New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-20

and the Spectator himself were detailed for deiehse
upop the occasion; nor viii they forget the story
related By Sir Roger, in justification Of his pru'
dence Of an unfortcLate country gentleman VINO
came up TO LoIdOn in the reign OF Charles H. ana
who sustained such street chase at the legs OF the
bIocds Of the period, that he retired instantly TO
tba rural districts ard was thoroughly scared out
cf all relish for another visit TO the metropolis
| Those we're the days Of the MOhawks, when AFRO
I CANT Dung gentlemen elated by profuse hbatlons
to Bacchus, rushed, sword in hand, from the coffee
houses and bagnios, and for their private deecta-
tion slit the noses and reckIessy probed the per-
sons Of sober ard unofiending citizens. Those ware
dsys. too, in which hardly London street was
safe for pedestrian after night fall; when coaches
were stopped within sound of Bow bells; and when
hiQhwsymcn of gentemsnly exterior could ride
into TIE fe d. take purse and be back to the Club
u time for supper and hand at hazard.
It is certainly little Notifying to think, that in
New-YorB, after the lapse of century, and after
the astonishing progress Of which always so
Justify Dragging, it seems TO be as unsafe now to
walk in the fall fare Of gashght as it was to creep
along in the capital Of Great Britain before single
lantern illuminated the thOrOughfares. Aud yet to
this same favor have We come. We have already
recorded in our columns numerous cases in which
at an early hour Of the night in streets deemed the
safest ard the most quiet in the city, unfortunate
persons have been knocked down and robbed under
cncums tances Of the greatest atrocity. We not
surprised TO learn that such events have given rise
to a general feeling of insecurity. In one such
villainy we see the possibility Of a thousand jus!
like il. An rOffensive, domestic gentleman leaves
his family, after dinner for visit to the theater,
or perhaps to attend to some necessary matter of
buliness, and is not sure that before he has pro-
cceded quarter Of mile his skull will not be frac
tured by suDg-shOt, or thst be will not be gaspng
for life in neiehbor,ng area. Those whose avecs
tions compel them to be late in the street at nigh,
can have no certainty that they will retura to
breakfast 1t is as peri Gus 20 walk from the Union
Park 10 the South Ferry as it was to cross HOuns
low Heath a hundred years ago Such state of
things is really very serious; and unless we can find
remedy will most decidedly interfere with our
social comfort.
The system of street robbery which we have re.
Gently imported, was first observed in London
markable that ii was not sooner introduced by the
enterprisiDg thieves Of this city. II is just what,
at this time, when so many Of his occupations a'e
gone the swell mObsman fnds necessary. 1t was
easy TO stop numbering carriage in a ru.ty road,
on a dark hight; it was easy, if We may refer to
the little lyric sung by Mr.. Weller, to "put two
balls into the mob" of the cOachman, and thus
"perwail on him to stops; but it is not easy to
arrest railway train for the purpose of pilfering
it's passengers; ans, in fact, social changes have
made all ordinary burglaries and larcenies difficult.
The earrote -rObber as he is called, relies manly
upon the stranceness and suddeDness aqd novelty
of his method of attack He is poor, mean, cow
ardly sneak, who does not dare to pick lock, or,
taking to horse TO seour the country upon apfedao
~ excursion bu. who only dares to waylay the un-
suspecting, to throw snuff in the eyes of pedes-
trian, or to knock his hat over his brows, or to
st1ange him with handkerchief, or to put knife
into his back or bag over his head, or to fell him
with slung shot. All these expedlenss come un-
der the general head Of "garrote robberies," al
though the name is, of course, derived ftOm the
single process Of strangulation, to which that fill
clustering martyr, Lopez OF the Iron Hand, was
subjected few years ago in Havana In London
thete rObberies have become 80 common as
TO be pronounced BY the press "a very Formidable
innovation OIL the boosted security Of London LIFE"
A respectable journal The Saturday Reriep) says:
Bands Of garroters are. it seems, organized among
"us Just as baaditti used TO be in Mrs. RsdclIfes
"novels. AS the swOrdcase behind O,d-fashiOned
"carrages survives as E memorial Of Turpius gal
Giant days, so in our days adventurous travellers
"tak of reyiving CrOmwells steel shirt. father
4" Of famiy-perhsps after studying the Thirty
seventh Article of the Church-gOes to the Man
sion House end desires TO learn from the Lord
MAYOR whether III is lawful for Christian men, at
the commandment of the magistrate, 10 wear
weapons in general and Colts revolver in partic-
"ular. Knuckle. busters and life preservers are
inquired for; and the Paddington Nes.ry sends
"deputation to Sir George Grey complaining OF
"tbe paucity of police within their jurisdiction,
"aud OF the midnight terrors which inte:t st.
"Johns Wood. Newspaper correspondents, in
strain of grim facetiousness, announce the pos
"session of bowie .bniveS and Secretary 81 State
| "is formally consulted on the eIpedien:y of en-
rolling special cOns.aSes against organized
bonds of phnderers.T This pleasing coalition
Of affairs is attributed partly TO the presence of
disbaDded soldiers many Of them of the foreign
| legions, psrtly to the number Of tcket-of-Ieave
men shout town, aui partly to the extraordinary
lenieDcy with which hardened sld turbulent crimi.
mails have been treated by the Law.
/, is certainly 70 be hoped and rA.ioDsUy to be
expected, that this style OF attack upon society
viii lose some Of is mos. fearful features when its
/ i :,