THE LUGGAGE THIEF.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2433, 23 February 1909, Page 6

THE LUGGAGE THIEF.

HOW PORTMANTEAUX DISAPPEAR ABROAD.

At holiday times the professional luggage thief is very busy indeed. For him the holiday season means work — if his nefarious occupation may he so termedI—entailing 1 —entailing much railway .travelling and constant watchfulness. Various and often highly ingenious are the methods practised hv these gentry. A few favor the “dish-cover”, dodge, which was first introduced into England a few years ago by a gang of Yankee ‘‘crooks.” The dish-cover is simply a capacious kit bag, minus a bottom. Its sides are held in position by pieces of stout whalebone stretched across at each end. Carrying this contrivance, the luggage thief, usually attired like a tourist, strolls on to a railway .platform just before the arrival of what he well knows will lie a crowded train. The train duly rumbles in and disgorges its passengers. Then, as the porters commence to haul out the luggage, all is hustle and excitement. But our bogus tourist is apparently not one whit excited. He seems coolness itself as he watches the porters at work. ■‘Suddenly, however, there is a- momentary gleam in his eye as a likelylooking dressing-case, or maybe a slightly smaller kit bag than his own bottomless one, is dragged out- of the luggage van and pitched on to the platform. A sharp glance around him, and he steps forward and drops his “dish-cover” over the coveted article of luggage. He stands there a moment calmly puffing at his cigar; then, lie thrusts his hand through an artfully-cut slit in the top of the “dish-cover,” .grasps the handle of the hidden dressing-case or bag, and strolls off towards the cab rank. THE “DRUMMER.” At present serving a term'of penal srevitude in one of his Majesty’s prisons is an individual well-known among the luggage stealing fraternity as the ‘Drummer” who was wont to hook from London to some popular seaside resort. One of those big wicker baskets, in which commercial travellers commonly carry their samples, comprised his luggage, and wherever the “Di'iupiner” and his basket went pasinvariably, suffered loss. And no wonder for, concealed inside the basket, was a hoy of about 14. Ho was a . son of the “Drummer,” and somewhat small for his age. At every stopping place during the journey the guard of the train had, of course, to leave his van. Then it was that the small hoy would unfasten tho lid of his basket—which was secured on the inside by a staple and peg—and cautiously stop out. AIDED BY HUMAN LUGGAGE. Quickly selecting a portmanteau or trunk from the pile of luggage, he would place it in the basket, step inside again, refasten the lid, and remain curled up and still for the rest of the journey. In one week alone the “Drummer” and his youthful accomplice annexed by this ingenious method over a score of ■ trunks and hags, one of which contained jewellery and cash to tho value of £BOO. NEW USE FOR LABELS. Another artful dodge of “luggagelifters” is worked in the following manner: — Two well-dressed men arrive together one night at a crowded holiday resort, bringing with them a couple of bulky portmanteaux. In the morning one of the men hangs about the railway station until a chance offers of purloining a varied selection of those little white labels which porters ■paste on luggage to denote its destination.

Then they book by a crowded uptrain to some place a few stations from London, get their portmanteaux labelled, and see them stowed away into the luggage van. A.t the first stopping place one of the thieves alights, and seeks out the guard. He wishes, lie says, to get some cigars or a book from his bag. May ho do so? This polite request, being accompanied by a tip, is readily acceded to, and -while the guard is engaged in answering other passengers’ questions, shutting doors, etc., the luggage thief gets -to business. EASILY ANNEXED. On entering the van, he quickly “spots” two portmanteaux, which, so far as balkiness and general outward appearance go, promise well. From his pocket he then produces a neat little -paste -pot and brush, together with four of the purloined destination labels. Two of these are “London labels,” the other two have the name of the station for which he and his confederate have booked. These latter he lightly sticks over the proper labels on'the “promising” bags, while the London ones are stuck in the same way upon his own brick and rubbishladen pair. Having accomplished this -without disturbance, he slips out of the van and regains his partner. Not until the train arrives at the place for which they have taken tickets do they alight. Their luggage—or, rather, somebody else’s luggage —is then handed out to them, and with it they promptly make themselves scarce.