THE TRICK OF FATHER FRANCOIS The “Coup de Pere Francois” ( or “The Shot Of Father Francis”) was a form of robbery performed by street thugs in Paris in the early 1900’s. Two thieves would approach the mark, one engaging the target while the other...

THE TRICK OF FATHER FRANCOIS
The “Coup de Pere Francois” ( or “The Shot Of Father Francis”) was a form of robbery performed by street thugs in Paris in the early 1900’s. Two thieves would approach the mark, one engaging the target while the other slipped behind him. Correctly positioned, the second thug would throw a silk handkerchief over the target’s head and immediately pivot so the two would now be back to back. Then, holding the two ends of the handkerchief at the height of his shoulders, the thug would bend forward essentially garroting the unsuspecting citizen.

“The more the thug bent forward the more he pulled his victim backward-backward on the thug’s back, sprawling there as in a barber’s chair, with his feet off the ground and his arms tossing aimlessly-a quick case of spinal curvature. Reclining helplessly on the thug’s back, lifted bodily form the sidewalk, with all the blood of his body throbbing in his cranium, he felt the other robber going calmly through his pockets. He remembers that the rogue in front then pulled his arms out straight with one hand; and then he lost consciousness. When he came to he was lying in the shadow of some bushes with a strained neck, but not otherwise damaged. ”

from National Police Gazette, October 21, 1905, p. 3
Via The Journal Of Manly Arts
Jan. 14 2010
#Coup de Pere Francois #Les Apaches #mugging #strangulation #criminal wisdom
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