The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-01-07
THE ROGUES' GALLERY.
NE Eurdrers, Confidence Men, COunterieitsrs,
Burglars and Pickp0ckets Of New York.
PEN and Ink Portraits of Promi-
: nent Criminals.
Characteristics Of the Gallery How the Por.
traits are Obtained Operandi OF
Rogue Catching Crime rs Profess
sleH- Efncscy II Judge RusseIi,s
Long Terms Of imprisonment,
&C., &C., sc.

-
Sc, &C., sc.
One Of the few improvements in the police sys-
tem Of New York, made under the auspices Of the
Metropolitan Police Commissioners, is the estab-
krhment Of the Rogues' Gallery, consisting of col
lection of portraits Of prominent and professional
criminals, numbered and registered, together with
accurate data be gathered to their lives
habits, associations and haunts, to be referred to as
occasion requires.
But, Of what use is all ths?" is the natural in
suy Of the reader; and in Difference to that Ameri
and unitarian view Of the subject that question
had, perhaps, best be answered at the outset. The
use is simply this: If house or store is robbed or
apocket picked, the owner may possibly recognise
IN the gallery the physiognomy Of some individual
Who has been lurking about the place. in which
ease the police can probably find him in short
time. Indeed such desirable result has been ef
eeted in . humber Of instances. The record is al
ways available TO the department, and does not
depend, as heretofore, the memory of the officer;
1Or it is made the duty of members of the force
10 impart such information as they can for preser
walton, SO that the record Of suspicious persons and
Places as well as the minute history Of professional
yogues, may lie preserved for reference. descrip-
ton Of thief, then-if he be professionals
pretty certain to be recognized by the police !;
and If man has his pocket picked, it is
not at all improbable that he will find in
TIE Rogues gallery the likeness OF the amiable
gentleman or interesting lady who sat next him
IN = stage or car, who jostled against him in the
street, asked the time of day or night, solicited
aims, or resorted to any Of those lodges so ia
niliar to pickpockets, aud generally attracting
TIE attention of the victim after the harm is done.
Nor is the effect of the Rogues' gallery unsaluta-
~ upon the rogues themselves. They are not in
sensible to the damage done to their profession by
NE exhibition of their portraits, and not few
have been induced to REFORM 1t least to pretend
70 do so, by this easy means Of making the public
hniliar with their visages Some have been led
70 pursue their nefsrious vocation with greater
caution, and others TO seek other and less DANCE.
ysus fields Of speculation.
II the gallery served no other purpose than as a
study of the natures of those who populate our
prisons and penitentiaries, who openly pursue ille
gal avocations in defiance Of all law, depending on
tAsir own shrewi ness and daring for escape, its
RE would be by no means contemplate. The con-
temptation Of these hardened faces cannot but az
ford food for the reflections of the philosopher and
philanthropist; nor can the mere idle gazer visit
Ne gallery without reading in the furrowed faces
81 crime lessons Of nestimable value.
eeme wonder may be expressed that the rogues
should submit to have their faces daguerreotyped,
but when the process Is learned astonshment will
cease. The plan is quIue simple. me cuiprit u
asked to Sit if he refuses, he is threatened with
walk up and down Broadway, with . placard show
4; n udod N hia In m
eases the threat is sufficient and in others 1t is put
D execution, and succeeds. II . long term Of i'm
prson,nent is before the culprit and he proves OBJ
dnratc he is registered for trial when he shall be
set at liberty, that he will have motive for re-
firing from the public gaze.
The visiter il struck with the apparently re-
spectacle appearance of many of the subjects, and
sften with the resemblance to noted individuals in
honest life. There are all forms of expression,
kom gay and jovial TO brutal and ferocious, and
unless the beholder is assured, In great many
cases of the character Of the subject, it would be
next to impossible 10 Judge adversely from mere
glance at the features. The most subtle physiog-
nonist might well be puzzled to indicate the vii.
hnous expressions in three quarters Of the coun-
tenances, while in many cases it seems incon.
sietent with reason to believe that the honest,
open, manly, intelligent face before you is
that of a sneak thief, desperate bur-
glar, pickpocket, or confidence man.
But there are demons in human form there repre-
sented-black, forbidding, desperate, ferocious,
villanous, hangdog treacherous looking scoun-
drels, whom You would dread to have behind you,
or within respectable distance Of your person
men with all sorts Of facial deformties, who look as
they had had terrific scufles with bears, rhinoce
roses, tigers aud panthers, and had come OF victo-
yiors, with large proportion of the attributes Of
those gentle animals.
Yet, amid the whole, there are resemblances to
prominent men to keep You mindful that they are
human. Like all other classes of society, they
have their grades Of renown and obscurity, of
wealth and poverty, Of ability and stupidity, and
Of pride. An expert bank robber scorns the socie-
~ of small pickpocket, aud confidence man
hooks with extreme disgust on the brute IA
sulies Of the burglar. They have their
weaknesses and follies, and their illustra-
tons of the genius of diaereut nations. The
English monopolizc the skilful burglaries, the
Americans the confidence men, the Irish the daring
deed recurring reckless bravery, the Jews the va
nation of goods, the French the ingenuity OF ma
chinery--and so on to the end Of the chapter.
The genus of the fair sex is not unrepresented,
and the female form divine appears in the charac-
terra Of nodesty, of holiness, Of beauty, Of Mrs.
CardlesLness, Of cunning, and of vanity just as Is
seen in honest life. The guady ribbon. the dashng
dress, the Aasby jewelry, or the voluptuous swell
denote the ruling passion
All the mainsprirgs of human action appear to
be represented, not excepting charity, which the
Scriptures say is greater than faith and hope
More than one Of these professional robbers is
noted for his generosity to the needy-with other
peoples money, to be sure-but more 80 than the
Wall street fnancier, whose bogus bank rags have
impoverished thousands. They have their repre-
sertatives in the Legislature, their code Of "honol
among thieves their bravery and courage, thcil
intellect, and count their devotees from oil ages