NIGHT PROWLERS OF THE RIVER THAMES.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 18, Issue 12, 8 February 1907, Page 2

NIGHT PROWLERS OF THE RIVER THAMES.

The river thief is a subtle, skulking rogue, who shuns daylight as he shuns honest work. The diurnal hours lie devotes to slumber, in his rude boat-bed, Uoating far away up some remote, river creek. About an hour before midnight, with oile-rl rowlocks and muflled oar, he steals silently out upon the broad, still waterway, and there commences work. IJis particular and profitable prey is a sailing ship recently arrived in the river. This he craftily cons all round, to make certain that her crew are ashore. Assured of this, he creeps nearer, noiselessly attaches his boat to the handiest chain, and climbs aboard. Sometimes it ..happens that not even a watchman has been left to guard the vessel, which affords the thief an admirable chance to strip the ship of portable valuables. But should a watchman challenge him, the callous plunderer will promptly fell him with a "lifepreserver " which he always carries. Jlany an unwary watchman has met his doom at the hands of a desperate river-robber. Once aboard a likely vessel free from fear of interruption the thief devotes his attention to the coils of valuable rope lying about, which he quickly conveys to his boat. He knows a receiver ashore who will give him a sovereign for a few hundredweight of that commodity. Odd bits of canvas, and a spare sail or two also represent money to the midnight marauder and are ruthlessly cut and confiscated. Next, he helps himself to articles from the cabins ; bedding, etc., and, if the way still be clear, he wMI visit tho skipper's quarters, open chests and drawers by means of skeleton keys, and seize his precious possessions. Then he will repair to his boat and make for the shore, where the proceeds of. his plunder will probably yield as much as £lO. Occasionally the river thief has the chance of robbing a big yacht which has been left carelessly guarded, and then, if he is not disturbed, his evil night's work may be worth £ls to him. But he more frequently has to content himself with lesser hauls, averaging from £3 to £5 per week.' The river robber varies the tedium of his toil now and again by poaching on the fishing-grounds, with which he has become fraudulently familiar. Proceeding thereto, with due discretion, the rogue will slip the lines and nets set by other men, and turn their contents into his boat. When business is slack he will sometimes exist on stolen fish for days together. Occasionally the rascal is confronted by a sturdy watcher, who is aware of, and averse to, his wilyways, and a fateful struggle ensues, in which one of the men may lose his life, for the river thief resents intrusions and is an utterly reckless fellow. Many a melancholy tragedy of the Thames might be traced to' tho river robber, for he is seldom captured single-handed.