The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-06-28
STEALING TO HAVE FUN.
Something About Those WHO Rob pnd
Lead IL Fast Life.

Evans, the youth whose eScapaQeS were
detailed in Sundays Ncws and Journal,
recalls the fact that Cincinnati is
throDged with young men who are lead.
ing exactly the same sort of life the
BOY i'll question INDUCED in so far as dis
sipation is concerned Tho others, like
Evans, are of excellent families, and
like Evans, the ones that are rapidly
racing to prison or suicides grave or
dread exposure by the press. They
know that anybody with common sense
realizes the fact that it is impossible for
g person TO live at the rate Of s40N or
$500 month on salary Of $50 or $25
week. Yet each Of these fas. young
men fondly imagines that he will not be
caught, or if caughat. will not be prose-
cuted, and If prosecuted not published.
The gambler is more philosophical
fellow than the amateur thief and EN-.
bezzler. When the professional gambler
lays down bet on card he considers
that that amount of money is gone even
before he gets action. If the turn be
against him, he feels that the bank has
won something that he, tho player, had
previously given to the dealer. If the
result of the turn be different, and the
player wins, he considers that he has
won the money he bade goodbye to and
also as much more as tbs bet represents
The high. toned thief and embezzler
should educate himself to realize that
the minute he steals anything he must
some day pay for that act with his rcpu-
tation and liberty. Nobody commits
one theft and quits stealing. He is
bound to repeat tho offense, and it is
only question of time when he must
be brought up with painful suddenness
Therefore, if the thief who robs his EN-.
ployer or benefactor or anybody else
would train his mind to expect detection
in the end, and school himself to be
prepared for it at any minute, at the
same time determining to stand the
brunt when it came, instead of pleading
for suppression of the facts in the case,
ne would save himself deal Of anxiety
The first thing one of these giltedged
thieves does when he is faced with his
crime is to whine for mercy at the hands
OF the newspapers on account of his
family. He suddenly becomes crammed
with an overwhelming respect for his
relatives. He pleads that an exposure
of his rascality will break his fathers
and mothers hearts. For that reason be
asks that there should be nothing saii'
the papers about his case. He diu.. t
think or care about his parents while he
was stealing. He didn't have sufficient
respect for their sensibilities before lie
robbed to induce him not to steal or
swindle. Then is the proper time for
the youngster to think of such things.
The fact that many young men are not
versed in human nature makes thieves of
thousands of them. They imagine that
sympathy is the predominating character
istic of mankind. Thinking this, they
believe they can steal with impunity
and tina. sympathy will shield them,
when detected. So, when they get
caught, they innocently demand sympa-
thy for thei: families sake.
"But why should there be any more
sympathy Tor one thief than for anoth.
err" asks the practical reporter, who
comes in contact with these seekers for
sympathy about fifteen times month.
Tbs thief, doubtless, studied out the ia
ture when he began to steal, and the
newspaper man has also been doiug q
little studying. But the two have looked
at the matter in different lights and have
arrived at different conclusions. The
thief built up an utopian theory that
was to keep him from being held up be-
fore the world in his true position when
discovered in his thefts. The thief's
main argument to himself was that an
exception would be made in his single
case out of the thousands of otherH
The practical newspaper man could have
told him that each of the others of the
thousands consoled himself exactly with
the same thought. To make the matter
worse, it is not the man who steals the
ioa. OF bread to keep his loved ones
from starving that makes the cowardly
plea that he shall be permitted to allow
his father to spend his last dollar to com.
promise felony in order to keep him
ont of prison and tho papers, but it is
invariably the rash fool who uses his
living. His wages Of crime have soae gone
for all.night hack rides in the company
of fast women, for wine, for fiue clothes,
for presents for the prostitute population,
for gambling debts, for extravaganza sup.
pers at midnight and for all of the other
things that money must be paid for on a
hurrah.
While he is whirling through his short
but rapid life the young idiot makes nu.
merous friends by his prodigality and
liberality. But they are not friends that
will do anything more for him when he
gets into the prison cell than to saw. II
thought it was only matter of time
when that chunp would land where he
is"
Another thing that the extravagant
young man on a low salary fails to realize
is the fact all of his movemements while
he is having his fun on stolen money are
noticed by the newspaper reporters, who
are not dead. Therefore it is rarely the
case that one of these trusted but un.
trustworthy young fellows is landed in
the station house that his history is not
at the immediate command of the press.
Consequently it is not surprising that
the capers of brilliant dandy, who runs
against rock in the shape Of an arrest,
are described with mortifying elaborate.
ness In the columns of tho enterprising
newspapers. Reporters don't grope
around the street with cork in each ear
and an ulster coat over their eyes. At
least some do not. Hundreds and thou.
sands of Rsthetic thieves have been en-.
tered in note books long before their
detention and apprehension, to be writ |
ten up when the cell door closed on them,
and thousands more will be ticketed as
those who have gone before them. They |
are ripening all the time. There always
will be temptations for young men to |
spend money for high old time, and |
and there always will be those who will |
fsll into the traps set for them. Some |
people never will learn anything. |
Those who have not been through the |
mill don't learn that the very men who |
help the dishonest clerk to enjoy his |
money will laugh at him when he ia
found out that the lewd women who.
while inmates of houses of ill.fame,