Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a reticule or small basket, thus soot-bag hunting, snatching such bags.

1833		[T. Wontner] Old Bailey Experience 373: What the boys call soot-bag hunting, was once a pursuit behind coaches, where they would get up and seize any lady’s bag which was in their reach.
1839		H. Brandon Dict. of the Flash or Cant Lang. 165/2: Soot-bag – a reticule.
1848		‘Ned Buntline’ Mysteries and Miseries of N.Y. II 80: You soot-bags of mortality!
1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 153/3: The first victim we collared was an old lady who, after securely tying up her ‘soot-bag,’ (reticule) carfully stowed it away in a large [...] pocket under her petticoat.
1874		Derbyshire Courier 12 Dec. 7/1: Local Flash language [...] A soot-bag, a reticule.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. 9/2: Sue flimped a soot bag and a prop. She’s the flyest wire in the mob, and all the family men are spoony on her. Sue stole a reticule and a brooch. She’s the smartest lady’s pocket thief in the company (or ‘school’), and all the thieves are smitten with her.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 78: Soot Bag, a reticule.