The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-01-12
New York's River Thieves.

New lOrk mas large NUMBER OF pro-
fessional thieves, many of whom ap.
parently lead an honest life and are not
known as dishonest members of society
except to small circle of friends.
Chief among the class referred to, says
a metropolitan paper, are river thieves
or pirates, all of whom at some period
OF their lives learned the art of hand
ling an oar either as an accomplishment
or in the line of duty. If one of these
should be found basking in the sun
light and mentally mapping out his
duties for the night, he could easily
plead that he was an honest man out of
employment. Groups of these fellows
can be seen lounging around the Erie
basin in the daytime, playing cards or
gazing at the vessels at anchor. AS a
rule these men are rough-looking fell
lows, although many cppear honest
enough. Some of them live in tene-
ment houses in New York or Brooklyn,
and have good regulations not only
among their neighbors bat also in their
own families. Many are young men,
the sons of honest parents with whom
they live. Each one knows how to dis
pose of the articles which find their way
into his possession. There are a num-
Der OF persons who make money by buy
ing stolen goods from river pirates.
The junkmen, at best, are regarded
with suspicion. Some Of them, beside
purchasing junk from the masters of
vessels, will steal whatever they can
lay their hands on. If boy or an ap.
prentice should be found alone on q
vessel the junkman will offer him a
trifing sum for some of the gear or
stores, Watchmen on vessels at anchor
in the stream are sometimes in collu-
sion with the junkmen, by whom they
are we'll paid. According to the genu-
inc boatmen, such as those at the Bat
terry, the junk business, although it is
licensed by the authorities, is dishonest,
and the men who follow it should be
classed as pirates.
On dark nights the watchmen of the
vessels at anchor in the bay are told to
keep sharp lookout. Every approach
ing small boat is viewed with suspicion.
If the latter should be hailed and should
fail to answer, but row hastily away,
the watchman can feel himself free to
fire at the retreating boat without being
called to account for his conduct.
There are usually two or three pistols
in the cabin of vessel, and crew,
when warned, is able to repel boatload
of river pirates, or at least to attract
the attention of the vessels in the
neighborhood Consequently the
pirates have to proceed with great
caution. They usually select q dark
night for making an attack on vessel
at anchor. If it is summer they gen.
orally pass themselves as honest work
men enjoying quiet row, but if it Is
winter they g on tLoif dishonest mis-
sion with the expectation of meeting
with danger. If the captain of
schooner anchored in the bay is known
to have money in his possession the
pirates are apt to select that vessel.
When trade is brisk and quantities
Of rum, molasses or other liquids are
left on the piers, the river pirates row
in under the docks and bore holes
through the planks in the flooring and
into the hogsheads above. The liquid
pours through the holes and is caught
by the men in the boat below. One
night in the spring of 1880 boat con-
tanning four river pirates approached a
feet of coastinR schooners anchored in
Flushing bay. But the alarm was given
in time and the crews were prepared to
defend themselves. One of the pirates
in endeavoring to escape fell overheard
and was drowned. Several of the crews
in the neighborhood were aroused and
the three remaining pirates were caught
and were arraigned before the authori-
ties next morning. In day or two the
trio were "railroaded to Sing Sing"
This proved wholesome lesson, and
for some time afterward no attack was
made on vessel at anchor. There
have been a number of cases of collu-
sion between dishonest dock watchmen
and river pirates. The former wait
until the coast is clear and then give
their confederates the signal to ap-
proach and begin operations, while they
mount guard and stand in readiness to
give them warning of tie approach of
any one. But for tho watchmen on the
vessels the river pirates would come on
board and cut all the ropes below the
Delaying pins and carry them off.