CANG OF CROOKS.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 March 1923, Page 2

CANG OF CROOKS.

AUSTRALIAN ANI) N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. PARIS, March 25. The police have arrested a gang of Continental crooks and confidence tricksters, who have been wanted long for thefts of jewels and money of an estimated value of several million francs. Six of these captured are alleged to he Australians. A CLEVER CAPTURE. LONDON. March 25. The “Daily Chronicle's” Paris cor-lfi-pondent. detailing the capture of tho Australian International thieves says: “.Some weeks ago an American, in Loudon, was relieved of a pocket book containing a considerable sum of money. He suspected a smooth-tongued poker player, who had shown some skill in singing church hymns, aiul had a misshapen left ear d the cauliflower type. The Paris police were asked to search for a man with a cauliflower ear. This week, a French detective saw a small man witli a misshapen ear coming frun a log hotel with an instead; gait. The dctei tive helped the man into a taxi, but Billowed it at a discreet distance, ‘they shadowed the man for throe days, learning his associates, until it became possible to arrest eight men and three woman, including the man with the cauliflower ear. The latter was astonished at the detective’s success. He actua’lv congratulated them on their skill. Tho prisoners aero taken to the Saute Pr.s-

The magistrate said tint lie s sported that the prisoners were implicated in a long senes of falsified cheque oncrations. pearl thefts and hotel robberies, especially in the Riviera. The fii'isonei- xvili lie charged with thefts aggregating several jui llioits of franc-'. Live members of the gang a e still at large, and they arc belie; ed to he uncrating in London and Spain. ‘A roc.Mil effort was to slash the inner pocket of Mr Klliaui, a rich Lou lon merchant, with a razor in a Pal>°tel thus stealing ten thousand francs.