ANOTHER PARIS RAFFLES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8983, 18 November 1907, Page 7

ANOTHER PARIS RAFFLES.

APACHE WHO PASSED AS A MAN OF FASHION. The play of the gentleman burglar Raffles, which has been running with great success at Mme. Rejane's theatre, at Paris, seems to have had the effect of starting a new school of crime. In September last an Englishman named Spencer, when arrested for swindling, declared that he swindled for sport. On Sep*;ebmer 28th the Paris police arrested another man who calls himself Thompson, and who is a man of fashion during the day and a dangerous thief at night. His real name is Georges Arbourd, and when arrested he was driving towards the Bois de Boulogne in a handsome victoria drawn by two splendid greys. He was faultlessly dressed and wore jewellery of considerable value. iljnfortunately for himself, he had anittle too much jewellery, for when arrested he was unable to account satisfactorily for several very valuable rings or for a handsome gold cigar case and a gold card case which were found under /he cushions of his carriage, and which contained several broken pieces of valuable jewellery. The circumstances which led to Arbourd's arrest were romantic. A lady named Michollot was crossing the Avenue de Blois- de Boulogne on the evening of September 29th when a man dressed in the costume peculiar to the "Apaches" —a flat cap, no shirt collar, and white shoes with spring solee—made a dash at her, tore a little gold bag out of her hand, and bolted. The bag contained a pawn-ticket, besides a certain amount of money. Mme. Michollot knew the number of the ticket, lodged information with the police, and on the following day a gentleman was arrested when he presented the ticket at the mont-de-plete, and tried to redeem a bracelet and two rings, which Mme. Michollot had pawned for far less than their value. man arrested proved that he bought the pawn-ticket in the ordinary way of business from a motor car firm, and the principal of this firm, when called on by the police, proved that Arbourd had given him the ticket in payment for a large bill for the hire of motor cars. He gave information which enabled the police to arrest Arbourd on September 28th. Arbourd is the son of a Pari-

flower-seller, who, until a year ago, kept her son out of her earnings. He told her that he had got a position as clerk in a bank.