Green’s Dictionary of Slang

pogue n.2

also poge, powg
[? poke n.2 (2) or 9C SE pough, a bag, a sack]

(UK Und.) a purse, a wallet, a pocket.

[Aus]Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 259: pogue A bag, (probably a corruption of poke).
[UK]Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue [as cit. 1812].
[UK] ‘Autobiog. of a Thief’ in Macmillan’s Mag. (London) XL 504: I went out the next day to Maidenhead and touched for some wedge and a poge (purse) with over five quid in it.
[UK]Mirror of Life 10 Feb. 3/2: Frank Lowry, uncle to the walker and boxer of that name, is an adept in the art of purse or ‘pogue’ bouncing.
[US]Indianapolis Jrnl (IN) 28 Feb. 3/3: To the thief a purse bewcomes a ‘pogue’.
[Aus]Register (Adelaide) 4 Jan. 10/3: There was thirteen quid in that pogue.
[Aus]Smith’s Wkly (Sydney) 2 Dec. 18/3: The crowd was mostly outside. I’m there and busy. ‘Pogues’ are shooting off in all directions.
[UK] ‘English Und. Sl.’ in Variety 8 Apr. n.p.: Powg—Purse.
[Aus]Sun. Mail (Brisbane) 13 Nov. 20/8: No denizen of the underworld has any other name for the purse or wallet but ‘pogue,’ just as he would term relieving a citizen of his watch and chain ‘hoisting a block and tackle’.
[US]Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 179: poge A pocket book.
[UK]D. Powis Signs of Crime 197: Pogue See Poggler [i.e. purse or wallet].
[UK](con. 1900–30) A. Harding in Samuel East End Und. 283: Poge – Lady’s purse.

In compounds

poge-hunter (n.)

a purse-snatcher or pickpocket who specializes in taking purses.

[UK]A. Morrison Child of the Jago (1982) 150: He recognised one of the High Mob, a pogue-hunter — that is, a pickpocket who deals in purses.
[UK]E. Pugh Spoilers 66: Remember, Chick, ’ow they used to tumble out when the tiggies made a raid for a ’ot poge-hunter or snidesman.
[UK]E. Pugh City Of The World 271: A poge-hunter pinches purses.
[Aus]E. Pugh in Advertiser (Adelaide) 12 Apr. 24/8: ‘Pogue hunter’ means purse thief.
[UK]Framlingham Wkly News 8 Dec. 3/7: Thieves’ Dialect [...] ‘Poge-hunter’ means purse-thief.