Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-04-19
London Fighting Gangs.

The fighting gangs have an organiza-
ton almost as complete as tLat of the
police. Each gang has its captain,
who, again, has his Junior officers. A
certain order is invariably preserved.
and the members of the band are under
certain responsibilities as to the spoils ;
for the gangs are by no means organic.
ed simply for the purpose of fighting
each other. That is a pleasant delu-
sion which helps to reconcile the Lon
don public to the fact of their existence.
The majority OF the members of the
organizations-youths whose ages range
from about sixteen to twenty-two-are
plainly and simply thieves. There are
bodies of young men who roam about
atnight simply for the sale of mischief,
and whose playful violence frequently
has unpleasant results but when the
regular gangs fight it is for mastery. 1t
not unfrequently happens that one set,
bent on the extension of its territory,
invades the district Of another. Then
there has to be some sort of rectifcation
of frontier, brought about by the usual
process. Recently there was such a
conflict between the Dove row gang and
the Bow commoners, in which the Dove
row gang came off victorious. Such
incidents as these, however, are more
episodes in the great epic of juvenile
crime. The objects of the gangs is rob-
berry, if necessary with violence.
"What doyou do at nights % 1 said re-
Gently, to youth who had been a men,
Der Of ono these bodies of juvenile
roughs. "What did they do q? Why,
they waited about, and if anybody re-
spectacle passed them they tripped
him up and robbed him." "D1d they
use violence sometimes ." HE should
think they did. They wore broad
leather belts with heavy buckles on
them. Sometimes they carried sticks,
but the belts were best. Oh, they took
lots Of things" "What would they do
if they took a watch?" why pawn it,
to be sure. They often met in the
to reckon up what they had
done the night before. Many a time
they robbed shop tills. One of them
hid himself behind the counter and the
others waited outside. No, their pa
rents didn't know much about it. Most
of them had no parents. Those who
had generally left home and went to
lodgings. They lodged together most
ly, two or three Of them in one place.
They didn't read much very few of
them could read p'raps one would read
to the others sometimes. Didn't know
that they had ever killed anybody, but
had many time knocked people down."
"Yes, he said. in reply to another
question, they fought other gangs now
and then to see who was strongest.
Some of them had been in pri. on lots of
times they didn t mind it much-they
got used to it. Had left them now,
and was trying to lead better life"
The fighting gangs are mainly COM
posed of lads who, if they have ever
done any work, have found the condi-
lions of Labor neither sufficiently pleas
ant nor sufficiently profitable. Utterly
onNrant and npfrainaJ thev saern tn
zee kind of heroism in their present
mode Of life. Their spirit is much the |
,ame as that which animated the buc-
,aneer and the brigand. Punishment |
merely hardens them, for the only |
hing which they regard as shameful is
he want of "pluck" and endurance.
It is not merely during the last year or
:wo that the gangs have come INTO
,xistence. On tho contrary. many of
hem have existed for years. They are
he regular feeders of the vast crlmi-
nal population of London. When q |
.hief has age or experience enough to
stand alone he leaves the gang and en-
parks In private ventures. Proba5l Y |
MS maturity comes upon him In gaol.
He is too old to go back to the gang |
again; the "Wild Boy" period has
passed over, and he deserts the New |
,ut or Bow common lane for the OBJ
,curer haunts of habitual crime.