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A Pickpocket's Kindergarten

A Pickpocket's Kindergarten image
Parent Issue
Day
31
Month
March
Year
1881
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Policaman Herman Leiterts of inspector Byrne's eojnmand, wraljmed belore Justices Smith, Kilbretli.and Pqw er yestarday Edward Logeiistein of lti.5 fcssex sti-oet, a briglit, intelligent lad Of 14, for tryhig toj)ick pocket ut Uroadway and Union square on Mondar aiternooo. Tlie thoroughfare ia throiiged evciy sifternoon hy ladieson tlieirshopl'ing rounds. and tliprt. a f..o„,.,.„ eompltónta made to the poliee of rob benes. Leflerts saw several well kuown young thieves, Uut the boy Lo pusteiu, evideuUy a novice, weut so Joklly to woik, he said, as to particu arlj attract. attention. He put his ■anda right i uto ladies' poekets, aiir jm. a Hay wnen tney turued to look at jfim. He got nothing, however, but ieneits foUowed him and airested liim m J'enth stieet and Broadway. "Wlien I tirstuíuv him,"aid Lf-Êferta I notíced him ín company witb two ther boys wlioni we have under suspitíon. I asked him if be knew tliem ui) sant mat tic .(id; tliat tlicy lived in bis neigbborhoad. l asked him what they were doing. He replied that the boys bdonged to a thiefs school; that üwy Weie trained to steal by a man in Ludlow street, near (Jraiïd. These boys, he said, were sent out by this man every afternoon to different parts of the city. They were accompanied by bigger boy, who watched them work, and so soon as one of tliem stole a pulse pr a bit of lace or a si Ik Kerehief, a bigger b y would come un and tiike the things. He said that when the liitle fellowa were sent out tliey carried booka with the, as if they came from school, to throw off suspicion. "I tbm aaked the prisoner," contiuued Lefferto, "vvlio tliese boys were He gave me the names of scvenil of theii!. and also t.nlil ma iu „..,. n_u__ afternoon 1 could see tlieni coming out f the man's house in Ludlow street. He said that the boys were first taujriit ly boys, wlio woiked Grand street. I tlien askxl i,i,„ wjmt )le was (lomg thore, ana lie replied lie was looking on to see luw it was done. Then I arrested liim." Edward Logenstein had listeued attentively to wliat J'oliceiuan Letferts liad said. He denietl eiiijihatically havmg taken any part in picklag pocketa 'ie Mm lie Kiiew mat there was aschool for llueves, kept by a man in Ludlow street, near Graad, and that several of his schoolmates belonged to it. He had worked eight months for Oppenheimer & Mora, lithographers, of 24 Noi-th VVilliarn streef for $3 a week Tbe flrm, however, had moved to Jersey City, and lie had been to Macy's that afteriioon to apply f orwork. On bis íetuin fnmi Maey's he met tbree of the boya with school books under theiram. Tliey were workintr Vnnr. teenth Street, una pointed out to hiin tlie tvvo bigger boys wlio were watching them irom across thestreet ïhey tol.l him hovv they had i góod deal of 1 mi, and were well paid. Then they told hun to wateb and see them work He saw tliem piek se veral ladies poukets But he did not try to piek one, "Wliere are your párente?" asked -histice Sinitli. i.i.v uiuuier is sicK, sir, and is now in l'oughkeepsie, md my fathe.r haa gone to tako cave of lier." "VVJntt does your father do?" "He interpreta in the pólice courte for the Bohemians, and sells cigars and anything lie can get. lie met wifcn an accident three years ago, and cannotwork mach. I havetvro younirer brothera." "But yon told the offieer that you were w.atching the boys steal so that you might see how it was done," said J uflüee Kilbieth. "Xow, what did you mean ?" ' "I didn't uitend to steal, Judge, )ut I had heard so mariy boys talk abont Oiey pieked pockets that I vvantedtosee how they did it. Yea Judge, I did give the policemen the ñames of some of the boya, because II have heard theni say they were made 1( steal." llie Iad was remanded lo give time for further inve.stigation of his case. Miss Fifiher, who has charge of the boys' prison, aaid tliat Miss Eider, Logenstein'a teacher in the Stanton street .school, had ealled upon her and aiiiil the boy was remarkably intelligent and bright; that lie was au spt student and, she could liardly heliere he was guilty. Miss Eider said sho would try and iiiia some person who knew the boy. Wliile Miss Gertrude M. Hawthorr.e of 108 East Twenty-third stieet was walking on Fourth avenue, near rwenty-seveath treet, on Thursday ■vonir.g, David Melcer, 18 years old, of 104 liayanl street, aaatched her pocketok whicli he pasaed to Morris Slioeujerg, 13 years old, of 28 Ludlow street, Tlie two lads then ran away. Thej werecaughtby Pólice Captain livan. i esterdayintheYorkville PollceCourt tiicy vvereheld iu $1,000 bail each. Melcer said he wanted to atiend the walking match at MadisoaSfuare Qarlen, uid baviug no money to purchsm ;i ticket, lie concluded t steal gome. Tlifie was 11.25 in the noRknt.hnnlr

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Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat