Year: 1869

GONu, OUT prefer u Sllli crown, SuCn as
you find listening to q political speech
elections are rich times with us-and to \
suppose a case in such closely crowded
thrOng, we single out man who Is
and whose money we want
ono Of us works his way in tuof MIN
50 as to crowd against his left arm,
another gets himself behind him, and the
operator stands at his rigdt, partly back.
In this particular case it is supposed that
our game is VI stranger having cOnsidera-
BILE money about him. He is careful of
his money, and keeps his hand on his
pocket-boCk which is in his right hand
pocket. When the proper time comes
the man behind tips up or solashes down
the hat of the countryman, whose first
impulse is to restore it, and as he can't
raise his lea arm he takes his hand from
his right pocket, when the operator dives
and seizes the money. This action the
poor devil does not feel nine times out of
ten he is generally mad at having his hat
knocked over his4eYes. and tuTns to see
who did It. The one who did the act,
seizes the first fiat" near him and shoves
him ahead, then dives aud rushes
through the crowd; this we all do and
meet at some appointed place to divide
the profits Generally the man whose
luOutN Nt nave bui lis u INV WIN Nllt
one he fin,is behind him, and by the time
he has missed his money we are dividing
it. OF course, we conform to Circum-
stances in the way of operating, but this
is q fair illustration. Sometimes, however,
when it is safe, we adopt the way of lifting
the lining of the pocket and so extracting
the money. If we are caught in this,
the same manner OF getting away is
adopted"


"Well, George, as to operations on
street cars and railroads?'


ain respect to the former, they are gen
orally nothing but forciblc robberies we
get together on the platform, and, by ere
ating row, take a mans money by force
before he knows it. And there is not
much difference in our way Of doing things
on the railroads. We pick out our man,
and at some stopping place, where he gets
out for lunch or any other purpose, one or
two of us manage to get ahead of him, the
other behind him, and by jostling and
causing confusion we have no difficulty.
Why! | alone made $4,000 in following
the Prince Of Wales when he was here,
and could have made. more than that in
following Lincoln from Springfield to
Washington if some of us hadn't been
fools. You sec, suspicion was strong on
us, and we stayed over in Buffalo to
gamble, and were caught and convicted.
They could not fiud anything against me,
but one of the party had some money
which was identified, and the Buffalo
judges never let man go if there is q
shadow of chance of holding him, and
when he is found guilty they pile il on
awful. A New York Judge wouldn't have
given me half as much as I-7got from the
Buffalo man, and believe 1 should have
got clear away"


Toaq question, 60, yes; there are women
picking pockets, and men who pick
and frequent horse cars, stages, and
churches-sometime theatres, concerts,
and lectures. 1t is risky business, for
when a woman fastens on you she sticks.
But the way of doing 1t is easy. For in
stance, sit alongside of woman and
manage to get my hand or finger into her
pocket (she can't feel it as man could)
and get out her pocketbook; then l open
it understand though that this never was
my line-Fm only telling you how 'tiS
dOne) and extract the money and then re
place the pocketbook. That is " wedding
If she discovers her loss, she is almost sure
to think that she has lost her money or left
it where she was last shopping, and so we
get off easy enough. The stories about
throwing bullet which is shut into the
pockbook and is fastened to slender cord
is a humbug, and any person of sense
ought to know it."


"Now, as to getting watches and jew.
elry?" rTT I<


1--WE don't do it-that is, the best of us
don't-unless we are hard up. Some poor
sticks make business of stealing watch
es, but they are inferior. If we want a
mans watch we manage pretty much the
same way rs if we were after his money
No; we don't cut the chain. We get the
watch out of his pocket easy enough, aud
twist the ring out of it Some Of the old
fashioned ones have the RUG riveted, and
make loud snap, but the whole thing
is easy. Then we get new rings put in
and have the numbers altered christen.
ing,' We call it--and sell them to the
! Fences For a watch worth 5000 we gel
from $40 to $50. Silver watches we DOM
bother with. Chains we rarely get except
by force, and they amt worth much un
less solid; then we have them melted
! down, as we also sometimes have the
cases.


"As to diamond pins and studs?"


That's trick that requires boldnes!
and skill Theusua manner Of doing i
is for the operator, carrying cloak o.
coat on his arm, to meet the victim, be
hind whom come the confederates. AS
by accident, he runs plump against hi
man, ahd thrusts the coat into his fac
with one arm, while with the hand of tn
other he catches the pin. If there is an,
row the confederates pitch in, and all ge
away in the confusion"


"But can you take money from a man
inside coat or vest pocketS"


"Of course the same plan is adopted
as with the pin. We spot a man IoI
the cars and watch him | get some dis
tance forward of him and my two pal
behind when he starts to leave-the car


hurry forward and they hurry back ge
out ahead of him and turn around to NEE
him, while my cOnfederates have come ou
and got close behind him l rush agains
him in front and they do so behind


shove the coat in his face with one hanC
and dive for his money with the other
Sometimes we follow man two or thre
days, and when we are sure he has goo,
pile with him we are. bound to get it, an,
unless he is protected we do get it in op
way or another" - - Fr-tAA


"But how do you know a man has
good pile"


Oui NIldt easy SuOuBu. III lIlC hrs
place, we spot merchants from theco
try who are in the city to buy goods, an,
then there is no difficulty in finding ou
where they keep their money. The prin
ciple Of the whole thing is, that a maj
having an unusually large amount @
money on his person will be so.careful q
it that he will often feel to see whether
it is safe. Besides knowing these men W
watch them, and SO learn which ones ar
the most promising. Sometimes, toe
those operators who stay in New York o
other large cities are informed by brokers
clerks aud others-they get small share
about five per cent of the gains-of cer
tain merchant or banker having in his pos
session large sum; il this is known, tn


man very likely loses his money"


swell, George, what Is the syerag
amount taken from mans pocketY'


C''It isn'tso very much. have fellowe


man two or three days with my pal.
and only got $5 OF 90 from him, becaus


he kent the bulL Of hiq mOpaU In draffl