The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-06-15
PICKPOCKETS IN
 TOWN THRIVE ON UNWARY PERSONS
Women Accomplices Are Successful In Concealing Valuable Loot

That Bridgeport is the Mecca for a horde of pickpockets is becoming more apparent every day as com plaints are received at police head
 quarters of pockets being picked and
 purses being opened and the contents
 extracted. But though many conn
 plaints are registered with the police.
 many who have been marks for the
 dips do not make any report to the
 auth critics for, unless it is known
 who did the trick and the goods can be secured on the operator they can only
 be taken into custody on some tech nical charge.
 An instance of the activity of the pickpockets occurred recently on a | crowded North Main street trolley car when a prominent man about twon complained to the conductor that someone had rif1ed his pockets and | extracted bill fold containing quite
 a sum of money. He had no idea who had done the trick" and it was probable that whoever was guilty was not a passenger on the car when the victim realized his loss.
 The same thing is occurring many times daily on the cars, in the crowd l ed stores, cafes and every, place that I crowds gather. Many slick looking | adopts of the light fingered art have
 been seen about the city by persons who have been aware of their activi- | ties in New York and other large cit | ies wherein former times they have
 pliedA their game.
 | But Bridgeport has taken on a l metropolitan aspect since the indus l trial boom struck the city and with the influx of artisans to work in the
 munition and other plants, have come
 artists in their line, that of frisking 1 the unwary. Most of the "dips"
 wq qrl<ing here are believed to have fe-
 male accomplices who make a special l ty of extracting the contents of wom-
 in the crowded department stores and in the crowds that aEe on the principal
 streets during the busy hours of the
 day.
 1 Two professionals in the pocket 1 picking business were arrested recent l 1y in a crowd on Main street on com
 plaint of a woman whose purse had, been opened and a small pocketbook l taken. Though the pair were un- 1 doubtedly guilty of the act the goods
 were not found on them, as the pock-
 etbook had probably been passed to a 1 woman confederate.
 1 On the witness stand in the city l court one of them admitted that he was a professional pfckpocket and | records secured from NeW York show ed that both had served time for their
 acts. Although the catch was a very 1 clever one and reflected credit on the 1 officers who made it, the severe charge | could not be prosecuted against one 1 of the offenders while the other was
 fined and sent to jail.
 1 Last Friday when the circus was 1 here, no complaints were received by l the police of any pickpock busy at 1 their work but this was pointed out l to have been the result of the vigil- | ance of the people who, on such a day 1 take added precautions to prevent be- 1 ing listed among those who are vic
 tins of the 'dips.'' At the circus l grounds several suspicious looking I persons were the object of vigilance
 upon the part of the detectives and l plain clothes men assigned there and I as they realized that they were being | watched, did not attempt to do their
 work.
 Several of the men suspected of being engaged in the work of reliev- I ing the unwary of their money are l now Being closely watched by the police and at the first chance will be taken into the tolls of the law,
 Tuesday evening Anna Mortensen of 3O9 Jane street. reported the loss of $5 which was stolen from her hand l bag as she was walking over Congress street bridge. At the time many I people were crossing the bridge on I their way from their employment and Miss Mortensen believes that in being jostled on the bridge, someone opened the bag and took the money.