A Famous French Pickpocket.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 169, 25 July 1885, Page 3

A Famous French Pickpocket.

Mimi Lepreux is tho most adroit pickpocket in Paris. Many of tho police agenie know him well, and are incessantly watching him ; and yet they have never been able to establish legally a single ono of tho numerous robberies of which ho ha 3 been guilty. " 1 remember," writes M. Gisquet in his memoirs, "a report made to mo, in which so many curious things were said of this man that I was led to question an officer familiar with the doings of Mimi Lepreux. The officer informed me that this robber had at least 15,000 francs a year, payable out of property purchased with tho produce of his larcenies ; that he was very liboral to tho poor, and still more so to tho petty thieves who served him ; that he had always a dozen of the3o, on great occasions, employed to keep a look-out for him, to penetrate into tho crowd, to ascertain how such or such a person placed his purso, his gold snuff box, his pocket-book, etc. ; that these auxiliaries executed nothing themselves, confining themselves to acquainting Mimi with what they had observed, who takes upon himself to turn their discoveries to profit, For example, one of these robber apprentices will come to Mimi and whisper in his ear in slang phrase, "That old gentleman, fifteen paces to tho right, with white hair and a cane in his hand, has put » heavy purse into his left breeches pocket." " Very well," replies Mimi, "there's ten sous for you. Cut!" A quarter of an hour afterwards the purse is in Mimi'a possession, but not to remain there two secondß. There are always accomplices near, ready to receive tho stolen article, which passes from hand to hand, and disappears in a twinkling. If, therefore, the almost imperceptible" movement of tho thief should happen to be remarked at tho instant of the obbety, and even if the party robbed seize the culprit's arm, there is no means of establishing the crime. In such case, Mimi, with perfect calmness and self-possession, expresses his surprise that any one should dare to suppose him capable of such conduct. He appeals to the by-standers, shows his purse well filled with gold pieces, and hia pocket-book stuffed with bank-notes, which contains, by chance, too, tho receipt for hia last taxes; and asks if a father-of a family, ia affluent circumstances like his, may not despise an accusation of this sort.

"I am willing to suppose," ho says, "that tho gentleman may have spoken without thought, and bear him no grudge for a mistake, which happily can do no harm to me."

It is not an uncommon thing to sco the victim stammer out apologies to tho robber, and depart through a crowd of persona murmuring their indignation against him. On the day in which M. Rodde presented himself on tho Place de la Bourse, to exercise the profession of public crier, Mimi Lepreux was met by tho same poaee-officer in the midst of an extraordinary concourse of republicans and curious spectators, "What are you doing here?" said the agent of authority, in a severe tono. "I am doing like others, looking on, and walking about." " You aro well aware that I know you ; you are here for the purpose of doing some mischief."

" As I tell you, I am doing nothing at all, Why do you bother me ? Is not the pavement free for everybody '!"

" Don't stand arguing there; move on, or I will have you taken up. You arc here for tho purpose of robbing. We havo plague enough on our hands, without your coming hither, with your band, to pilfer." " Bah !" said Mimi Lepreux, impatiently, and losing his • tempor. " Leavo me alone ! Your republicans aro nothing better than canaille ! I have picked moro than fivo hundred of their pockets, and nevor found a sou in any one of them."