The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1912-12-19
HOW THIEVES WORK
Some of the Most Modern Tricks
of the Experts.
Many Ingenious Dodges Employed by
Smart Rogues In Their Efforts to
Rob the Unwary Victims of
Their Efforts.

Almost every day illustrations are
of the modern thief. Recently
couple of rogues nearly succeeded in
extracting a valuable pin from the
cravat of man sitting between them
in a music hall by means of an almost
invisible horsehair stretching from
the right hand of one thief to the left
hand of mis- 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. If the pin falls to
the ground unnOticed the thieves take
the earliest opportunity of selling it,
or by a skillful manipulation of the
horse hair, the article may be made
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 favorite
objective with many street thieves,
says the Standard and a great many
of them are stolen by means of the
old trick known as the 'tumbling
lady" A well-dressed gentleman,
walking along the pavement, notices
that lady crosses his path, sudden
ly stumbles and lurches forward. In
stinctively he throws open his arms
to catch her, and for a moment she
rests upon his breast. The next,
with a confused apology and thanks,
she is gone, and it 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 thief
prefers to work in crowd, and his
enterprise is strikingly illustrated by
the fact that If he cannot find crowd
he proceeds to make one. One of the
simplest methods of doing this is to
take advantage of the inquisitiveness
necessary for any one to stand in the
street and gaze upward, as though
staring intently at some interesting
object, or look over bridge at some
apparently remarkable thing in the wa
ter, to immediately attract the pass
ers-by. Tbs street thief plays upon
this weakness of the average ind1vld-
H. Ill h
fare, suddenly come to a halt and
gaze steadily at something In the air
possibly it is only a chimney pot.
Whatever ii 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
20 through the pockets of the gag
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 the 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 of
the promenade or pier AS rule, he
can swim like a fish, but the longer
he can keep up realistic semblance
Of drowning the longer his. father or
big brother has to explore the pockets
of the sympathetic crowd.