Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-01-15
BUTTE Boosted
BEST PICKPOCKET
MINING CITY WAS ONCE PROUD
OF JEW JESS" ALLEGED
PURSE LITTER
Famous Character Was Member Of
EarIy-Day Butte Underworld; Had
Reputation in Police Circles As Being
the Worlds SmOOthest dip"

For many years Butte had the
reputation of having, as a perm
anent resident, the worlds most
expert pickpocket. Scores of police
officials from various large cities
of the country who went 70 Butte
for prisoners, all agreed that the
reputation Of the worlds smOothest
dip belonged TO q woman of the
Butte underworld, named Jew Jess.
Some readers of this story will re-
member when their bump of compla-
cence was rudely ruffled when wager
with friends that the woman could not
dip" money from their pockets lost
the wager even though they went pre-
pared to watch every movement OF the
light-fingered woman.
Lost Champagne Dinner
One well-known Butte man, before q
crowd of a dozen friends, bet the price
of a champagne dinner that he would
call at the place conducted by jew
Jess with a IS bill pinned in fob
pocket and q loose silver dollar in his
of beer and that the notorious woman
"dip" would not be able to steal the
IS bill.
He returned minus the bill and the
silver dollar and the champagne dinner
cost him $3.50. The woman became so
famous or infamous that the police re-
fused to allow her to rent any place
in the restricted district.
Frank Hickman had sandwich shop.
A sheepherder stopped and bought
sandwich. He started east on Galena
street and a few yards from Hickman's
place he was stopped by a frail, dark
woman, holding cigaret In one hand,
who asked him for match
AS the sheepherder handed her the
match, she lifted pocketbook from
the inside pocket Of his coat. With q
movement so def and yet so swift as TO
defy observation, the woman VINO was
Jew Jess, slipped the wallet to negro
woman. The latter, however, was 9
blrngler and the sheepherder got flaSh
of his pocketbook.
Ne pIIlled a revolver and shot near
the negro woman's feet. With 9 scream
of terror she dropped the wallet and
ran. The stranger picked up his pocket
book and stepping to Hickmans ooor;
S999. 'It's all here, he said to Hickman.
ssI came into town with q thousand
dollars, and I spent one dollar"
Meanwhile Jew Jess had disappeared
as completely as though the sidewalk
had swallowed her.
II wonder how in h Cnat nlgger
wench got my wallet?" the ruoe salQ 10
k4ICkIUaU- ltiOcl AAcfO S00 ~
I gave that little woman the matcn.
HOunded by Police
Hounded by the police and known to
thousands, Jew Jess continued 70 WOIk
under these handicapS and detained
account of her extraordinary pick
pocketing would read like exaggerated
One one man about town who wagered
$50 that the woman would not be able
to pick his pocket returned AFTER puy-
ing her a bottle of beer minus the SlO
he had In the depths OF his mp pocKeJ;
"And I sat on the $40 bill and YET
she lifted it. Probably when first en-
tered her place." he told his friends.
give seen Herman pull 20 rabbits from
a derby hat, but he was just dlrb
farmer compared with Jew jess.
However, even as to the way In which
champion fighters meet q better man,
a Young woman arrived IN Butte from
the Couer d'Alenes and. started as
less lost the championship. The new
arrival, known In Wallace, Burke, Gem
and other Idaho towns, was called The
Virgin
Champ Dip from COuer d'AIene
within a week after the arrival IN
Fz,rfta she dipped" customers, BAR
lenders and even lifted money IRON
the other women emplOySu III bALS
casino. Then from police officer from
vUaIIace was revealed the reason she
came to Butte. A..
with q reputation throughout the
Couer d'Alenes as q sno0tner up
than Jew Jess, big husky Irish miner
from Burke got half drunk at Jakes
iar1ce hall In Gem where The Virgin
wag employed. The man whose name
was Murphy, bet that he could buy the
woman D drink and not have his pocket
picked .,,...,,
Going upstairs to the woEnsns roo s1
~ ho1s1ht q drink for her and himself.
a. saTT1e Virgin made q break Tor
~ door. Murphy grabbed her by the
nair. II don't give a d. for the
,TseT,ev. but IT'S me pride" and holding
fSrl1k 10 her thick hair, he whipped
- aTvna1n never frAsk another guy hs
mssosrfed ~ he pulled the tTl@@er.
TYwRnm the exact fraction o. . Secoxan