The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-04-23
PickpOckets Resort
TOMany Smart RuSeS
While Pulling Jobs
(From the New York Times)

There are as many different kinds
OF pickpockets as there are kinds OF
people. Some work all the time and
others work only occasionally. Some
| ply their trade on trains and in troll
ley cars. while others work only in
crowds in stores. One class OF pick
pocket speciallzes In "drunks"
Thus spoke a former detective
who for many years was one of the
mainstays of the police department
In apprehending and convicting
lpickpockets. He was commenting on
Commissioner Enrights list OF
"don'ts."
The commissioner didn't warn
the public" he said. against carry
Ing money or valuables when under
the influence of liquor. yet the hard
est cases to break are those in which
a lush worker az we call him. is
concerned. The lush worker patrols
the streets late at night and when he
sees a drunk tails him. If convent
ent and II his proposed victim is in
toxlcatcd enough. he makes friends
with him. Perhaps he helps him
across q crowded street. and takes
his watch in pay for the service.
"A cop might be standing on the
corner watching the two as they
dodge through the traffic and never
suspect that they are not a couple of
| friends going home from n party.
When the victim misses his wallet or
watch and runs to the nearest po-
| liceman to report the loss or goes to
the police station his memory of the
event is often so hazy that the de-
tectives have pretty poor informa-
tion on which 10 work. Even II an
arrest is made the victim usually has
to confess that he was drunk at the
time and few magistrates will con-
Wet on such evidence"
The detective looked down the list
of pickpocket "don'ts" until he
came to the warning against care
lessness while shopping.
THE department store thief" he
said, "is usually a lam A lam IL
not necessarily pickpocket or n
sneak thief. He is the kind OF Grim
nal who specializes in getaways His
stunt Is to be casual about every
thing he does. II he picks up bit
of lace or a pair of silk stockings
and often it's a she on store jobs
he walks slowly toward the door.
stopping, maybe, to look at some
thing else. That quiet. nonchalant
way of walking off is called lam
| ming In the department.
THE big stores all have their own
police departments and they arc
usually efficient. or course, they
are after shoplifters rather than
dips and bag snatchers but they
are good protection for the shoppers
| too. The lam works with partner
and their method is simple. The
partner tails some one who IL shop
ping and paying cash for their pur-
chases. When the victim stops at A
counter the lam's partner stops and
watches for his chance. Careless
ness usually makes the opportunity.
The shopper lays down her handbag
or package. The thief picks II up.
slips 1t beneath the counter ledge to
the lam, who is right there waiting.
The actual thief doesn't move. When
the person robbed discovers her loss
women, of course. are the usual
victims-she makes n noise about it.
and the thief often helps in the
search. Meanwhile the lam is put
ting the blocks between himself and
the scene of the theft.
THAT advice of the commits
sioners telling people not TO carry
money in their hip pockets IL good.
I know cops that have lost money In
that way. and so many victims have
admitted that their wallet was lifted
from he,hip pocket that we call 4.
the Santa Claus pocket.
II said that there are all kinds OF
pickpockets. and yet there is some
thing uniform about them, ] can't
tell what It Is, but | can pick them
when am looking for them. Presi-
dent Roosevelt was wonder when It
came to spotting dips There was
n regular gang of these thieves who
used to follow him around when he
was speaking, and he got 50 that he
could single them out in n bic
crowd. was assigned TO go with
him during one campaign while he
was in New York and that uncanny
ability of his in spottlng thief was
responsible for lot of good arrests.
dipping with sbme of the fol-
lows Ia n pretty fine art. l have
known thieves who would steal Just
to keep their hand in. One fellow I
locked up years ago had plenty OF
money. He banked It, and he had
capital enough to start him In some
honest business, yet he never let an
opportunity go by to do Job,
asked him why he took such risks
: when he was not in need of funds
and his answer was interesting. That
chap felt that II he didn't keep on
the job he would lose something Of
his skin. He was like a fighter who
r never breaks training. He was al
: ways on edge, and like q sleight of
hand performer, he was ever look
ing out for n chance to Practice
There ore artists in every business.
and he was certainly an artist at
piplsinp pOpkptgh -