Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-24
HAYS of Catching Crooks Haze Changed
MIN the Times-7He '.Shadozo Has
about Disappeared-Lost in the
1raftIc Trying Vainly to Trail
His Quarry.
BY HOWARD MCCLELLAN.

bag had heard It and came along to this broker
who. he thought, would handle his stuff.
Others in the same line also heard the sGme
talk and have gone the same way that the
dumpy fence went-prisonw1rd-
There was o funny denouement 10 this
trusting peddler's disastrous visit to the brokers
once. He was In Q pool with several other
hot" bond fences. This pool had acquired the
bonds from the actual thieves ct 60 per cent
OF tazeir face vAlue, which was 100. The iped-
der agreed 10 split with the pool On n fifty
Fifty basis. He told them he would get 100 for
them But IN the brokers once he quikibled
about the le4 quotation. The peddler was
trying 70 cheat his pool partners out Of the
extra fouri
what the shadow had been unable 10 nc
cOmpaish In the West when his man flashed
away IN q motor car the post once inspector
neatly enconpassed by the "come-on" method
and he got mot only the peddler but the two
hold-up men and recovered more than 90 per
cent Of the total amount they stole.
This modus operandi is known by several
names-the "come-on," the plant" and the
latter, that the man who steps into the
"frame"-the IDEA being with respect ID the
frame makes pretty picture! A Wide va
riety Of frames" are used each conceived 70
suit the situation. They have many aaivan-
taees over the shadow system, chief among
them being the fact that the subject cannot
be flushed" rs Is SO often the case when he
discovers that man is trailing him-
PLANTS" or frames" may range from plant
ing a servant IN q suspects home 10 building
I'D q mob Of supposed crooks and gTnmen,
such as the undercover squad OF the New York
Police Department, which is made up OF men
who look and act like crooks and do every
thing crooks do up to the point of committing
Q crime.
The 'troper-in" Is another substitute Dor the
shadow man. Service of this kind Is hazard
OuS IN the extreme and requires particularly
quick-Witted operatives. They may be OF either
sex. Their principal aim is to gain the conf
dence of the suspect and under the gllise Of
friendship, worm from him dis criminal secrets.
SKIN IN making the approach to . suspected
stranger is the chief requirement.
WHEN the New York police heard. via the
grapevine (which Is never 10 be trusted
too implicitly-Shst q certain young woman,
temporarily In Canada, was the gungrl (gun
CARRIER for a mob Of pay ron bandits the de-
eective division sent q dapper young italian
detective to make her acquaintance. A shadow
had tTaiied her, but she was forever giving HIM
the run-around.
An that the young italian sienth knew about
the woman was that she admired gunner and
displayed the greatest enthusiasm and a1fec-
ton Tor 'big shots" SO when the detective
reached Canada he let 1t he known that his
name was James Caponei In no time the
young woman was looking him up, eager 10
ind any one with that wei known patrUnymic.
They met and chAtted and to show the de-
tective that she was entitled to travel In the
same class as one of such a well known name
she unbos1ned herself freely as to the inn