, 1870-05-08
THIEVES LITERATURE If EGG
LAND.


the same formidable age, and Si1teen-S,rin
, JACK, whose years we're fewer by three than th
garterstrlnes Of lis great predecessor Th
depredatiops Of tbs confederacv we're not Of
serious character. Sometimes Wild uoul
sneak away With pair of boots; Turpin some
hmea would tavlah q piece Of beef from
butchers open stall but exploits more darin
; than these were not charged against them
! at the Police Court where they were arraigne
| to answer for their crimes that they had don
their best to attain to an heroic ideal, and, con
sc1ous OF that merit, were enraged when tn
Magistrate ahowed = disposition to treat then
Ike nero plfezr1s. He would have sentencet
spuIned the degrading mercy, shouting, "Gis
uB three years! We wants three years! View
night to three Sea1si"
Few who read that little ptosy in the newe
papers five or aix years since -conld have pm
| II aside without some reflection upon th
thlngg which it might signify. What it zug
!! titlon Of the criminal Aeroics which iuaamet
the prentice youth Of thirty years ago, wher
Mr. Ainsworths Jack Sheppard i" was frs
published and played; next, that lis romance
was not at all likely to have produced, after &C
long an intcTval, another brood Of gallows-birds;
and yet, since TINT band Of foolish boys were
obviously inspired By tie names which greatly
Illustrate tho iferature Of crime, that there
! must have been some revival of letters in tho
eluns Of London. That this WAS really the
case We bare since had abundant reason to
know. Oyer and over again boys Of various
grades in life, from the lowest to that which is
"quits respectable" have been arrested for
committing crimes the provocatiom to which
| has been found in their pockets in tho HLapo
Of soMe spicy bit Of gallows literature. Only
| the other day lad OF decent parentage and
breaking under the inspiration Of work
called The Art Of burglary" and when q
du1lard of 20 was lately hanged for killing
child that nerer offended him, the murderer
said he had been wrought up to that decd by
the recollection OF certain picture Of assas-
eination in the Illustrated Police Netps The
illustrated Police Nesrs is ahideons production,
but very little inquiry shows that there are
many publications infinitely more pe.nicions.
The sensational noVclists who have arisen in
our day to move the heart With murder, to in
fame it with a1son, to tickle it with intrigue.
are not quite the luxuries which AIr. Mudie
probably supposes them to be- The tastes
they cultivate are not confined to the cdu-,
cated and tho zich; they flower in the garret Of
tho sea MISTRESS, and are Shared by the grocer's
as the demand is, so is the supply. Miss Brad
don is mistaken, Ouida ia in error, II she sup
poses that those dear, delightful, naughty he
Ioinee with glorious hair, tho heroes who
Charm .ss with the downright honest proper
tons Of . leg, arc hers alone, md that nobody
che knows bow to combine them in protty pro-
yokipg complications Of intrigue. Both these ,
Indies have many rivals in lower rank Of lie
who arc us daring, as clever in their way, and,
what is more, who seem to be as popular rs .
tn9mseNea.
nus II y not nus department OF popular 1T
eratu!e "Men concerns ns At present, though,
according to our views of Life, II is an infinitely
more important one than that which Is COIL
posed of ''nove1s now ready at ali the libra
ries-" They are read BY people who are in ,
some aeetee informed, and are very much url-
s1 ger the restraints OF soe'a order; besides,
against the loose and dissipating trash which
6o"s from the most successful novelsts Of the
uay, whereas those other compositions are
read by tens Of thousands OF agnnrant men
an9 women Hhofn no cfat!c conuescends to put
night. But even these stories are less pe1ni-
5ofnanccs Written ior and exclusively read BY
Dqys anu 6lfls o. the lover classes.
Inc nuee OF sheae pnb4catlons are OF them-
se1Ses 60 elenineant mt It may be AZ as we'll
TO get Gown lew ot them. Among filthy
heap OF penny numbers now before Us, We
Gland9 nufal, me Dashng HlghEayman-
Mud MIL or the Pirates OF the Thames.
tose mortimer, or the Ballet Girls Revenge;
9elhg tue account of prtuous Heroine in
4 aomnie LIE, the As5tery Of her Birth, her
Struggles for Bread, her Fi1mness in Tempta- |
h9n, &c
lI.s Med LIZZIE MaIp1, or me Daughtefs OF Night
me WI MIG boys OF London.
1ne VIA Boys oI farls, or tie alysterles OF l
lng .9. ta11ts OF Deatn.
1ne VOTE u11s OF LONDON
1he D4sh,ng Urls 81 London =
1rana aacA 1souo s 10e ne rl1ate hlne, or the Dark
"Gmah Ga1o ~ o. mo'-t me DeeP.
1D. T1aeh ~ reg, OF !ne hmSnt q the Hoad-
pns ny ny DeLec4se, ~ or tne tnmes OF LONDON
nv 11su m, mou, ne tnAtG.
p,at ane oance VI Oestn, OF tue danemana
c!n. m.~a.nar7t n,,
1Io Pos Einr @ ~ TIM sm,,o,a,s
The shsdoMisss s @ ~ pids, s ~ H. Is, =, tb
iross i;o;,., Of Flood or lie Mystery Of shs Kings
fhe ii True History of John Eetch
Mooniiobt InnI NJ ~ tba % E;nrs s ~ A., p,,a.
ba S1;nsns1 1i;at~,,n " ne LILY {.o1s y. anS no' G'
NON lax Ke.ch of T.onJnn' 1aiI' ANIL "a'e7 WI"
A cstslocue to which We might add manr
more, and fbey sre sod soid by tens Of thousands. @ %
n apPea4Insnee Pr 4nas tnese pnnnca,ons a1e al
saci, nnnoher cons;sts Of aieht 1arrc nctayo
,sre, The f;r.t MOO ~ eSev nrmAe, i,e;nn
,as5a,d W;th n wop5 pe enerarinc ijInstrat;ra r.
he nerfor7nance Of some crime. Or tha indnl-
.ance ~ snne T;ce.
, II ia difgicn1t in nerpn,nar IN sbo., rrbst
hese produc6ons ara realfr iike. beeansc there
,re CERTAIN limits Of decency heyond Which 70
,anafirent nn+noaas nj Tbar tEa o.-;1 :. - ]
Ill, Gssal;t, ~ a. NV nu' % Wnen tne cyl Is OF
G,u .;rno ,Iant, 49, O. ~ DO s.ase ~
,Itnro ;s caS;as ~, en th,nS;,1,I' SmI ~ ~ at muen @
.1;sr ~ 1,-aa t.i,7c1, s,isfrtos ruo its ahn
nshia sbeats Ir tbonasnIs oror1 10 wooi % ~
e mG sy y " e9nos;ns. i VIC ate noe over
81 ~ 1sta L. nv, X e. t;rs+ s,,o. 4h.t ,,,
a hxnd No Il Of tho via Rovs ~ 1T Tan1nn1 1vu
r,tha- Ssrn-;t. +. ~ a.. 4n15 e:itt no ,.,,