The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-04-20
Crime In New York.

INSPECTOR ByrneS, head OF the New
York detective force, said to reporter
81 don't think we have here what
would be called 3 very bad city as COM
pared with the big cities of Europe, he
said; "our professionals are doing their
work in the other cities, having found
it dangerous to engage in it here. They
go to London and the other English
cities and come back here with lots OF
swag. They are very seldom caught,
despite the wonderful reputation of the
men OF Bow street and Scotland Yard.
New York has none of these sections
| through which strangers may not pass
with safety which we are told ere to be
found in the big cities over the sea. it
has not even those resplendent and bold
haunts OF vicious pleasure that we hear
OF there. We have nearly 1000, 900
people here in the daytime every day
except Sunday, and 100000 every
night; the criminals and scum of Eu-
rope are dropped in our streets, and yet
the plumber of arrests has fallen to ], 200
a week from 1000 not long ago. The
desperadoes of the city to-day are the
N2Gloins (referring to lad who has
been sentenced to be hanged for the
murder of a French saloon keeper few
months ago); they are only loafers and
petty thieves one day, and yet become
felons OF the most terrible record the
next. We can do nothing to prevent
their crimes, and we often have no basis
to work on in pursuing them afterward.
"These young fellows" he continued,
ARE the sons of respectable parents
who are poor and have to bring their
children up in swarming tenements.
The boys go to school, read dime novels
and Hash papers, and learn to hang
around barrooms and visit variety
shows. Presently they are beyond the
control of their parents, and being un-
able to get from home the money
necessary to support their vices, they
steal. McGloin and his companions
had wagon which they used to drive
over to Brooklyn and Jersey, load up
with barrels of flour, whisky, sugar,
hams or anything they could steal from
the sidewalk and sell here in New York.
They went into the Frenchman's saloon
to work game of few years. standing
here, called the fainting act.' The
plan is for one of the crowd to hand
the proprietor big bill to change, if
possible, necessitating his bringing out
his bills from his pocket. His doing so
is the signal for one to faint and fall on
the floor. The proprietor alarmed,
naturally lays down his bills, and
attempts to do something for the
afflicted man. Then one grabs his
money, and all run. In this case the
Frenchman paid no attention to the
faintlng man, and the others were
bluffed. Mad at him for his sagacity,
all came to his place late at night,
broke in the door and stole his
cigars. The Frenchman heard
them, and came downstairs. The
door was-open, and all could have es-
capped, but McGloin waited, cooked his
pistol and when the mans form ap.
peared on the last flight of stairs fred |
and killed him. He left nothing to |
work on but the bullet in his victims |
bod y. was four weeks getting him,
and when l did so, marked him by a
necktie l had bought for him and had
put on his neck. 1 could tell how that
was, but l won't. When he was arrested
md asked how be came to kill q man
who had done him no harm, his reply
vas: "A fellow is not considered a tonpb
until he has downed his man.
"The truth is," said Captain Will
liams, in whose precinct this and one or
'wo other murders have been committed
'ecently, "the truth is that these for.
signers determine to bring their chill
iren up like gentlemen. They send
hem to school until they get too old
md too wild to be manageable, and
hen the boys steal the copper bottoms
'ut Of their mothers wash boilers, the
'ings and brooches their sisters and
mothers wear, and finally make stealing
'ay their way in pool rooms, gin mills
nd vicious resorts, getting arrested and
'riuging their parents to plead for them
= hrst, but finally going headlong into
he extravaganza of crime"