"A POPULAR GUIDE TO THE SCIENCE OF LARCENY." (Pall Mall Gazette.)

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 2007, 19 May 1885, Page 3

"A POPULAR GUIDE TO THE SCIENCE OF LARCENY." (Pall Mall Gazette.)

The quotations and descriptions to be here given fiom the proof sheet of a long promised volume beating the above title are laid before the public with the one object of promoting the observance ot honesty, by exposing the methods of the ciiminal cl.iss, and not as indicating the very smallest patience with the posi tively danng purpose of the author. That pm po-c, according to a prefatory note, is "to supply the young or Loth •exes with a concise manual of the art of being supported by involuntary contributions to the end that all poi table kinds of property may ha\e a nioie equal distuhution and a more penetrating and utilitaiiaucinrency." "Of lemoval fioiii the peison " our author says :— The happy hunting ground of the removahst is the lace meeting. Ataiecent " Dei by " an expuiienc-.'d detective from Scotland Yard was separated fiom a sum of £10, contained in his right trouser po> ket, withont cut or tear. Ladies' ba^, Held glasses and breech pokes (puiaes) can bt gathered like blackbenies ; but the characteristic take of the racecourse is the •' tying up of a Jay," as it is callpd, a most mgenious and amusing method of clearing off the peter of any suitable mng (victim), and indeed anything else that on him is. The company must consist of at least three, and preferably of four, gouophs (thieves), and the tune of action is the moment when the horses are running. The two stronges, membeis of the company take their places to the ri^ht and left of the mug to be opeiated upon ; the man who is nimblest in the fingeis stands behind, and the fourth confederate, if theie be one, places himself in front as a hcrecn. The role of the two side men is boisterous and stupid ex citement. They shout and yell, exult and lament, and perhaps m ike extrav agant huts and absurd predictions. And towards the cliin.i\ of the race, when the Jay is positively mesmerised by the spectacle of the steeds flying and bobbing before him, they place their arms under his, and hoist him clean off his feet. The operation is most em| hatically successful when Juggins (the victim) is made to believe that his two neighbours aie genuinely clumsy and st'ipid, and when he laughs at their buoolical enthusiasm. The bieeches should be lipped with a razor, and the slang (< ham) should be taken with the watch, if possible, by snipping with a penknife the button holt* that it is fixed in. An excellent first stage in this operation of "tying up" is to give the Jay a smart rap on the hat, or even to smash it down like a conueitina. It is the instinct of a decently dressed Englishman to throw up his arms if his hat is molested. Tht highest and most profitable kind of theft from the peison is pel formed, it appeals, by men of cultivation and even of capital— thieves who aie able to await oppottunities, and to travel abroad, if need be, after or with their victims. The intended ku cenist will stiike up a conversation with a likely-looking Jay in a public conveyance, a restauiant, or a place of amusement, and win his friendship. Sometimes he will penetiate in a elnb oi boarding-house, and, much more often, into a good hotel where plenty of rich bachelois reside in the season He will learn w here the money and valuables are kept, and miss no opportunity of taking a wax impression of any keys that he may gun access to. He will also get po^sensiou of visiting cards, and read and copy private letters and documents ; but as a rule he will not commit the theft himsi-lf. He remains the " guide, philosopher and fiitnd" of the Jay right to the end of the chapter, and should the Jay be lobbed abroad, may po^ibly lend him a little of his own money to enable him to return to England. Descending somewhat in the scale of crime, we come to simple " buzzing," or the picking or pockets. Puises and watche3 aie the most exclusive haul of the pickpockets, and 90 per cent of these thefts happen in ciowds. Many of the quarrels to be heard in the streets of London are got up entirely for the pHrpose of collecting crowds for the pickpockets to woik in. S"ine thieves operate with their hands, but others Uoe a knife or razor, in order to cut through coats nn<l dresses, and es pecially to get the purses from ladies The tiousus pocket of a man can ea-»ilj be emptier) in a crowd by slitting down the seam with a razor, hooking the instiument into the aperture, and sawing from within outward. A thief vwlloften do his work with an overcoat on h:«arm ; this especially in the omnibus or train Newspapers and handkerchiefs are aKo used for this purpose, and with the help of the latter it is common for scart pin? to be stolen. " Excuse me, sir, yon hive some d nst on you i neck,' says the thief to the victim, and in pretending to brash off the dust he removes the pm by grasping it thiougii the handkerchief. When a watcli .s stolen it is generally sipaiatcd by grasping the in«stiument itself in one hand, and the ring tlieieof between the thumb and finger of the other, and then giving a sharp twi,t, so that a tiny steel pin gi\es wiy and falls the watch beiiv taken and the eh mi left hanging Theie are ways, too, in which a 'ay's posses sions may be entirely lemoved in spite of the moat extreme precautions. The following quotation will piovide an instance .—. — There is a method of removing watches and chains that is likely to get moic and more into favoui as time goes on, for it is easy, almost perfectly sate, and always unlikely to be confided to the police. The Jay selected should, if possible, be a stout, prosperous, credulous old buck, with two oi more chins, and a rich, jingling walk. The mollhook should cave soft, well bied hands, and gloves of cmnson silk, not kid, having upon them a small fpi inkle of some laic perfume. When tiie moment for action aruves, she is to clasp her hands over the eyes of the i'ay with a rich, tuneful, and modest augh, and exclaim, " Who in it?" If Juggins should happen to tuin upon the siren distrustfully, she may laugh oi be..' ins pat don, alltge that she took him foi her father or bi ether, and skip mein!> away ; but if he does not, the gonoph in front may have a fine time of it. As a rule the Jay contents himself atone* especially if the siren kisses his cheek, which hhe may do with impunity, for it is not an assault— and begins deliberately to make guesses. His thoughts go forty years back, and he cries out, "It is Clementia !" " No, sir, it is not," says the mollhook musically ; you must guess again, you darling old thing." " Then," says the hapless Juggins, "it muat be little Clara, surely " " Nearly right, but not quite," says the wench, and so on, until the deluded and denuded mug is permitted to tuin and face the blushing and apologising young gentlewoman who has mistaken him for her " dear old dad." " Come back, my child ; I will adopt you," said an eldeily M.P. a little while ago, in a street at Kensington, as he glanced mildly at the curtesying and retreating figure of the only woman he ever embiaced. "Come ! here is my card ; I represent South So-and-So in the Conservative interest. May I invite you to one of our picnics."

It should be borne in mind that it is just as necessary to ventilate diains as it 18 to put a vent peg in a cask in addition to the tap, when it is intended to draw the liquor off ; therefore, a square foot or 80 at the upper ends of the drains should always be rilled to the surface with small rubble stones. Drains thus ventilated, whilst they carry off water more readily in winter, increase the moisture of the soil in summer by the passage of air through them. Special attention to Messrs Liybournr and Co's new adveitiseraent which appeals in another p«rt of this issue The Melbourne Drapery and Clothing Company Auckland, anmuncus that it will open <i branch store at Hamilton, in the premis s lately io the occupation of Mr M Alosc*, for a few wecki only Ihf stock will embrace a large assortment of goods, and will be sold at Queenitreet prices.