[Correspondence of the CHRONICLE.]

LONDON, January 15, 1884.      

      The most superficial study of the personnel, habits and methods of the criminal classes in this country is sufficient to convince the observer that while the same types of men are to be found on both sides of the Atlantic actively engaged in pillaging their fellow-creatures, the intelligent and fairly educated members of the dangerous classes in England acquire their plunder by far less risky methods than those of their crooked cousins of the Western world. The English Macdonnells, Bidwells, Hopes, Porters and "Red" Learys soar far higher in their criminal flights than their transatlantic prototypes, and yet incur no less risk of falling into the clutches of the law, as instead of raising checks and blowing up bankers' safes, they float bubble companies, run sham life insurance bureaus, establish dummy loan offices and ensnare gentlemen blessed with more money than brains into all sorts of highly attractive but wholly impracticable enterprises. Train robbers, safe blowers and scientific burglars are unknown here, and the men who occasionally break into warehouses and private residences are a clumsy lot of ignorant wretches, whose tools would be instantly discarded as practically useless by a fifth-rate Chicago burglar. A well-known Scotland Yard official told me the other day that during the last five years not a single attempt to break into a bank had proved successful in any part of Great Britain, and he added that the only really scientific burglary which took place during the past decade had been committed by two Americans, William Berry and Mike Johnson by name, both of whom were captured and are now serving out a life-long sentence of penal servitude in one of the English convict establishments. Macdonnell, the two Bidwells and Noyes are also still immured in English prisons under life sentences for their participation in the gigantic forgeries on the Bank of England, the revelation of which a few years ago astonished the banking community all over the world. The elder of the two Bidwells is, I learn, in a bad state of health and is not likely to live long. He is said to have given more trouble to the authorities than any prisoner they ever had charge of. For nearly three years his brother successfully simulated paralysis and lived on choice diet in the prison infirmary, but a new doctor who was appointed to the prison detected the imposture and the wily Yankee was again put to hard labor.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF CRIMINALS.

      The word "crook," as applied to a man who gains his livelihood by dishonest means, is utterly unknown in this country, nor is there any generic name by which the dangerous classes are distinguished. The burglar is known as a "cracksman," the confidence man as a "magsman," the pickpocket as a "gun," or "gonolph"; a female thief is designated a "hook," while the dishonest gambler who makes bets on the race-course without the slightest intention of meeting his engagements is dubbed a "welsher." Of course, in a great city like this there are a hundred and one petty methods adopted by other thieves and scoundrels equally dangerous to the community, but somewhat less openly aggressive in their methods, to deplete the well-to-do class of their money and valuables. Among the most dangerous and desperate of this class I may mention the "cosh carrier." This enterprising individual is usually a bully of unlimited ferocity and low origin. His side partner is a female, a member of the frail sisterhood, whose faded personal attractions have long since ceased to render her sad calling profitable. These harpies lie in wait for elderly gentlemen on their way home in sequestered neighborhoods. On some plea or other the woman will first engage the intended victim in conversation, when her male companion will suddenly appear on the scene, claim the woman as his wife, and if he fails to extort money from her companion will brutally beat him into insensibility and then proceed to steal whatever valuables he may have about his person. As a thick stick ("cosh") is invariably carried as an offensive weapon by these scoundrels, it will be seen that the name by which they are known is not inappropriate. Less than three weeks ago the body of a young city clerk was found in a large reservoir within three miles of the heart of the city, and from the fact that a woman's earring was found a few yards away, on the spot where the unfortunate man had evidently been attacked and partially choked to death, there is little doubt that he fell a victim to the wiles of these latter-day thugs. The garroter has happily almost disappeared from the ranks of London criminals. Ten or fifteen years ago these wretches drove a thriving business during one winter on the outskirts of the metropolis. But as the Judges before whom they were tried wisely added a punishment of fifty strokes with the "cat-o'-nine-tails" to whatever term of penal servitude was imposed upon the offenders, this particularly barbarous form of highway robbery speedily became extinct. Sergeant Ham, one of the most fearless, energetic and successful detectives of the metropolitan police, who retired some years since on a well-earned pension, minutely described to me the other day the manner in which these inhuman wretches were accustomed to rob and half murder their victims.

HOW THEY WORK.

      "They work three in a mob," said the sergeant, "and the respective actors were known as a 'front stall,' 'back stall' and 'nasty man.'" Having selected their quarry, the back stall placed his left knee on the small of the victim's back and passed his right arm round his neck, clipping the throat tightly in an angle formed by the muscle and the forearm. The nasty man then proceeded to batter the unfortunate man's face with his naked fists, while the front stall paid his attention to his pockets. Not infrequently the unfortunate persons attacked were injured for life. Of petty thieves the "area sneak" devotes his (or her) attention to visiting the basements of houses, on the chance of finding a door or window unfastened, and under these circumstances anything portable is promptly carried away. The "kinchin lay" is principally worked by women and young men and is a particularly villainous method of robbery. The male thieves content themselves with lying in wait outside general stores where the children of the poor are frequently sent to purchase small quantities of food. On seeing the child approach the blackguard will take the money out of the little one's hand and promptly decamp. If a female of the same class sees a well-dressed child alone, she will decoy it into some secluded spot, strip the poor little thing of its clothes and make off with them, leaving the youngster shivering in a single garment. "Ringing the changes" is a favorite method adopted by rogues of swindling the publicans or saloon-keepers. As gold coin in the shape of sovereigns and half-sovereigns is used here in place of bills, there being indeed no smaller paper money in circulation than a five-pound note, worth $25, this particular method of roguery is, as far as I know, practically unknown in the States. To explain its working on paper is impossible, but the trick is done by an adroit, and frequently successful, attempt to confuse the bartender while giving change, and detectives have told me that two men, who are really first-class operatives in this nefarious line of business, frequently make from $50 to $100 a day in a town where they are strangers.

ENTRAPPING A FOREIGNER.

      Confidence operators and card sharpers, known here as "magsmen" and "broad speelers" infest London, and indeed all the large cities in the country. In point of education, dress, manners and skill, they are immeasurably the inferior of their American confreres and yet they succeed in robbing the public annually of enormous sums of money. From an ex-inspector of police I learned a very curious story of the doings of an association of these swindlers, whose business was finally put a stop to by the Directors of the Southeastern and London, Chatham and Dover railroads some few years back. Eight men in all composed this bundle of astute rogues. I must tell you that what is known as a tidal train leaves London twice a day for the Continent, running from Charing Cross to Dover, where passengers take a steamer for Calais. Four of these rascals were invariably at hand some ten minutes prior to the departure of the train, and by some mysterious understanding existing between them and some minor officials engaged in dispatching the cars, they were invariably shown into a first-class carriage at the last moment, containing but a single occupant, and this occupant, strange to say, was always a foreigner and usually a man whose surroundings suggested the possession of wealth. The mob of rogues was usually made up as follows: Number one was a quietly dressed man of respectable appearance, who was an accomplished linguist, speaking five or six languages fluently. Number two was an individual of mature years, richly attired, wearing a full beard, mustache and whiskers, and quite capable of passing muster where he was unknown as a benevolent baronet or distinguished duke. Number three was also a well-dressed man, but bearing more indications of the sport in his general make-up. Number four, known as the "wroughter," in plain language the manipulator of the cards, was an Irishman, attired in all the glory of top-boots, buckskin breeches and straight-brimmed beaver. It was his cue to appear eccentric and display money lavishly, and if all my informant tells me is true, he certainly filled the bill most satisfactorily. As there are but six seats in a first-class carriage in this country, and as it is an invariable practice to lock the doors of the cars before the train is in motion, you will see that, having secured their game, the rogues could spread their net free from outside observation or intrusion. No sooner was a tidal train clear of the London smoke than the "wroughter" would produce a new pack of cards, and, spreading a rug across his knees, proceed with much volubility to attempt to initiate his confederate, the dignified duke, into the mysteries of monte.

LOSING HIS MONEY.

      On the duke angrily repulsing his advances, the pseudo-sportsman would become involved in the dispute and the unfortunate foreigner would naturally become interested in the war of words that ensued. The linguist confederate’s services then came into play. Addressing the foreigner in English, he would refer to the Irishman as a nuisance. The foreigner, grimacing, bowing and chattering in broken English, would then give a clue to his nationality, whereupon the polyglot swindler would speedily get on terms with him, talking in his own language. Meanwhile the "sportsman" would begin making bets on the cards with the "wroughter," which he would lose, apparently though gross stupidity or obliquity of vision. Of course eventually the victim became interested, and, as a natural sequence, lost his money. Foreigners or Americans were invariably selected as victims by these rascals and their confederates in the company's employ, as even if after parting with their money they suspected foul play, their ignorance of English or their desire to make their way as rapidly as possible to distant parts of the Continent militated against the possibility of a row and a subsequent arrest and prosecution when the train arrived at Dover. It was nothing uncommon for these men to swindle a traveler of several thousand dollars on the trip down or up, and strange as it may appear, for over five years these vagabonds enjoyed immunity from arrest, which there is reason to believe was secured to them by police protection. At one time complaints to the railway authorities became so frequent that small metal tablets were fixed in every first-class carriage of these trains warning travelers, in English, French and German to beware of card sharpers. But the rogues were equal to the occasion, for they had small leather bags made, which a friendly porter invariably hung up so as to obscure the warnings before the foreigner who was selected as a victim was invited into the spider's parlor. This gang of swindlers worked the tidal trains with the utmost regularity. They all grew rich on the proceeds of their villainy, and the inspector tells me that, out of the eight, four are at present living in retirement in the enjoyment of their ill-gotten gains. As it is now some years since they were hunted of the line by the energetic if somewhat tardy action of the railroad authorities, they must have amassed a large sum of money by their criminal enterprise.

THE POLITE THIEF.

      The English race meetings are the "Tom Tiddler's" ground of thieves, swindlers and vagabonds of all descriptions. Here the pickpocket brings off his greatest hauls, for what are known as racing men always carry large sums of money about them, and at an exciting moment, when the horses are coming up the homestretch, all else is forgotten save the event of the moment. At such times it is nothing uncommon for two men to suddenly seize an intended victim's arms from behind, and while he is thus pinioned a confederate will take his note-case from an inside vest-pocket while the man's head is turned round to see what is going on behind him. Woe be to the man of fashion who visits the race-course wearing a valuable breastpin. When he eventually finds it missing, it may occur to him that while a· race was being decided a stranger apologized to him for apparent rudeness in pressing his arm across his chest as they stood packed in the crowd, or that an even more polite unknown suggested that he had a fleck of dirt upon his face, and with a laugh, kindly removed it with the most spotless of white cambric handkerchiefs. Then went the pin, my verdant friend, be sure, and you are lucky if at the same time your watch and chain did not follow suit. A very large number of men who frequent the race-courses avoid bringing themselves into intimate relations with the police by confining their attention to what is known as "welshing." This simply means betting anybody to any amount against any of the horses running, receiving the stake-money from the backer, and either making off while the race is being run, or as the phrase goes, impudently "standing it out." The lower class of pugilists and a number of roughs, ready for any kind of villainy, frequent the race-course in large numbers, and these men are always ready to take the part of the "welsher" when collared or cornered by his defrauded creditors.

RESISTANCE USELESS.

      This fact becomes so patent to any man who has been half a dozen times to the races in this country that nineteen times out of twenty, when a man finds he is swindled, he puts up with it, wisely thinking that unbroken bones and a depleted pocket are preferable to a good hiding, which would inevitably still leave him minus his money. It is simply marvelous that in a country where horse-racing is the national sport and where, during nine months of the year, upwards of 1600 race meetings are brought off, there should be no law under which these robbers of the turf can be dealt with. It naturally occurs to one that if, as at Coney island, Saratoga, Long Branch and other great centers of American racing, the bookmakers were charged large sums of money for the privilege of betting and furnished with stands in which to carry on their business, the occupation of a "welsher" would soon have departed, or again, a system of licensing might be introduced and a bookmaker compelled to a two-cent stamp on every ticket he issued, in the way of registering a bet. This would insure the respectability and solvency of the bookmaker, and, at the same time, prove a considerable source of revenue to the country. Unfortunately, however, the Jockey Club is left by the authorities to manage racing in any way they think proper, and, although the members of that august body engage a few detectives to turn welshers," thieves and improper characters out of the ring, so far, at least, their efforts have failed to sensibly abate the wholesale robbery and pillage to which the inexperienced race-goer is exposed at every turn. No prosecution for obtaining money under false pretenses, or conspiracy to defraud, will reach the "welsher," as gambling in any form being illegal, the victim is himself a party to an illegitimate transaction and consequently has no standing in the courts.

GRIP.