A Pickpocket’s Tale

[Valin]

The New Yorker

Adam Green

January 7, 2013

 

A few years ago, at a Las Vegas convention for magicians, Penn Jillette, of the act Penn and Teller, was introduced to a soft-spoken young man named Apollo Robbins, who has a reputation as a pickpocket of almost supernatural ability. Jillette, who ranks pickpockets, he says, “a few notches below hypnotists on the show-biz totem pole,” was holding court at a table of colleagues, and he asked Robbins for a demonstration, ready to be unimpressed. Robbins demurred, claiming that he felt uncomfortable working in front of other magicians. He pointed out that, since Jillette was wearing only shorts and a sports shirt, he wouldn’t have much to work with.

 

“Come on,” Jillette said. “Steal something from me.”

 

Again, Robbins begged off, but he offered to do a trick instead. He instructed Jillette to place a ring that he was wearing on a piece of paper and trace its outline with a pen. By now, a small crowd had gathered. Jillette removed his ring, put it down on the paper, unclipped a pen from his shirt, and leaned forward, preparing to draw. After a moment, he froze and looked up. His face was pale.

 

“F***. You,” he said, and slumped into a chair.

 

Robbins held up a thin, cylindrical object: the cartridge from Jillette’s pen.

 

(Snip)

[nickydog]

That was fascinating, albeit a little scary. Seems like you could make it into an interesting TV series, using a guy like that to solve all sorts of international criminal problems. But what is a "soul patch?"

[cudjo]

very interesting, that guy is something else

[Rheo]

That was fascinating, albeit a little scary. Seems like you could make it into an interesting TV series, using a guy like that to solve all sorts of international criminal problems. But what is a "soul patch?"