The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-24
TALK WITH A TURNKEY.
Where the Criminals of the City Have
Their Haunts.
TIamps with EuphuniOus Aliases-An In-
cidcnt in the Police Court-Prisoners
Who Grew Desperate

dollars and some cents, from an old man named
Tim. O'Brien. Owens wasn't christeued Sticky
but Edward, and as to Sticky, II applied to
personal appearance he didn't look it, with
eral days growth of beard on his sallow face,
with his furtve eyes and his bristly, uncombed
shock of hair. He was charged
with having ON Thursday of last
week, taken O'Brien, who was drunk,
into yard on Court street and there relieve
him of the twenty-five dollars and odd cents,
aforesaid. The yard where Sticky had per-
! formed this sleGht-of-hand, was near Queen
Mab's place, and the Queen was sent for
Witness She came. The Queen rather
| portly, and she moved forward to the witness
| chair with the grace of a load of hay settling
| itself on the city scales. She was dressed in
black, carried black parasol, black satchel
and brought with her colored girl, Ida Wealth
ers, also a witness. The Queens voice was Earsh
| and husky, and she wore heavy gold bracelets, a
large gold ueck-chain and an immense cross blaz-
ing with diamonds. 81 saw this gentleman"
! said the queen, pointing to Sticky, "but he was
smoOth-faoed, his beard has grown out since, and
a colored man take the old man into the yard.
The old man was drunk, and they stood him up
behind the gate. The colored man said he was
| going after an express wagon. The old man
said, Take me out: Fll roast here.' As this gen
teman lSlickyl came out the gate saw him put
his hand in his pants pocket hut don't know
| If there was anything in it. did not see any
money"
The old man had testified that he carried his
money in his upper vest pocket, and that it
couldn't have got out without fingers to aid it.
The robbery took place at halfpast IL o'clock, and
Sticky was arrested at the county Jail, where he
was visiting some of the prisoners an hour and
a quarter later. He had just been discharged
from Jail the evening BEFORE and at that time
hadn't a cent in his pocket At the time of his
! arrest he had on pair of new boots, was pass
ing cigars and tobacco in to the boys, and had
twelve dollars and eleven cents in his pocket.
| Sticky was held for grand jury Investigation.
The reporter, leaving the city COURTROOM,
went over TO the station house. AL Taffe, the
day turnkey, was on watch. 81 came here"
SAID the turnkey. "Juue, 1871; that's over
twelve years. | was away four years; no, only
two, for was deputy city marshal two years,
and OF course, connected with the station house
Eve turned the key on thousands of peOple-all
| sorts. DO you remember Chuck, who killed his
wife with an ak, think In 1921 He tried to
| cut his throat atterward; it was cut from ear TO
ear, but not deep enough. l fed him ON milk
punch for more than week. Tnree-fourIhs of
it was lost, as it ran out through the wound. He
took morphine aud died in jail the day before he
was to have been banged; Murderers are for the
most part very quiet, wefl-hehaved people dur
Ing the time they stay with me- They nearly all
make the same plea, selt-defense, and no trouble
! to prove their innocence. Jeter the worst
frightened man l ever saw. The day after the
murder he claimed that he had no recollection
of having committed it, and trombled like leaf.
This place is only clearinghouse for the jail;
few prisoners stay here"
HAVEN FOR TRAMPs.
eve are not bothered with tramps much In
the summer hut in the winter we will lodge
from $50 to $50 month. The majority of them
are professionals, and mostly young men from
eighteen to thirty years old They steal, of
| course, but rarely anything above petty larceny.
They get real jolly when brought in out of the
cold, take out pipe and load up with cigar
stump and enjoy themselves. Some of them
have boys with them, Kids to bum their chuck
that is. to beg victuals for them. Those that
strike this town are usually from st. Louis, going
east, or Pitts6urg coming west "The Hut" as
they call TeIre Haute, is favorite stopping
place with them. Once i'll a while there is AN
honest laboring man out of work among them,
but the rule is that they professionals. Now
! and then, particularly in the winter, men will
come here and ask to be locked up. DruDks
sta9ger in and ask us TO take care of them Some
lime ago rather goOd-loOking man came here
and asked TO be locked up for the night.
He perfectly sober 1 told him I
couldn't do it. 'All right said he, and went
away. little while after he came back and
threw howlder through the window. Il guess
yOu'll take me now said he, and did. He was
blacksmith out of work"
LET me show you where the tramps register"
he continued. "This is the big room. There are
more in where the cells are. In the winter there
are more than now, as they get rubbed off" The
names were written on tire walls and ceiling,
some with chalk and keel, and some with lead
pencils. Here are come Of them: yellow
Frank" "Brocky George" Detroit Kid"
"Shilo Jim," "Boston Dummy, the boss Jew
tramp" "OhIo Ned" "Doh Lloyd" "New Al
bany Brock" "scotty," Dennis Condor, SYRIA
cuse;' Philadelphia Shorty" New York Kid"
Jerseys Florida Kid" BLACK Hawk" "Cncin-
maui Kid" The Notorious Monk" Hartford
monk sands" "Train Jumper" PONY Doe"
"Phladelpha jim" "Albert Squirt" "Chips
Kid" "sngo Billy" "Tony Blondy."
.'Some of these fellows" said the turnkey
''have been in over and over again. Like any
other business, We have our regular customers,
and know seven out Of ten who are brought
here because they have been here before. And
our heat customers are those who can't afford it.
DRINKS are brought here. Some fellows over
with families. who lot only lose time from their
work but have TO put up good money to pay
for their law-preaking. How their families live
| don't know.
PRECoCIoUs CRIMINALS.
"It's astonishing how early some offenders be-
gin. Kids thirteen and fourteen years old
brought here SO precociOus in crime that they
can give points to old men. Girls as young as
thirteen are frequently slated as prostitutes.
About year ago three girls ran away from here
to Frankfort, incorrlgibles they were called.
They were brought back TO be sent
to the Reformatory. None of them were
over twelve. they promised TO behave
and were not sent 1t wasn't month before
they were here again slated as prostitutes. The
Harter family, a family, take the cake
regular customers of the station; mother, sons
and daughters are thieves and prostitutes. Ira
has been over the road; John, the youngest boy,
Is now in the House of Refuge.
Now and then we get some nice fellows
dudes, | call EN- They have a time at night,
KICK store boxes, roll beer Kegs into the
gutter, and all that sort of thug. They register
under an assumed name, leave their money, call
il cholera mOrOus, and their mothers give them
sympathy and paregOric.
"SOmetimes the lowest women brought here
have as friends the hgh-toned young men of the
city. and when they write n note TO the boys,
they shin around and bail them out.
HAUNTs oP DIFFERENT CLASSES
"wnere are most of the thieves brought FRONT
-...,n..a.