THE ART OF THIEVING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9526, 25 June 1909, Page 7

THE ART OF THIEVING.

DISCOVERY OF A SCHOOL OF CRIME.

By the merest chance, the police of Cairo have just made a startling ' discovery in the existence for some time past of a regular school for the education and turnout ot young criminals, such as is graphically described in "Oliver Twist," Branches of this "School of Crime" had been founded in four different part of the native Fagins. The "students" who were for the most part sent there by their parents, and whose age could not exceed tin years, had to attend the chsses for three years in order to obtain the diploma of expert criminals. At the end of that period the most adept of them were turned out to earn their own living, and a percentage of their ill-gotten gains had to be handed over to the directors of the school, who kept their pupils very rnucn under their influence. At present there are no fewer than two hundred budding "Bi'l Sykes" attending the school, and all are being initiated into the mystery of pick-pocketing, forcing locks, and similar branches of the fine art of thieving. They are also taught to disguise themselves, and are all made adept in the science of strangulation.

The police are to be commended for the perspicacity displayed by them, says the London "Daily Mail." A few days ago they arrested two natives who bad robbed and nearly strangled a "berberin" in a native hotel In the course of their interrogation the men let slip sufficient to make the pohce suspect the existence of some such organisation, but they could fifid out nothing further.

By luck two nights afterwards two little boys were arrested in the act of stealing from shop windows. They were confronted with the two natives. They showed abject fear in the presence of these men, who, they said, were their masters. From the information the boys gave, the police were able to extort a full confession from the "professors," and now warrants haVe been issued for the arrest of the other masters, and also of as many of the pupils as possible.