THE ART OF THIEVING.
PART II.
Shopwomen who stand behind the counter are frequently surprised to find their pockets picked. They can understand how they can be robbed before the counter, but how they can be plundered behind it is to them a mystery. The thieves call this kind of work “bringing them round for buzzing;” which is the last method of pocket-picking by men that we shall notice here. “Bringing them round for buzzing” is frequently done by women, but much more frequently by men. The “bringers round” go two together; the one is called the “kid,” the other the “wire.” They select a quiet spot in which there happens to be only one female. The kid makes a small purchase and asks for something else, but rejects everything she offers him from behind the counter. The kid then sees something in the shop before the counter which he admires, and asks to look at it. Now the female is brought round, and the buzzing begins. The wire fans her pocket while the kid occupies her attention. Should the wire have a “tumble,” and the victim’s suspicions be aroused, he whips the purse back; and the thieves wont leave the shop, if they can help it, until the woman’s suspicions are soothed and put to rest. If they succeed in making her “sweet,” they will bring her round again and make another attempt to pick her pocket. As soon as ever the wire obtains the prize he signals to the kid by saying “it’s off,” or any sign which they may previously agree upon. They will then complete their trifling purchases, and know, if possible, before they leave the shop whether or not the female has any suspicion of them. Pickpockets do not like this work in a town where they are well known to the police.
“Working to-rights” is a stock phrase among pickpockets. It means that when their evil intentions are detected or suspected before completion, they do their utmost to work back the steps they have taken—trying to make things appear not only that they have stolen nothing, but that they have not made any attempt, and have no wish to do so. They escape many an imprisonment by cleverly “working to-rights.” The same thing is done and the same phrase is used by almost all classes of thieves. Burglars, ship-dancers, and magsmen all work to-rights to avoid detection and punishment.
During the last few years a new kind of thieving in counting-houses and business-offices has sprung up. The name which thieves give to this new style is not known to us; probably there is no name for it except the general one of “office-sneaking.” It is done by men and by girls, both the one and the other, passing themselves off for hawkers of stationery and pens. Both carry a few sharp instruments and a few picklocks at the bottom of their baskets. The man goes separately into the business-office; and if he finds no one in he sets to work immediately, cutting or unlocking what may come in his way. Should any one come in he offers his stationery for sale, and under cover of this tries to get away. These men generally make their attempts during dinner-hour. But young girls are by far the most successful counting-house sneakers. They are always well-dressed, good-looking, and of pleasing address. Well trained to the use of the instruments, which they carry at the bottom of their baskets, they can get through a great deal of mischievous work in a very short time. They do not confine themselves to the dinner-hour, but make their attempts at all hours of the day. The girl always has a stall with her, and indeed so has the man. The stall remains outside; and if the girl stays in the office any length of time, it is a sign that the wire is at work. Then the stall begins to keep a very sharp look-out, and will detain in conversation as long as possible any one who may be about to enter the office. Should a clerk enter the office while the girl is at work, she immediately makes an appeal to his passions in her most fascinating manner, at the same time offering her stationery for sale. Thus, through the clerk’s excitement, she often succeeds in getting away. When the impassioned and impulsive clerk finds out that he has been tricked, he says it was done during his absence in the dinner-hour, and so screens himself and beats his retreat.
There are many ingenious ways of shop-robbing; we shall confine ourselves to the chief methods. Shop-thieves are mostly women: they are well dressed, very civil in their manner, generally have a shawl on their arm and an umbrella in their hand, and go two together, or sometimes in threes. Their purloining spreads or divides itself into three leading branches—robbing the customer, stealing shop-goods, and cheating in money affairs. If a customer is looking at anything, the thief will ask to look at the same; this gives an opportunity for pressing against the lady and picking her pocket. Should they see a lady lay a parcel or a good parasol upon the counter the thief will take it up; and if caught in trying to get off will say: “Really, I beg pardon—I thought it was mine.” Should the party behind the counter exclaim, “Some one has left a parcel here!” the thief will find no difficulty in saying, “That is mine.” Sometimes the thieves will ask to be shown some goods, and when these are spread upon the counter, they will ask to look at some more; and while the shopkeeper fetches the additional articles, the thief steals some of the things which are left upon the counter. The stolen goods are stowed away either in the loose shawl, or a basket which they place at the foot of the counter, so that anything swept from it will fall into the latter. An umbrella is much used to convey stolen goods, such as ribbons and silks. The umbrella, open a few inches, is held in the hand, and the things are dropped into it. A thief will purchase a ball of worsted, pay for it, and go away. The day following they will return, and ask to have the worsted-ball exchanged for another of a slightly different shade; and the unwary shopkeepers will afterwards find that a little only of the returned worsted has been wrapped over a rag-covered cinder, and so the vagabond gets two balls of worsted instead of one. They will take as many articles in their hand as they can get to show “him” or “her” at the door, and then come back with several things short, which they