"A GUIDE TO- THE SCIENCE OF LARCENY."

Timaru Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 3306, 2 May 1885, Page 3

" A GUIDE TO- THE SCIENCE OF LARCENY."

■i : • (Pall Mall GaMUI) . • > ! The quotations and descriptions to be here gijen' froin 4he proof-sheet, of a long promised yolume bearing the above title are laid before the public with the one object of promoting the observance of honesty, by exposing the methods of the cririjinal class, and. not as indicating the yery Smallest patience with, the positively dazing purpose of the author. That purpose, according, to a prefatory; note, is ".fo'.^fappiy^th.e'.ypiing of both sexes with a concwe manual of the/art of being supported by involuntary contributions to the end that all portable/kinds of property m'ayhav& ; a more. equal distribution and a more penetrating and utilitarian currency. ", ;c * Of tempyals from the person "oWauthoraayß :— ' The happy hunting ground of tho reinovalist is th'e : race meeting.' _At a recent " Dorby " ■an ■ • experienced : "detective ' from Scotland Yard -was' separated from a sum of £10, contained m his right trouser pocket, ■without cut or tear." 'Ladies^ biags, field glosses 'and breechpokes. (purses) can be gathered like blackberries \ but,the characteriatic take of the racecourse is the " tying up of b Jay," as it is called, a most ingenious and; amusing method of .clearing off the peter of any suitable:* mvg 1 Xnotjin)i -^and indeed anything else that on him is.' The company must consist of at least three, and preferably of four, gonophs and the lime of action is the moment when the horses aro running. The two strongest momborg qi' the company, take their places to the right and loft of the mug to be operated upon.; the man who is nimblest m the fingers stands,. bohind, and the fourth , confederate, if there be one, places himself in'frcrat as a screen. The, role of the two aide men is boisterous and stupid excitement/ : They shout and yell, exult and lament, and perhaps make extravagant bets and; absurd predictions. And towards the climax of the race, when the Jay is positively mesmerised by the spectacle of the steeds flying arid bobbing before 1 him, they place their ' arms'' under his; and 'hoist him clean off -his feet. The operation is nlost emphatically successful when Juggins (the victim) is made to believe that his' two neighbora are genuinely clumsy and' stupid, and when he laughs indulgently at their bucolical enthusiasm. The breeches should be ripped with a razor, and the slang (chain) should bo taken with the watch, if possible, by snipping with a penknife the button-hole that it is 'fixed- m. "An excellent first ■ stage m this 'Operation of " tying up " is to give the Jay a smart rap on the.hat, or even to smash it down like a concertina; It ia the instinct , of a decently dressed Englishman to throw ,up his arms if,, his hat is molested, '..',".:.' 7! The highest and moat profitable kind of,. theft" frptn the, person . is performed, ;it appears,' by mea of cultivation and even of capital— thieves who are able to await

opportunities, and to travel abroad, if need be, after or with their victims. The intended larcenist will strike up a conversation with a likely-looking Jay m a public conveyance, a restaurant, or a place of amusement, and win his friendship. Sometimes he will penetrate m a club or boarding-house, and, much more often, into a good hotel where plenty of rich bachelors reside m the season. He will learn where the money and valuables are kept, and miss no opportunity of taking a wax impression of any keys that he may gain access to. Ho will also get possession of visiting cards, and read and copy private letters and documents ; but as a rulo he will not commit the actual theft himself. He remains the "guide, philosopher, and friend" of the Jay right to the end of the chapter, and should the Jay be robbed abroad, may possibly lend him a little of his own money to enable him to return to England. Descending somewhat m the scale of crime, we come to simple " buzzing," or the picking of pockets. Purses and watches are the almost exclusive haul of the pickpockets, and 90 per cent of these thefts happen m crowds. Many of the quarrols to be heard m the streets of London aro got up entirely for the purpose of collecting crowds for the pickpockets to work m. Some thieves operate with their hands, but others use a knife or razor, m order to cut through coats and dresses, and especially to get the purses from ladies. The trbuser pocket of a man can. easily be emptied m a crowd by slitting down the Beam with a razor, hooking the instrument into the aperture, and sawing from within outwards. A thief will often do his work with an overcoat on his arm to hide the movements of his hand ; this especially m the omnibus or train. Newspapers and handkerchiefs are also ussdfor this purpose, and with the help of the latter it is common for scarf pins to be stolen. "Excuse me, sir, you have some dust on your neck," says the thief to the victim, and m pretending to brush off the dust he removes the pin by grasping it through the handkerchief. When a watch is stolen it is generally separated by grasping the instrument itself m one hand, and the ring thereof between the thumb and finger of the other, and then giving a sharp twist, so that a tiny steel pin gives way and falls, the watch being taken and the chain left hanging. There are ways, too, m which a Jay's possessions may be entirely removed m spite of the most extreme precautions. The following quotation will provide an instance : — There is a method of removing watches and chains that is likely to get more and more into favor as time goes on, for it is easy, almost perfectly safe, and always unlikely to be confided to the police. The Jay selected should, if possible, be a stout, prosperous, credulous old buck, with two or more chins, and a rich, jingling walk. Ihe mollhook should have soft, well-bred hands, and gloves of crimson silk, not kid, having upon them a small sprinkle of some rare perfume. When the moment for action arrives, she is to clasp her hands over the eyes of the .jay with a rich, tunoful, and modest laugh, and exclaim, " Who is it ?" If Juggins should happen to turn upon the siren distrustfully, she may laugh or beg his pardon, allege that Bhe took him for her father or brother, and skip merrily away ; but if he does not, the gonoph m front . may have a fino time of it. As a rule the Jay contents himßelf atonce— especially if the sirenkisseshis cheek, which she may do with impunity, for it is not an assault — and begins deliberately to make guesses. His thoughts go forty years back, and he cries out, " It is Clementina !" " No, sir, it is not," says the mollhook musically ; " you must guess again, you darling old thing." " Then," says the hapless Juggins, "it must be little Clara, surely." "Nearly right, but not quite," says the wench, and so on, until the deluded and denuded mug is permitted to turn and face the blushing and • apologising young gentlewoman who has I mistaken him for her " dear old dad." " Come book, my child ; I will adopt you," eaid an elderly M.P. a little while ago, m a street at Kensington, as he glanced mildly at the curtseying and retreating figure of the only woman who had ever embraced him. "Come! here is my card ; I represent South So -and-So m the Conservative interest. , May I invito you to one of our picnics ?" :