Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-12-06
HOW THIEVES WORK.
Some Of the Most Modern Tricks
Of the Experts.
Many Ingenious oodsss Employed 0y
Smart Rooues In Their Efforts 70
Rob the Unwary Victims OF
Their Efforts.

Almost every day illustrations are
afforded of the marvellous ingenuity
of the modern thief. Recently .
couple of rogues nearly succeeded IN
extracting a valuable pin from the
cravat of a man sitting between them
in q music hall by means of an almost
Invisible horsehair stretching from
the right hand of one thief to the lett
hand of his accomplish. The thieves
by simultaneously raising their HANDS
under the pretense Of putting their
pipes or cigarettes into their mouths
tried, by pulling the horsehair taut'
gradually to lift the victims pin from
It's place.
In this particular instance. says
London Tit-Bits, the trick was not
successful, but it Is often worked
with advantage. II the pin falls 10
the ground unnoticed the thieves take
the earliest opportunity Of selling H.
or, by a skillful manipulation OF the
horse hair the article may be maze
to slide down the almost invisible line
right into the hand Of one OF the
thieves.
Owing to the ease with which they
are detached, tie pins are the fasorl'e
objective with many street thieves
says the Standard, and great many
OF them are stolen by means OF the
old trick known as the tumpins
lady" A well-dressed gentleman
walking along the pavement notices
that a lady crosses his path, sudden
" stumbles and lurches forward. H.
stincrively he throws open his arms
to catch her, and for a moment sne
rests upon his breast The next
with confused apology and thanks
she is gone and 1t is only some time
afterward that the gallant rescuer
discovers that his tie pin Is also gone
or perhaps his watch.
OF course, the average street thlef
prefers to work in crowd, ana MS
enterprise Is strikingly illustrated by
the fact that II he cannot find croWd
he proceeds to make one. One OF the
simplest methods Of doing this is to
take advantage of the inquisitiveness
OF the average person. II Is oniy
necessary for any one to stand IN the
street and gaze upward, as though
staring intently at some interesting
object. or look over a bridge at some
apparently remarkable thing in the wa.
ter, to Immediately attract the pass
ers-by. The street thief plays upon
this weakness Of the average 1nd1vld'
ual. He will walk along a thorough
fare, suddenly come to halt ana
gaze steadily at something In the air
possibly it is only chimney po1.
Whatever it is, the chances are
hundred to one that in few minutes
a crowd of people will stop and stare
in the same direction, and then 1t, Is
an easy matter for confederate to
70 through the pockets Of the gaz-
ers.
More elaborate was the plan adopt
ed some time ago by three street mu-
sicians, who made a fair amount
every day by exercising their vocal
organs in the suburbs. but whose In
come was considerably augmented by
a confederate who relieved TIE crowd
which collected round the musicians
Of whatever cash and other valuables
he could lay his hands on.
Then there is the ragged little boy
who creates CONSERVATION and excite
ment among the crowd Of seaside Wis
itors by tumbling into the sea on
the promenade or pier AS rule, he
can swim like a fish. but the longer
he can keep up a realistic semblance
of drowning the longer his father or
big brother has to explore the pockets
of the sympathetic crowd.