Skip to content

Tag Archives: Pickpocketing

Cant: The Language of the Criminal Underworld

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Cant, or flash as it is sometimes called, is a specialized language used by criminals to keep communication about their intentions and actions from being understood by their victims or the authorities. Because any language requires a distinct group of users who can speak and understand it, cant indicates the presence of at least a […]

Filed in Dictionary | Also tagged | Comments (0)

Transported Convicts in the New World: Moll Flanders and Moll King

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. While the American press criticized the practice of British convict transportation, Daniel Defoe enthusiastically supported it in his novel The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders. Moll Flanders is the most well-known character in literature to have been […]

Filed in 5. In the New World | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (2)

Early American Crimes: Pickpocketing

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

In order to settle a debate with her boss, Rebecca, a self-described “curious technical writer,” asked Early American Crime, “Were American pickpockets executed in the 1700’s and 1800’s? I know Britain was big on this, but how about America?” As far as I can tell, pickpockets were not executed in America as they were in […]

Filed in Crimes | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (2)

Convict Voyages: Jenny Diver, Henry Justice, and the Influence of Money

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. When dealing with bureaucratic institutions in the eighteenth century, money artfully placed in the right hands could often buy special privileges, and convict transportation was no exception. The sale of convicts once they arrived in America helped convict merchants and […]

Filed in 4. Convict Voyages | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Convict Voyages: Mary Standford, Pick-Pocket and Thief

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Note: This post is part of a series on Convict Transportation to the American colonies. Mary Standford was convicted of privately stealing a shagreen pocket book, a silk handkerchief, and 4 guineas from William Smith on July 11, 1726. After her conviction, she strongly rejected transportation to the American colonies as an alternative to execution. […]

Filed in 4. Convict Voyages | Also tagged , , , | Comments (0)