[ISN] A PICKPOCKET'S TALE - The spectacular thefts of Apollo Robbins.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/01/07/130107fa_fact_green

By Adam Green
The New Yorker
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.

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

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

[...]


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