The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-14
GIRL PICKPOCKET
ROBSFIvE IN COURT
She Steals From Detectives lust
to Show She Knows
How.
CHILD TAUGHT BY MAN
Thief, 9 Years Old, Describes
Her Teacher, for Whom Detec-
tives Begin Search.

New York. August l3.-The story
OF the detectives was hard to believe.
and 1t is no wonder Justice Hoyt, in
the Chldren's Court. yesterday morn
ing, first looked doubtfully at the two
strong arm men, then at a girl OF nine,
fair haired, with mild blue eyes, who
smiled reassuringly when he shook
his head in disbelief.
oh. yes. I'm u pickpocket. all right"
said the child Since I've been in the
room the pockets of five men have
been picked-two of the detectives
who brought me here. And l did it all
just the way man showed me how"
The detectives laughed. then got red
when they found the girl had taken an
article from the pocket of each and
something from three othet men who
were standing there waiting for an
other case. The detectives admitted
the joke was on them but said they
had told the child to show how expert
she was. SO the court would see she
was kept off the street. where her MIN
BILE fingers made her dangerous.
The tricky little girl, Concotto In
glese. of 222 Chrystie Street. who
looked the reverse of the usual idea of
an italian child. had been picked up in
the East Side the day before by Vert
heimer of the strong-arm squad. and
Wittenberg. OF headquarters They
on the lookout for a man who was ex-
pected to give them trouble before
submitting to arrest when their at
tention was attracted to a different
Kind of game. Startled at seeing the
lnglese girl deftly slip her hand into
woman's bag and withdraw pocket
book. they dropped big game quest for
the time and followed the child.
The route took them through Or
Houston. IRE pf,,Ir
ton and Broome Streets. and whenever
me crowd was thckest there was .he
gu thief In less than an hour the
girl had gone through the pockets Of
thirteen persons, stealing articles OF
one Kind or another. while the vic
INNS calmly went their way, not know
ms they had been robbed. When vic
Tins grew scarce .or moment or
were hard to approach without at
tracing suspicion, the little girl, just
TO Keep her hand in. stole many small
articles from dozen stands
All the articles the child placed in a
large bag she carried, and deciding
there was more than sufficient proof
Al hand. the detectives arrested her.
ne niue pickpocket was frightened
at hrst, but when told the detectives
meant TO harm said all she was afraid
OF was beating She readily con-
fessed to being p!ckpocket. and was
proud Of the fact that though five
weeks at the business" never before
had she been caught. and never had
one OF the victims even suspected her
| The girl said a man. of whom she
gave good description. had taught
':er how to pick pockets so we'll she
could beat any OF the older hands at
It. She also described a boy who acted
as go-between for her ard the man.
The police expect to get the man and
boy
They always took away from me
everything I stole" said the child in
court. Il got lots of pretty things.
but they took them. too. They paid me
10 cents a day, and that wasn't
enough was it?"
The childs father. who hurried to
| court. said she always vas a good
girl. only she seemed to like running
the streets. When told she had been
picking pockets he wished to whip her
in court and couldn't understand why
| the justice wouldn't permit him to do
| so. Justice Hoyt instructed the de-
tectives TO bring in the man and boy.
who are the responsible ones. he said,
and sent the little girl to the Chill
dren's Society