The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-02-01
w. Skies, Burglar.
His Views on "the Convict's Friends"
Prison wardens and Other Subjects.
New York world.l

NSSfSSs
no uniform, don't, an don't give myself
away with no thieves talk. talks like an
English gentleman, does I've been pretty
nigh thirty years in the perfeshun mot count
In time I've done, which amt much, cause
I've got perlitical friends 'mong the nobs, yer
know. don't go up for long, | doesn't, and
when does go up don't stay for as long rs
go for. never got down so low as | couldn't
employ coupsel-I alters had the best to be
had. Not as 1 cares much about Sing Sing or
Orbin, leastways the latter, where the compa-
ny is good an where you get what you pays for
every time. This amt no puff for the wardingi
he don't need none-he's got friends enough
among the conwicks He amt goin' to be hard
on conwick as long as he's got money. He
knows gent when he sees i'm.
Talk about Matilda Filbert bein' the con-
wck's friendl she amt nowhere side o. them
warnings. She does what she can for us-an'
many of us would have had to give up our no
BILE perfeshun but for her. But, Lor' bless
you, she amt got the resources to back her,
like warding in good and regular standin'.
He's got the whole State to back i'm up; then
he has his sel'ry, an bloomin' good trade
with cow icks, an tips from the contractors.
A good warding as knows how to keep open
hand and one eye shut, he's got soft place,
an he's the man as ought to be called the pris-
oner's friend. The contractors and conwick Is
frend-that's what i calls i'm!
Now there's Matilda Hilbert; you was arskin'
about 'er. Well Tildy-shes bloomin' lass,
an she is for fact the conwick's friend.
was one of them that the papers told ON the
other day as was goin' to crack that ere crib
in Chicago. We was put up to it by starwa-
ton, We was. 1t was starvation lover my left
shoulder. was staryin' fer dimin pin for q
girl I kuow'd on, an. / was hungery for some
O. the specie as were hid in that ere 'ouse. But
there wasn't no five or six of us. We doesn't
go round in fiveses or skies" wanishin' in Athe
darkness" We amt that fresh. Tildy'd ought
10 have consulted some perfeshional afore she
made such mistake as that. Now the fact Of
it is, when my friend tried that lock an some
body said. 'sWho's there?" we did go away.
We generally go away when anybody says
who's there?" Some times we goes away ii
weeven hear folks walking round We doesn,,tt
generally stop an say, "I'm burglar; won't
you please stop and shoot at MEL We didn't
know as 'tras Tidy Filbert-an we didn't care
whether twas her or some other female. We
Just got away. The next day / saw that Tidy
said 1t were her; and that was the first time
ever heard of 'er.
An / wasn't that Teller as went back mex
mornin'. We don't go back next mornin t
pologize--specally when we amt done moth
in the night afore. What cove it was as wen
back 1 don't know. He must have beer
precious green, whoever he was. But wo
in good standin' went back; an there's just
where 'tis-the perfeshun is all runnin' to seed
there's SO many imposters an amatoors; we'd
ought to have 'sociation, we had. 1t is them
impostors as goes foolin' round Tildy-an
she'll stan good deal of foolin round, she
will. Still Tidy does what she can, an there
amt burglar but knows where he can get
five dollar bill when he's broke. Many 9
stock of burglars tools has been taken out o
pledge with Miss Tildy's five dollarses
One time met Jim Bigger down in Chat
ham square, lookin' all down in the mouth, an
SEE TO him:
"Wotever is the matter with you, jim. )" Sc,
day. ~
"Broke," SEE jim
$50 be /" SEE i.
"Wot ever shall we do?" sez he.
We couldn't think of nothin', but to go an
drownd ourselves in the fowin' bowl. So WI
went to schooner shop to knock down
couple O glass o. beer. While we was a-waitin
for a chance to slip out quiet, Jim, he bein'
scholar like me-he ketches up newspape
kind of casual like, an begins a-readin'. Pref
ty soon he comes to harticle headed 9Th,
Criminals Friend"
"That's wot I'm lookin' for" SEE Jim
L.
Gle, an we finds out as how Tidy Filbext wal
givin' away five dolarses to the lads an sill
Observation-Disclosures, an seal rings, an suct
like tokens of lection. So us takes down the
address an we goes TO her, We told her We
was burglars, an would like to get started.
Have you been incarcerated?" SEE Tidy.
IF you means the penitentiary, plead
guilty." seq l. "I've been in consider Bile
| confess it to my shame, an 'ope GREATER
won't be SO blamed ork'ard.''
i Where were you?' asked Tidy.
sOrbin," SEE /.
1.-THE dungeon! the black dungeoni' sale
Tidy, rollin' up her eyes like play actress
1T ought to be RACED to the ground, one ston,
ought not to be left a top of another"
"Yes, num-" SEE |; you're right. CIV,
often heard them sentiments expressed inside
| yon be indeed the conwick's friend"
"You poor, poor mani" she said; "you are
victim to society. You amt understood. VIVA
| want to have the State do for every prisone
is to give him snug little home in the coun
try, garden and few acres of land, horse
and COW and the comforts OF life. Wot ]
would do to prevent crime is to give ev'ry con
wick a settled income, so that he might be
honest man for life. There are 10000 criminals
in New York State. Let the State appropriate
to State like this? Then you could all &c
and live good honest lives. The State forccl
you to be criminal, does it not, sir?"
''It do, indeed, num-" sez /.
Sit down, my poor man, SEE she; I'D die
for the III soners."
"Thank you, mum; but before you do i
wonld you please to give nae an Jim here fiv,
dollars each to buy tapes an buttins, ez W,
want to peddle 'em 'mong the first families up
town''-an' kind o. winked at Jim.
"Certnly, my poor, poor man. have givei
| away my all, but, can borrow something TO
| you." an she turned to a venerable old man a
| was in the room, an seZ could you lend m,
| hundred dollars to help these POOR men, VIII,
want to roturn to their places in society,"
"Cert'nly," he said; anything to help alonI
yonr noble work. an he gave her hundred
| dollar BILL
We wanted to go out and change it for tn
dear creature, but she called her secretary an
sent i'm out-a weak-minded lookin' fellow
that come back in a few moments and brough
the change.
She 'anded me $40, to divide between jim
and me, and thanked her and started to 90.
''Stay, my friend" said Tidy, "you mus
take turkey and frosted cake, and, you poo
dear man, l see you have no watch an chain
Oh, the cruelty of this Statep An she took
| watch an chain from drawer an holdin'
out, seq: Here, take this, my friend; 70,
| might be tempted to steal one."
took 1t. an as we passed out colored DO,
| give as turkey and plum cake with Gu
pid on top, an when We got into the stree
Jim SEE: Here's lark" An we didn't los
no time in gettin' us kit of tools and cracked
snug little job that very night. She'd ough
to be called 'the conwick's friend" she had!
An that day. after she'd given us the mon
ey, we put up party o. nine other lads to e
an get that other ninety dollars; they wasn'
all conwicks. 'cept by proxy, but some of EN-
is in trainin' an may come reg'la into the per
feshun. They was tempory conwicks, so t.
speak. Many's the man Tidy has 'elped to SCI
up in bizness. The perfeshun'd ought to TAXI
up collection for her, now she's broke, an
set her agoin' sgin'-turn about is fair play.
Wot do think of Miss Tidy Filbert's plar
to form colony o. ex-conwicks out west? Wo
do think? I think 'twould be hexalent idee
All the pals O. mine likes that sort o. thing
We goes out to Western Hostralia for fun
some on us doesl We like these FER conwick
colonies? No, friend, that's all taify, too. When
you see one O. the noble horder o. housebreak.
ers you won't be likely to find many green
spots in his eyes. We may make mis-
takes sometimes, but we amt SO luscious fresh
as to want to go west on that lay. An when
you find the territory as wants 200,0 600 acres o.
ex.conwicks--you come round an tell me. Ez