“ A MEAT SNEAKING GANG.”

Western Star, Issue 1349, 27 April 1889, Page 2 (Supplement)

“ A MEAT SNEAKING GANG.”

The Daily Telegraph's Paris correspondent says:—“ 4. meat suealdng gang, ” the members of which lived literally and without the least touch of exaggeration on the fat of the land, has just been discovered in Paris. Last week a man was observed loitering a considerable time before a well-stocked butcher’s shop, his eyes riveted on the “superb” leg of mutton warranted to weigh six pounds, and which duly dangling from a hook. The suspicious person walked up aud down before the shop and sometimes crossed to the other aide of the road, returning, however, continually “ to his mutton,” which he at last jerked off its hook by a fine trick of legerdemain, aud plunged it into a canvas bag. The operation, although neatly and speedily performed, had been seen by two policemen, who thought they had met the “ mutton sneak ” before. At the station the man gave his address in the Rue des Morillous, whither repaired the two detectives and inquired for the thief, and when the door of the room to which they went was half-opened by a woman the officers walked in, and were temporarily overwhelmed by the spectac e which was presented to the eyes. The place was long, narrow, and dirty. On a table in the centre was a vast heap of provisions, consisting of beef, mutton, pork, poultry, and pates-de-foie-gras. There were game, huge pullets stuffed with perigord truffles, nice necks of lamb, and tine turkeys, all waiting to be roasted. After further examination the detectives discovered other stolen articles of a miscellaneous character, which showed that the occupants of the rooms were members of a big thieving gang, of which the “ mutton sneak ” was a duly qualified member. Besides the woman, an old man and two boys were captured in the tenement. The old man was the trainer of the youths, ani had hooks up in one part of the room from, which he taught his apprentices to abstract joints of meat aud poultry.