One of the most infamous pickpockets of the Midwest was known as Fainting Bertha!
It’s a sad story but it’s fascinating how much they know about her.
Mugshots of Bertha Liebbeke aka Fainting Bertha, One of the Midwest’s Most Infamous Pickpockets – “Bertha would locate a prosperous-looking gentleman in a crowd and smile demurely at him. Intrigued, he would come closer. When he got next to her, she would be suddenly overcome by a dizzy spell. The gallant gentleman would catch the lovely lady just in time to keep her from hitting the ground. She heaved a sigh, came to and thanked him, but not before she’d picked her rescuer’s pockets so skillfully that he didn’t notice the theft until she was long gone. When they reported their losses to the police, none of Bertha’s victims suspected her as the culprit.”
Happy New Year!