6 replies to this topic

[rikabeau]

A woman walked into a police station. "I want to report a pickpocket," she announced. A man staggered in behind her, his hand in her coat pocket. "Arrest that man!" she continued, pointing to him.
He was arrested, tried, and convicted of picking pockets. Why did he enter the police station in a posture that obviously suggested his crime?

-- if this is you, I'll post some clues.


Clues:
He really was a pickpocket.
He didn't want to be arrested.
He acted rationally.

[timforyou12]

Yay! First To Post!!!!!
He was returning what he stole!!!!!!!!
YAY ME!!!!!

[rikabeau]

sorry, no. But good guess!

[Martini]

Could it be:

Spoiler for solution

She had something in her pocket that would cause a pickpocket's hand to become stuck in there, e.g., a mousetrap.

[rikabeau]

Actually, close. I'll tell you later!

[PDR]

She knew there was a notorious pickpocket operating in the area so she placed a needle inside one of her pockets with a slow acting poison.

Sure enough, the pickpocket struck. He put his hand in the booby trapped pocket and gave out a little shriek when his hand was pricked by the needle.

She turned on him, laughed a little laugh and told him that he would die a slow miserable death unless she gave him the antidote.

Proud of herself, and not thinking straight (for who would after just poisoning a notorious pickpocket?) the woman told him the antidote was in the other pocket. He was reaching for the antidote as they entered the police station....

[rikabeau]

Sorry, no. <!-- s:cry: --><!-- s:cry: -->
I'll tell you the answer.

Her husband was an inventor (Peter Cooper), and they'd heard about the pickpocket. He had sewn fish hooks into her pocket (she had to make sure she didn't stick her hand in there), and when she had "caught" the pickpocket, she said, "I'm going to the police station, and you're coming with me!" The man cooperated to prevent serious injury to his hand. This is a true story of the eighteenth century.

Martini was the closest one.