Is no calculating how many
shoprfters, especially young women
are led to try that sort Of thing through
hearing and reading about professional
lifters. Not long ago In a New YORK
department store girl was nailed
while trying to lift pair OF inexpen-
siye gloves. The girl had an account
at that store for any amount that she
chose to spend up to thousands. She
wasn't arrested, Of course, but was led
to the rear Office and chided by the
head of the firm in a gentle way.
perhaps you should put yourself
In the hands of a specialist for treat
ment,' he said to the girl, who wept
softly. with you, beyond a doubt, 1t
Us kieptomania. 1t must be-
"'No, 1t Isn't replied the girl. with
the utmost candor It's not klepto-
mania at all. 1 don't believe in such
Stiffness. I just wanted to see II !
could do It without being caught; that's
all. A lot Of girls were talking about
shoplifters-they seemed 30 fascinat-
ing-and the girls dared me to try. l
meant to exhibit the gloves to them
as trophy and then send them back
to you by mail anonymously. You
won't ever breathe word Of It. Will
your And the head Of the firm, know
Ing pretty we'll which side his bread
was buttered on. Of course only tells
the story without using the girls
name. but the incident illustrates an oc-
currence which is common. Plenty OF
women lift things from counters just
to see II they can do 1t without being
caught and when they succeed In get
ting away with it once they try II
again and again and allow the habit TO
become fixed upon them until the IN
eyttable day of discovery arrives.
1.-THE people who become criminals by
suggestion are nearly always the veri-
est plugs at any line Of work they take
nm. for first rate criminals are born,
not made BY suggestion or In any other