LICENSED THIEVES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 61, 11 March 1872, Page 4

LICENSED THIEVES.

Among the professional thieves there is said to be a remarkable class having the singular name of " licensed thieves." These licensed thieves are said to be in the employment of the police — the detectives especially. Strange tales are told about them. It is said that a detective, anxious for fame, and nothing scrupulous as to the means of its accomplishment, will perhaps see a " wire " busily employed- at his nefarious trade of picking pockets in the streets. By chance the wretch does his work cleverly, and so the policeman embraces the opportunity of making bis acquaintance. He frightens the thief by telling him what he has seen, and hints that he can bring so-and-so against him; but if he will render him some private assistance, he shall be let alone for the present. If the thief agrees, he thus gets his license; and dearly has he to pay for it. Whea the policeman wants a case for the sessions or the assizes, the thief must work. By discovering and furnishing secret information, he puts the policeman upon the right track for obtaining informatoin sufficient to get up a case. The more of the work the spy does, the more he has to perform, and the furfher be becomes involved. At length the licensed thief quarrels with his employer, or refuses to do his bidding. Then comes his own doom. His license is taken from him, something is brought against him, and he is probahly condemned to penal servitude for many years. We tell the following story as it was told to us : A robbery of plate had j been committed ; the supicions of the ! police guided them to the delinquent, but they could bring no clue by which to prove the charge against him. He was, however, apprehended and thrust into a cell. Another thief, known to the police, was thrust into the same cell, with secret instructions to act the spy. The spy had not long been in the cell before he began to speak very bitterly of the police, because of what he alleged to be their bad usage of himself. Presently he took half-a-crown out of his boot, and thrust it into the fire, saying — " There ; that evidence is gone." "What evidence?" said the suspected man. •' That I am a maker of money," answered the spy, who proceeded to describe in glowing colors his lucrative method of , manufacturing base coin. The two became very confidential, and the spy began to bewail his want of silver with which to continue his business when he obtained his liberty. The bait took. The suspected man confessed that he had some silver which he had stolen. They at once agreed to partnership, and the next morning they were set at liberty The spy was provided, it was said, by the police, with moulds &c, and he fixed the time with his new friend to commence the manufacture. They were soon at work. One evening, while they were melting the plate, the police, as was previously arranged, suddenly rushed in. The spy was allowed to escape, but the real thief was caught. The career of the spy did not laßt long. The police became tired of him ; he was beginning to know too much, and it was necessary to get rid of him. For anything we know to the contrary, this licensed thief is undergoing penal servitude, To what extent this kind of service is rendered to the police never can be completely known, but sufficient is known to lower the popular estimate of the skill of detectives. They do exceedingly little in the way of actual and direct discovery by means of their own independent and individual intelligence. Compared with the great bulk of undetected cime, the success of the detectives is significantly small. "In consequence of information received," is a convenient formula for the police, the full meaning of

which is best known to themselves and their (sometimes criminal) assistants. The morality of setting a thief to catch a thief passes : muster in the English force, but they do these things better in America. Mr. Pinkerton's system for the detective police in America is vastly superior to the British system. He sets no thief to catch a thief, but works by pure and honorable means, and keeps his entire force of agents beyond the reach of the temptations which arise from rewards and unfair means. — Good Words.