Year: 1875

The profession of pocket-picking is sue
cessfully practiced by a new class OF GRIM
inals. Recently, the cases of several
gentlemen have been reported, who have
escaped the tender mercies of very dimi-
nutiye sort OF brigandage only by accident
or unusual alertnesS. Boys scarcely more
than three feet high will watch for victims
whose vest pockets offer them probable
chance of success. Their mode of opera
ting is very simple. The little maraHder
will have a copy of one of the cheap news
papers in his hand, which he will offer for
sale in pleading tones. The impression
given the proposed victim Is that some
little wa f, too young to make his way
against the opposition of his elder rivals, is
really in need of charity. But the "little
waif" goes straight to work. His hand
covered with the newspaper is pressed
against the vest in a childish, tremulOus
manner, as il ia his earestness to sell he is
seeking to stop his customer in the street.
From so little fellow no OlftnSe can be
taken on the ground of rudeness, ard the
gentleman is perhaps goodnaturedly
about to give the boy coin, although he
does not want the paper, .when slight
tug at his vest pocket opens up before
him an entirely new field of newsboy en-
terprise.


The plan has peculiar merits from a
criminal point of view. In the first place
it is not unlikely to succeed, and in the
second, if it does not, no bad consequences
are likely to follow. If the person on
whom the attempt is made catches the lit
tie grimy hand, even though it has the
money in it, the extreme youth of the
owner diSarmS anger, and few persons
have the self-denial tOinterrupt their buSi
ness or pleasure in order to accompany
the boy to a pOlice-statiOn and make
complaint that would result in his lodge
ment in some institution where his crimi-
nal tendencies would be checked.


There is great number of these very
little newsbOys about the streets, and in
all places of common resort. They are
too young to prosecute the business of
selling newspapers on their own account, 1
and are evidently sent out by others to
move the charitable disposition of those
they meet, and it is not impossible that
there is a school where they are initiated.
1t is by no means the opinion of the police
and the benevolent gentlemen who have
given this matter their attention that all
of this small class of newsbOyS have be-
come, or are in training TO become, pick
pockets; bat it is certain that some 8. .ency
is at work which is thrusting these mos
quito criminals upon the community, and
that the existence of such class of news
boys has provided the field for their ope-
ration. 1t may be possible that they are
taught by their parents, or those with
whom they lodge; but the evil is grow
ing, and within the past few weeks so
many cases have come to light that the
new species of crime merits the attention
of the philanthrOp'c.


There are not wanting cases where an
organization of the petite thieves has been
observable. Usually when the pickpocket
is caught he throws the money to COM
paniOn, and each takes leg bail in differ
ent direction. When the 'pals" are seized
by the victim fifty newsbOys, more or less,
gather about him within few moments,
and begin to crowd in every direction and
make all sorts of disturbances with almost
the professional skill of party of their
older fellow-crattsmen, organized to
''work" horse -car.-Neis York Graphic