The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-11-16
RIVER PIRATES.
underground Labyrinths for
Thieves and Robbers.
.usRF-BATs IN NEW YORK
ttbe Horrible Features OF Life
u" IN the Metropolis = An Old
PoIicema' q Expert
enoe.

- utterly irreclaimable criminals
'O' =, the law-breakers of New YORK.
hr'O ;a3eed any large city, than those
Oh ,.r,lv known as "wharf-rats" and
VAIN ,';rates." The distinction sug- |
Il.o nv the employment of two names
g. their class is merely nominal; for
~ the "rat" is supposed to be
.,Iv 3 thief. and the pirate" wretch |
ha Ill kill to rob, the fact is that the
~, ,,ov always be expected, if muir
o0an,s TO serve his ends, to perpe-
80 :, witbout the slightest hesitation
..oompunction of conscience. General
80 rats" are young, hOugh among
.bs bordes of them there are many gray
Odd rascals who have never happen
- - win the distinction of becoming
nurderers.
Tbo wbarf-rat rarely, If ever, is pro-
1ucod from any other class than those
tbsf haunt the vicinity OF the rivers.
S'land thieves, either because they
pT{ -, JdaTteritv in managing boats, skill
!aOn a,TT;n,ming and all the cunning In
ltsn--crajt. or because their criminal
stion confine them to other netarl-
go Industries. seldom become wharf
". THE ranks of the Whart-raSS are
Ianstsnflv filed from among the nude
-o,,nosteTs who, III the sultry summer
ostI5ar may be seen on the ends OF the
go and about them in the water,
th-;iIv Yelling: Hi, Patsyl Cheese 1t!
The cons a-cominl" The policeman Is
heir bete noir. They fear and hate him
Nv Instinct. Diving under the water
and hiding under the piers TO escape
him they learn the existence OF an In.
finite number of mysterious PA es o. OF
eorrealment, of which Weople VINO "dlA
en- dry ground above are quiVe e 'l''5'..,'
4he ac0usintance of older and more
n-aeficed rascals. who enlist them In
their predatory enterprises.
TkAra are waterways ana sewers
nTactIcabIe for boats, that penetrate
Tery far under the city, the run eAteht
and Qualifications of which are known
A none hut the river pirates Who IN est
them The harbor police have gener-
Al idea of some of these places, or, at
least know where their entrances are,
but do not venture to explore them. II
wotlId. indeed. be almost certain ueA'h
for them to do SO, for the plrates are
numerous, desperate and always ."
their guard against SURPRISES
a vetersn policeman upon being asked
,-bst ne knew about these retreats, SAID
in renly: az suppose know as much as
1Dvbodv except the pirates who haunt
them. but my knowledge is not much
I've been a good many years on Inc mar
nor Souad and have learned that INT
surest as well as the safest gay 10 ge
oDe of those scOundrels when he i
vsnted Is to lay for him TO come on
and grab him on the street, nstead D
visiting his hauRts unlimited. neVe
tried TO hunt a pirate IN ms falT Du
0nce. That was ia '07, ana tho0gh 1 II
"a uilIing TO stand Rp to the rack oil duty
&c most other men. I'm free te say /
will be at least SiXty-seven years oeIoF'
I volunteer for such a job again NO
far from the foot OF Thirteenth street
IN the. North river, an opening under ;
Bier-that nine people cut OF ten WoulC
mass nv unnoticed-gives access 20
nerfect laby rinth of 4 5terranean " ter
ravs and sewers, a branch OF which
am assured is large enough for boats Il
a distance of q mile and half from TIT
entrance. at least two thieves oen'
above ground communicate dlreeti.
With il. The keepers of both OF then
Rre known to be fence" but 1t IS alinoS
imnosSible to catch them deae
riohss'' because of the facilities theI
spiov for shifting swag by means o
boats in the continual midnight OF tina
underground labyrinth.
az tell Won those scoundrels have dow
Ahere a sort of caves, some OF them con
1eeting With above ground, where the.
drink. gamble, and divide their plumber
and quarrel and kill each other wlthOn
any but themselves knowing 2nythlIs
about il. It's blessed thing that tn
dampness and the sewer gases give then
TbeumatiSn and other ailments {
shorten their lives, and sometimes drive
them up to the streets, where we CAR sc
hold of them.
"Thene is hardly an imaginable deprt
aation upon property or a danger
human LIE In the vicinity OF the WaGe
fros,ts or on board vessels lying In In
East or North riTers-a danger froE
HprsoDaI violence for nefaTiOuS ends
nesn-that these river pirates are nc
ready to inf7ict and have not indee
heen guilty of innumerabie time:
MANY of the eorpses dragged from tn
wateT-and there's at least one 'hoatel
day the veSr rOund--have been don
IN death nv these Wretches for the SAX
of q petty robbery >Watchmen o
docks and vessels are often sand-ci1bbec
shot and stabbed by them, either [
clear the way for plumber or to ef1eC
escape when caught in the perpetratlo
of their nefariOus business.
Deck-loads on vessels tied up 1t IN
New York and Brooklyn wharves, O
valuable PROPERTY on the WharVeS. or
vessels floating in mid-stream, are VIVA
the river pirates go for most. The
steal alongside. in their swift. loWlylnt
black or slate-colored boats. that seldoI
are seen out OF the deepest shadow
along the margins of the streams, an
are propelled by muffled oars. The
field of plumber has been selected in th
dav time. the modes of approach carr
fully marked, the numbers and habit
of anv guardians likely to be encounte
I'd have been learned. Thepirates, VT
are well afmed always, and bold rascal
mount to he vessels deck or the VIVA
with the agility of cats, work with, tr
noiselessness of shadows and almo
magical CELEBRITY, and if discovered figf
Ike the desperadoeS that they are. NJ
only TO effect their escape, but TO carr
off their booty as well. If one Is sh'
his communication two or three
them generally work together-get IN
into their boat, and together he an
ha 81