Year: 1869


by some people when they have large
sum of money on their persons, and
their solicitude about its safety, would
lead us to imagine that they very sell
dom carry any money, or that pocket
picking is a very easy thing. The form
er must be the explanation. because if
a man is possessed Of small degree of
sense and care, it is a very difficult
thing to pick his pocket.


A conversation, this morning, with a
we'll known and experienced detective,
led to the above conclusion and elected
the following information and ad-
vice: .- 49,


It takes three men, as a rule, to sue
cessfully execute ifeat Jop or pocket
picking. One Of these, the man who
puts his hand into the victims pocket,
is called the wire, the Others are known
as stalls The wire ascertains in
which pocket the man carries his mon
ey, and the others jostle against him,
or otherwise engage his attention while
the first robs him. The platforms of
the street cars, the corners of streets,
and wherever there is crowd, are the
places chosen for work.


With regard t, street cars, therefore,
no man with much money about him
ought to enter one when it is crowded,
or, if he does, he should not stand on
the platform. Still less ought he to
support hilnself by holding on to the
strap which runs through the car, for
in this way he exposes his pocket and
leaves it at the thiefs mercy. The act,
too, of thus supporting ones self re-
quires thought, and attention is there
by divided.


Ifsuch person is jostled in crowd,
he should. instead of looking around to
see who did it, rather bring his hand
down close to his body, for the jostle is
a premonitory symptom, and it is just
then that one should be on his guard.
In a crowded place it is Il bad plan to
betray any unusual caution, for that is
sure sign that a person is worth rob-
bing, and shows at the same time where
ones valuabtes are.


The inside pocket of a vest is regard
ed rs good place to carry money, but
the pants pocket is better, and good
belt is better place than either. In a
crowd, if man finds his hat thrown
over his eyes, or what is more common,
pushed back on his head, he should not
Immediately replace it, for it has been
moved for the purpose of causing him to
make no movement for a few seconds,
and then get away from that place.


If, notwithstanding these precautions,
a man discovers he has been robbed, he
ought not accuse any one, near him OF
having his money, for the moment j,
was taken from him by the wire il
was slipped to one Of the stalls, who is
by that time several feet away. The
ey out, but he who prefers recovering
what he has lost to arresting the thicf
will not watch the next man to him
but will do better to sean the faces il
the outskirts of the crowd, or those tina
are moving in that direction. The ma,
taking the money does not keep it il
his possession more than an instant
but hands it to his confederate.


Some time ago, in England, ther
was Il man who invented Il pocket traI
so constructed that the moment an,
hand but his own was inserted into it
it was caught and held in the trap
Aiming himself with his invention, h
went out to try it, and was not lon!
seated in an omnibus before he felt
gently move, and looking down he say
that his neighbor, a woman, was trap
ped. She begged him not to have he
arrested, and he was SO delighted wit
the success his invention that he lie
, her go. Only Ii few days after, however
he found that not only his money wa
gone, but his trap also, for some adro
, rogue had cut out the pocket, carryin


off all it contained. Too much car


therefore, is as bad as not enough, an
!, he who is not inclined to either e.


treme is the man who is least likely


be robbed.-H. Louis Dispatch.