STEAMBOAT THIEVES

 

STEAMBOAT THIEVES

Mississippi River Thieves. — Preliminary Arrangements. — The “Weeding” Process. — Stop Thief! — “Excuse my mistake, I thought this was my room.”—First Class and Second-Class Thieves. — Smooth Tongues and Fair Faces. — The Middle-Aged Clergyman. — Victimized Gamblers.

The traveling public of all kinds and classes seems to have been the prime choice of thieves. Every mode of travel is associated with the danger of being robbed by these experts. The thief is present on the high seas, in the railway carriage, and on the palatial boats that travel the waters of our large navigable rivers, and his actions never cease. Many unsuspicious voyagers have become the victims of this lawless fraternity, and upon discovering their losses, are unable to recall a single individual upon whom their suspicions would fall with any reasonable degree of certainty. Men, also experienced travelers, who have taken every legitimate precaution against robbery, have been victimized as often and with equal success as their more unsophisticated neighbors, and have been equally at a loss to identify the thief, or to point out the individual who might be suspected of the crime.

The hundreds of vessels that ply the waters of the Mississippi River have afforded a more bountiful harvest for the thieves than any others. For that reason, they have been selected by the experts. Travelers are plentiful, and they tend to transport considerable amounts with them.

The level of protection from being caught these thieves experience is almost unbelievable, yet it seldom occurs that one of them is seized, and then, it is because his face has become known to the officers, and his prior presence on the boat has been related to the losses of the other passengers.

The steamboat thief travels and operates alone, as from the nature of his business, he needs no assistance. The presence of a partner might only lead to suspicion. He is a person of good address and a well-to-do gentleman who may be traveling either for business or pleasure. He is polite in his deportment, suave in his manners. From his appearance and actions, he would never be suspected of being a thief. As these boats are provided with guards, the first difficulty experienced by the thief is to secure either the absence or the obliquity of these officials. As is the case, however, he finds but little difficulty in pulling off his purpose in this direction. Those men, with their extravagant habits, find their pay insufficient to fulfill their expensive taste and to maintain their luxurious notions of living. For this reason, the thief finds that judicious giving of a twenty- or fifty-dollar bill often creates impressive effects.

It must be noted, however, that there are many honorable exceptions to this rule. The majority of the officers are men of the most sterling honor and unimpeachable integrity. Their silence or temporary absence could not be bought at any price, or under any circumstances. It is unfortunate, however, that there are quite a few exceptions to this rule.

Prior to beginning his work, the thief has a number of important preliminaries to arrange. before he can rely upon successful operations. One of these—the “fixing” of the guards I have mentioned. He must also watch the passengers closely to discover who among them is prone to become the most profitable targets. He can accomplish this with great ease and quite well on the typical boat.

Being near the clerk's office he can safely monitor all travelers buying a ticket or reserving a stateroom. From the personal appearance, and from the display which the purchaser makes of his money, added to the long experience of the thief, he is thus enabled to discover not only the individual to be robbed with advantage but also the number of the state-room he is to occupy. The keys to these rooms are hung on an ornamental rack, designed for the purpose, and in sight of the observant passenger. By these means, the victim is both “marked” and located.

Because the locks on these cabins are only for show, offering privacy and not protection, the burglar needs just one tool to help with the job. This tool is two of the essential nippers—and it often occurs that the thief will not need this implement. The majority of the passengers have a deep-seated dread of fire while on shipboard, and many of them leave their doors unlocked so that in case of an alarm, no impediment will prevent them from reaching the deck at the earliest possible moment.

Once the passengers to be targeted are selected, the thief would pass his time in pleasant talk or in reading until bedtime. The most experienced and expert operators begin their work at about one o'clock in the morning. He removes all his superfluous articles of clothing, keeping only a woolen undershirt and his pantaloons. His ability to go quickly and quietly is the reason; It will be remembered that these staterooms have two doors, one of which opens into the cabin or saloon, and the other onto the outside into the passageway that extends around the railing or gunwale of the boat. If the thief is working on the same side of the boat on which his own stateroom is situated, he always enters and leaves from the outside door and never under any circumstances from the inside or cabin. The labor of the steamboat thief is much lightened from the fact that passengers have but one place to hide their money, and that is under their pillows. They cannot put it under their mattress as in hotel apartments because the berths have a single mattress, resting upon springs. This the thief regards as evidence of great consideration and kindness on the part of the Boat Company, and his gratitude is so great that he never tries to rob any of the officers.

Entering a stateroom through the open door, or using his tools, he immediately puts on his face a crape mask that hides his features, without disturbing the clearness of his vision. A fast search of the clothing is done, and then, if he sees nothing, he inserts his bare arm under the pillow and silently draws forth the desired wallet. A first-class thief of this branch of the profession will never take jewelry under any circumstances. After protecting the wallet, he goes out to his own stateroom and then does the “weeding” process. Weeding consists in extracting all the large bills from the wallet and substituting small ones—with which he is always supplied— so that the bulk will be about the same as it was before. With speed, returning to the victim's stateroom, he replaces the wallet and then seeks other prey, which are treated in an analogous manner until prudence calls a halt. This “weeding” operation's benefit is that travelers tend to have enough small change to pay for trip-related expenses. Their money container or purse seemed the same as they left it—they often don't know about the theft until they've left the ship, and by then, the criminal disappeared, and the unlucky person can't understand the peculiar change in their money.

Should the loss, however, be discovered before the landing of the boat, and an alarm sounded, the thief himself is among the loudest to proclaim his own loss, and to demand restitution from the officers or the immediate apprehension or the unscrupulous appropriator of his money

The reason for putting on the crape mask after the thief enters the stateroom of his victim is that in case, he finds the occupant awake. He steps back, and asks the gentleman’s pardon, says that he was just returning from the bathroom, and made a room error. I this excuse is received in good part by the disturbed passenger, all is well, and he continues in his work—never, however, troubling that party again during the night. Should the alert traveler grow doubtful, the thief will end their actions right away, go to sleep, and get off at the next station. It will be observed, then, that the claim of confusing the room with his would be foolish if the person offering it showed up with a crape mask on their face.

The quickness and expertise of these criminals is striking, and often just a short period is required to take a sleeper's money pouch, and in a half hour's busy work, a thief can plunder a dozen rooms and accomplish all the adjustments and exchanges necessary to keep him safe from notice or detection. It is a matter of fact, however, that none but the most expert professionals adopt this line of operation. Numerous instances have been brought to my attention where the robbed traveler didn't find out about the theft until arriving at the destination, and often, at home, hence, the theft received minimal attention. This, it is needless to say, is much to the advantage of both the successful thief and the corrupt watchman, for in case of immediate discovery an investigation would be made, the result of which would be disastrous to the individual whose duty it was to be on the alert, and to preserve the safety of the sleeping voyagers.

There are, however, a few river thieves who may be regarded as second-rate operators, and these individuals will rob a passenger of everything in sight; money, jewelry, papers, and anything that purports to be of value; but never take anything from under the pillows of their victims from their lack of sufficient nerve, and the necessary amount of experience.

Should a first-class thief discover one of these latter characters on a boat, and he is quick to do so. He at once approaches him. He warns him, with resolve, against continuing his harmful actions during the journey, and then, with a show of kindness, will give him some money, and offer more when the journey concludes, and the work is finished. The second rate operator always accepts, and by this means he prevents the mistakes of an inexpert operator, whose detection would be compromising himself, and secures the privilege of monopolizing all the fat wallets which may be within the range of his operations.

Thus, to be safe from the attacks of those outlaws, I'd caution every traveler on the river boats to keep their cash and belongings safe with them, and to close with caution their doors when sleeping. In these days of depravity and wickedness, it is dangerous to trust any ideas of assured safety, and the necessity for caution in making traveling acquaintances is always imminent. The smoothest tongue, and the fairest face may belong to the most desperate criminal, and an intimacy is sure to result in disaster.

I recall an incident that happened years ago, when gambling was common on those boats, and large sums of money were often won and lost on a single evening. On the occasion I refer to, there were three noted gamblers on the boat, and during the evening these men succeeded in each winning a considerable amount of money from their unsuspecting fellow passengers. The boat held a middle-aged clergyman; his shaven face and sanctimonious manner suggesting he was one of the most orthodox religious teachers. In quiet but decided tones he condemned the practice of gambling, and with solemn words of warning he tried to induce his companions to desist from indulging in the vices and hazards of play, all to no avail, though. The fascination was too great to be overcome, and with a sad expression the holy man withdrew from the cabin and sought communion with his thoughts on the ship's deck. When midnight arrived, however, and the games were closed, many of the travelers, whose whitened countenances and glassy eyes betokened loss and remorse, were inclined to wish that they had listened to the admonitions of the warning clergyman. At dawn, there was a loud alarm, and an outcry that rivaled Bedlam with its confusion. The victorious wagerers were wild and furious.

Inquiry developed into the discovery that while everyone slept the staterooms of the successful players had been entered. They had imbibed in exaggeration and therefore slumbered in peace. and when they awoke at dawn, they discovered to their dismay that their enormous winnings of the night before, together with their own funds, had disappeared. An investigation followed, and then it happened that the solemn-faced clergyman had left the boat at about daylight, and had left behind him in his stateroom the following epistle:

“To the children of the Evil One: — Beware of the vices of games of chance.”

“ELDER SHORTSMFFLE.”

This, beyond a doubt, explained the cause of the disappearance of the money, and the departure of the robber. The clerical-looking display had decamped with fourteen thousand dollars and was never apprehended.