The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-02-21
HOW PIcKPocKETS PICK
(By T. E. Fitzgerald, in Daytona
News)

the -four hundred" of crookdom. He
holds himself aloof from the other I
stratas of the underworld society. He
is generally man of good education,
and one that can mingle with most t
any class Of people, always being able i
to adapt himself to conditions. With 8
every gang there is leader known |
as the Big Boy. He in turn is con- I
nected with a parent organization and ]
this parent organization keeps on
hand the funds of approximately
half million dollars. This money is
used to assist members of the various
gangs who may get into trouble. OF
course, there is always the piker wire.
Taper in existence. He is known as
a low-brow and the higher class
crooks do not affiliate with him, gen.
orally because sometime in his career
he has double-crossed some member
in the organization, or resorted to
Ishop-lifting or other petty crimes.
started out to tell the methods
pursued by another class of crooks,
or the ones that come socially in the |
second strata-the pick-pockets. The
third class is the second-story men,
and the fourth class are the yeggmen
or safe-blowers.
Referring to the pickpockets | will
detail their operations and outline
method that may be successfully used
to combat their operations, the meth
cd and the details of way they work
having been related to me by one who
was formerly high up in the art.
!, | am not speaking of the piker pick
pocket who may snatch purse and
run, but of the class who are able,
through their scientific methods Of
extracting wallet from an inner
pocket in such way that the victim
;, does not know he has been touched
until he discovers the absence of his
valuables.
Pickpockets work only in congested
crowds and they always work in
gangs of three One of the three in
:, variable carries an overcoat, duster
or some wrap over his right arm. He
probably has grip in his hand. He
generally gets in front of the victim
The other members of the gang re
main in the rear The man with the
overcoat suddenly concludes, while ii
- the jam, that he will 60 the Other
~ way. They crowd the victim, thu
three of them. In the operation thu
victims arm is raised; he is complete
ly turned around so that he faces tn,
opposite direction from which he il
going BY this time the pickpocket
ing operation is concluded, The vic
tim will often take an OATH however
that he had not turned around.
was told by this former pick-pocke
that victims pocket could not b
successfully picked without the turf
ing around operation. The "swag
being distracted by one Of the gan
is, by the first operator, passed to tn
third member. This is done so this
in case by any chance the one VIII
actually did the picking is accused {
having the goods, they would not /
found upon him, This operation
done on the East Coast of Florid
1t is generally done on railroad st
ton platforms, in the vestibules
coaches while the passengers are e
tering or detraining, or in large gat
erings, such as are frequently held
Daytona for instance in the Cash
Burgoyne. This pickpocket sugge!
ed that on the railroad trains, If q
conducted or brakeman or some OF
err person would go through the ira
and shout warning to beware
pickpockets," the pickpockets won
hardly attempt to work. He sugge
. ed that on station platforms il sol
. person with a uniform would mou
platform near the place where {
crowd was the most congested, tn
they likewise would not work
suggested that in the Casino b
goyne. for instance, that if two m
in uniform would mount a chair
each side Of the door and watch [
audience as it filed out, that the pi
rockets would not work He empl
sized the advantage of officers we
ing uniforms and suggested that
Davtona would uniform the pol
force. the city would save the visit
and residents many times the cost
the uniforms. There is one thing
crook is in fear of, and that is an
ficer in uniform
Trus far pickpockets have not dc
very much work in Daytona this 8
son although there has been consid
able complaint of them working
the Florida East Coast railroad.
Late in the season when the to