Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1881-10-06
HOODbUMS.

LIT hISdutiS vi tisN eON,
rowdyism, is pretty generally
understood, but in the past few
years newer and much more
expressive word has been in
troduced from the Pacific coast,
hoodlum. The hoodlum COM
bines all the bad qualities that
belong to the rowdy and in ad-
dition to them adds all Of those
belonging to the loafer. There
is frequent cases where work.
ing men act the part of the
rowdy, but your genuine hood
lum. is above work, he
would consider it a disgrace
to have any legitimate or hon.
est employment. His highest
ambition is to obtain possession
of a six-shooter and he trusts to
his shape and his wits for the
balance; if he can catch an in
nocent youth or man from the
country he will ring in on him,
act the part of his confident
friend, treat him to a drink out
of a private flask which he car
ries in his pocket, carefully pre-
pared and favored for the pur-
pose. The countryman is then
steered into some dcadfall
where he is perhaps induced to
bet on some put up game and
has about as much chance of
winning as healthy and sane
duck has of committing suicide
by drowning. II the game does
not do its work the pocket flask
never fails; the victim finds
himself asleep on the street
without any money and is ar
rested for being drunk and
down. The hoodlum makes
his living by robbing such as
those described above, or he may
sometimes become a little bold
er and resort to highway rob-
berry, or mask himself and rob
innocent and unsuspecting
farmers by calling on them at
night. The hoodlum is cow
ard at heart and seldom attacks
any one on a fair and equal
footing, his object is always to
get the drop. Nearly every
community has its hoodlums;
they are to be seen on the
streets by day and at night can /
be found at the deadialls or
about the different houses Of
prostitution, where with Six
shooter in hand they act the
part Of the clustering bully. and
not only assist in robbing such
countrymen and railroaders as
may happen to visit those
places, but to put the women
up to robbery and afterwards
themselves rob the women.
The hoodlum is a terror to all
peaceable citizens; his ways are
both evil and dark. he is not at
all likely to confront any one,
but would have no hesitation to
shoot at him from around a cor
ner or behind a fence. An
almost universal complaint
comes from all parts Of the
state of the increased lawless-
ness on the part of characters l
like those of whom a pen-pic-
ture is presented. Horse steal
ing is increasing at a rate that
make the owning of a horse
absolutely dangerous. Within
a radius of ten miles of Bren-
ham since last Saturday night
there has been perhaps half
dozen horses stolen. The |
horses did not steal themselves,
neither were they stolen by |
green hands at the business; a
stolen horse must be carried |
from thirty to fifty OF one hun |
dred miles before it can be dis |
posee ofwith any degree of |
safety to the thief. 1.-THE BAN |
NER is not very much mistaken |
horse-stealing, hoodlumism, |
highway robbery and masked |
visitors to farm houses at night |
are all very intimately connect
ed. A little good detective
service in the neighborhoods |
where horse stealing and rob- |
berry are common would, no
doubt, result in the arrest of |
parties whom perhaps a portion |
of the community would never |
have suspected. 1t behoves
the officers of every neighbour
hood where hoodllmism,
rowdyism, robbery and pistol
shooting is carried on to bestir
themselves and arrest the Of
tenders no matter who they may
prove to be, nor what their
kamily connections are.
YesfaH Civilian refer
It that upwards of
cen contributed
s. Rthe benefit of