Women's Criminals

Cromwell Argus, Volume LXI, Issue 3167, 15 June 1931, Page 3

Women's Criminals

guile before strength. '•Women don't often take to serious crime," 1 read in a report on 'he American gang- that was led by a woman (says Dr Frederick Graves,, in a London paper). But someone else has said: "The snake sloughs its glittering- skin, and woman is not always the angel in the home. jphe can adopt a criiminaV career very easily when it suits her purpose—and her pocket—and beat the clumsy brute man all round!" So there I Women have been sent to prison, have expiated their erring ways, on the scaffold; and have lured gentlemen to the devil in spite of their baby angel laces and innocent blue eyes. It all seems rather a nasty sort of libel on women.

But I- don't know. Truth is not always palatable; and there is at least this much in it all* that there have been many famous woman criminals in history, and the woman has always used her sex and beauty as lure, .py watcher, decoy, plotter, planner, .' nd !; actual perpetrator of things not considered nice and genteel. But the things she does are usually characteristic of her special and peculiar mentality and exploit her essentially feminine traits.

She rarely docs a real burglary or a< robbery with violence, even against her own sex. She leaves those things to man and relies more on guile than on; physical strength. . And murder, except for the removal of a rival < r serious obstacle, is not in her regular line* and if she does go so far, it is generally the insidious poison ..he selects to do the trick.

She generally choses an accomplice, if she needs one, from the other >cx, since* she is always apt rather to distrust her own kind.' On the other hand, a man does not rely on a woman vea'y often because lie Heels instinctively she may be a slave to her peculiar sensibilities and may allow her likes and hates to have too much plav. She is apt to develop jealousies and passions, provoke disputes that may be fatal to success.

When used for gang work shcj is usually cast for the part of organiser or watcher, and is useful to prepare the ground, pave the way, gather essential details.

A young and attractive maid, cyp;st, clerk, companion' may gain confidence easily and learn secrets. take impressions of keys, find out sale combinations.

The role of homeless outcast, begging a little warmth and shelter, h;«s often been worked with marked success upon a sympathetic night watchman. He may become so interested that suspicious noises going on upstairs are, not noticed, while she pitches s tale of woe. ; , embellished with a '<>w tcars and given in a quavering voice that suggests a hard world or a broken heart.

But woman has her weak points, though she knows that often in her apparent weakness lies her .strength in crime.

-She is rather apt "to leave tell-t.de traces —a whiff of sc-ont, a smear of powder, and the print of a finger-tip. Or she will leave the print of a small shoe, where she should have worn a man's hoot.

Apart from the common failings of petty thefts and shoplifting—often mere fallings info sudden, irresistible temptation**)— like fsecflpfa and substantial results, and they are ruinless about their methods where they mean business.