FA HION . IN CRIME.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 October 1921, Page 4

FA HION . IN CRIME.

iiy G. T. Crook. (jinn' lias ils fas’iions La diy less renowed than the fashions in women’s 1(j • criminal loco to he in Gte fash ion so long as it. pays. •'ome fashions i-i crime arc loti-.-li.'- I cd; others die early. Twenty years' ago 0110 ef the most 1 rotitablc and popular sources id in,nine was fine purse trick, which was practised un rni-et ottrses at country fairs and m market places. Till e • l al'-i-i-owiis- v.ere put in a j purse, which was then sold lor Is or 2s. Many tlio. sa.tu's ol people who ! were "lilL'ii” tumdered bow the three half-crowns became thri'i- pennies. This trick was practised for years without any interference by the ,aitliiu ities, lii-,-ause it was uncertain whether an offence could h • proved, | Eventually a tost ,-are was brought and a conviction obtained, .since when ! th,. trill; lias almost gone out of fa-

Two years tlio Uh*H ol iiifttor(**i\- was very fashionable. 1 luminals r( va.lun.blo nioibro-ears were stolen in various parts of tlio country and sold by the thieves at gnndl prices. Then tbe police recovered from tbe surprise attack, broke up the gangs and 'he f: ,-hion was killed.

Th- next fashion resulted in hundreds of thousands of pounds worth ol g,H-ds being stolen from warehouses and this was followed by a series ol clever jewel robberies.

There have been many other fashions in crime, but tbe one that bad the longest and most snceesslul run was the ’ itt fallible” betting system by which the victims were led to believe that whether a horse won or not they would net n handsome profit.

It is no exaggeration to say that wealthy men were swindled to tlio extent of at. least a million pounds by this means, coupled with that ''innocent and simple” game, ''Anzac I’okcr.” or “Slippery Sa.ni.”

The swindle flourished because of the difficulty of proving that a. fraud had been committed and also because of their unwillingness of the victimsato expose their foolishness A civil action and then a criminal action at last settled the question, and all the gangs took to flight, with the exception of one gang, which was recently sent to penal servitude Another fashion has taken the ;>l ',-e of the infallible betting system, which howi’eor. will still occasionally eron >:■). T 1,,. -wheeze” now is for moneyed men to fie introduced to “jockeys" who are presumed to be in direct telemit hi,- com moment ion with every winning horse and owner. Much money has aim, ly Icon |ixt. and much more will donbtb-s lie lost before the awakening imnes. One of the strange things about tlmse swindles is that the victim am u~ "Hv men who him,' "made their pile” by shrewd and careful business mMli-ds