PARISIAN THIEVES

Evening Star, Issue 20634, 6 November 1930, Page 14

PARISIAN THIEVES

MANY VISITORS ROBBED A warning was issued to visitor’s tfl Paris during summer because international pickpockets were at work. Hardly a night elapsed without an exciting chase after a thief in the boulevards or in Montmartre. The thieves, mostly young men, are more nimble than the policemen, but very few of them elude capture, for their way is barred by members of the public, and though they put up a fight and even produce revolvers, they are held securely until the panting “ agents ” take possession of them. It is amazing now accurately these pickpockets can stalk their prey. _ A swift glance at a man walking _ aimlessly in the street tells them if ho is a tourist and is worth robbing, How simple it is to get hold of his pocket book! At a crowded point of the boulevard one of the thieves gets in front of the intended victim, another behind, and, two on either side; there is- hustling, and the pocket book is extracted very frequently without the* man robbed being aware of this Joss. If tho Paris ■ police were asked how many women’s handbags had been stolen this summer they would probably tell you that a record had been established. At the moment _ the cleverest and most successful thieves are pretty young women whose mode of the victims of sirens, thieves, and procedure is very simple. Young tourists should beware of the pretty girl standing _ outside a cafe as though - she was - waiting for someone. She lias a sad look in her eyes. She conveys tho impression that she is in great trouble, and excites the sympathy of any gallant young man who may bo in quest of adventure. It is a singular fact that most of the victims of sirens, thieves, and confidence men arc presumably wideawake Americans. There arc now proceding home quite a number of young Americans, who, having been “ cleaned out,” have had to bring their holiday to an end and to borrow money from friends and tourist agencies. Montmartre lias done for these young men. They wanted to participate in the lif» of this pleasure-haunt so that they, could astonish their friends on returning home. * A young fellow from Philadelphia was robbed of all his money on Jiis first night in Paris. He was impatient to visit a certain cabaret which had been lecommended to' him. He had a, tip-top dinner, which he enjoyed bo much that he resolved to make a night of it. About 7 o’clock in the morning ho descended the slope leading to the Place de TOpera a very unhappy young man. , The sirens had got hold of him and had fleeced him; even taking his watch and his ring.