New-York daily tribune., 1858-02-23
TIE POLICE AND CRIMINALS.

Inc cOpleto success oil any syftem OF law or pOhce
in either detecting preventing crime, 40 long as So
ciety is organized upon it, present basis cannot be
pected. ~The various aids which have been brought
into the service Of the police since the days of vdocq
have increased largely, yet crime still exists, and
mary think II Is on the increase. The inventive ge-
MUS Of criminals ia taxed 10 void the advantages ac-
cruipg to the police by the new devices suggested to
prevent depreciation, if not by enabling them to pur-
their criminal avocations in the same line that
they have usually pursued, then by the development
Of more subtle schemes of depreciation, by which the
effect of the law can be avoided The means OF rapp
pursuit. the telegraph and railroad, seem onlyto be val
liable in catching amateur criminals, a. the largest ope
ratons in stealing its various forms OF procedure are
executed the goods disposed Of and the money spent
within the city, In frequent instances the guty par
ties are caught and sometimes are convicted; put III
nearly every case, when their term OF service Is eA
pred, they renew their old avocations win zeSe
increased by protraced absence from the usual excite
ments attending their profession-ior profession 10
tho + of which are studied with assiduty, and with
naturally astute inteeots shapened by an appreciation
f the necessity of avoiding detection, unsucc 'ss
fl in this then of avoiding its consequences Pro.
fessed criminals dislike the restraints of our present
socia order and dislike them TO such an extent that
thew prefer to incur the risk Of the penalties Of their
criminal acts rather than accept the conditions imposed
upon them by society. Hence, knowing their danger,
there exists among them nducement to confederate,
and as formal organization where power is delegated
to look after general interest impossible each per-
son feels the responsibility resting upon him as an nd-
vidual and melted by this esprit du corps each with
sacrity warns his fellow of any danger he may be in
However unsuccessful the means Of preventing
crime may be when considered in the light of the
tent of its results there to doubt that good
has resulted in the different means thst have been
brought to bear in the suppression OF crime diff
Guilty which the police have had to encounter in the
past in the ready detection of crime and quick arrest of
the participant. IN it, has been the fact that know
ledge of the persons Of professional criminals has been
possessed by but few members Of the Department who
we're the aids of the Chief Of Police. The means Of
extending this knowledge was happily hit upon by
Officer Lefferts one Of the aids Of Deputy-Superin
endent Carpenter who suggested the establishment of
a gallery of ambrotype likenesses of the known crmi-
mails of this country to be open for inspection in the
Detective Office, and where the members of the
police can so famliarze themselves with the personal
appearance of offenders to be able to identify
them at sight, and the more closely watch their
operations. The idea acted upon, and already the
Ikenesses of over 125 well-known criminals are in
frame in the detective office. The good results of the
plan are already apparent In several instances men
who have been robbed by pickpockets, patentsaie
svipdlers or ganoers have identified the persons who
committed the crimes on them by means OF the like
nesses and in few days have had the satisfaction OF
confronting them in court.
On inspecting the gallery one astonshed at behold
ing the extreme youth of many OF the criminals whhe
the great majority are not over twenty years OF age
There are those however, who are matured IN years,
and some persons of old age who still live by
depredations upon society. But the expert
ness of the young Offenders is proverbial.
London and the large cities Of England have
furnished most of our professi' thieves, and
these for many years constituted nearly all the truly
expert men in their profession. But lattery, mere
children, who have been educated in the business or
whO Om want and neglect In infancy or corrupt asso-
ciation have been led into crime, have begun to ex-
hbt an aptness that is truly dscouragng to old prac
itioners; so much so that they find themselves COM
PEELED in selfdeense to operate either in smaller cities
or at large gatherings, meetings, fairs, &c. in the
country. Some Of these youthful offenders are not
more than eleven and twelve years of age and very
many are not yet sixteen. These aremosty pickpock-
cts and the adroitness with which they accomplish
their work. together with the bodness exhibited in the
attempt would be worthy of the highest praise, were not
their ingenuity prosttuted to criminal purpose. They
are not mfequently arrested, and, although few
have escaped at least term on Blackwells Island
they vet 80 well the tracks as to escape punish
ment in most instances of crimnality As to the per-
sonne Of these offenders there is but little to indicate
that they are not honest as men and boys one ord-
narily meets in the street. Most of them are well
dressed while some have their clothes arranged with
scrupulous exactness. The few who present really
vicious face can find those whose appearance Is
equally Indicative of criminality among persons
who are known to be honest. All temperaments,
and a great variety of characters, are exhibited
among the portraits, and some faces whom nobody
would think Of finding thus associated are among the
worst. well-knOwn panel thief, who was recently
arrested has left his portrait to confound the physog-
nOmst. So far from exhibiting any vile, he has an
honest, open and intelligent face, and loo ks more like
medical student, or young lawyer from the country,
than the low vagabond he is known to be- Indvidu-
alities of character exhibited in the manner in
which criminals pursue their profession Each person
operates in particular line, and generally in way
peculiar to himself Occasionally however i'll sue.
cess in specially may induce person to depart from
his usual method of procedure and in such cases they
generally exhibit an inapttude, as evidenced by their
detection and arrest. The operations OF criminals
often involve large amounts, and require the
coolest heads in planning and execution, and in
such each takes the position which the bent
of his prosuted genius a, exhibited in his pa; acts,
best adapts him TO fill. But, however ingenious aud
successful plans may be- the offenders often crcimvent
themselves. Like all professions where the result Is
uncertain if success attends the efforts Of the individual
he cannot bear the success with moderation but must
disclOse the facts TO his fellows in crime and indulge in