The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-03-19
his labors on the following Monday

either, he said. . 'FH go in just as a
common hand. III stay a week, two
weeks, or whatever time it takes to
learn the whole racket, and you won't
hear squeal out of me,-not kick;
no, sir" he concluded. in alarge, mag
nanlmous sort of way.
| said nothing to discourage this
sanguine. estimate Of the obstacles in
his new career. 1t so happened that
I was detained for considerable time
at the port where we had landed. and
Eso saw much more Of nv brown
Estone friend than was to have been
Expected. l3met him on the Monday
when he was to have gone to work
He was not working. but strolling
about in most leisurely wav.
They gave me the cold bluff" he
said.
sHow was that?
as.T went to the best Of the places L
told you of. and applied for job
They said they didn't want me. Then
I tried plaverin'; told 'em what was
up. how | only wanted to learn the
business, ,sand was willing to work for
/ nothing They said / was too fresh.
and wanted to know if | took 'em for
flats and thought they was goin' to
give away the secrets Of the trade,
like that. So they fired me out. as
you might say"
Still he was not greatly depressed
at this rebuff
''There's two more places" he said
4 I'll tackle one tomorrow, and the
other the dav after. They amt so
big as the first one, but they'll do
well enough. All I want is just to
learn the business. see?"
The next day he did not go to eth
er. being occupied in changing his ho-
tel; choosing cheaper one, to save
his money, as he explained, an object
which seemed highly commendable.
This took a couple of days, instead of
one. Then there was national holi-
day. and then he was occupied with
his tailor.a He appeared to feel under
some sort of obligation at first to re-
port progress every day. but this was
soon abandoned. | heard no more of
his attempts to procure employment
at the places indicated. further than
vague denunciations Of their proprie-
tors, and statements that the business
was overdone, and wasn't what it
was cracked up to be, any way." I
could not judge whether he had tried
and failed. or arrived at these conclu-
sions on independent grounds.
Once, sitting in the reading-room
of the hotel, we saw group of rough
hobbledehoys teasing an old man. a
| foreign vender of small wares, in the
street.
THAT was me; that's it,-that was
my stylel l used to be holy terror
myself" cried the brown-stone boy.
slapping his thigh with animation and
delight at the spectacle. The circum-
stance was the starting point Of a new
train Of "reminiscences, which, in time,
comprised the history of most of the
adventures of his life.
II used to belong to the old West
Blank Street and Tenth Avenue gang.
You never belonged to that gang, did
you?' he asked.
As well as I could recollect | had
! never belonged to that gang.
You've heard tell of it, thought
Yes, | have heard tell Of it. ~
| had heard tell Of groups of young
reprobates, who infested certain
streets, made life burden to the res
idents therein, and were the sworn en-
emies Of the police. A graduate of
one of them, as the age of nineteen.
was lying ins.the Tombs under sen
tence Of death for murder, perpetrat-
ed in connection with a heinous rob-
berry. He had proclaimed himself
with pride "a tough" for this exploit,
and seemed to look upon it as sort
of method of winning his spurs. They
waylaid children, notably the well
dressed, sent with money to pay bills
and the like, dragged them into lum-
ber-yards and plundered them. But |
had not thought that these were in
any degree recruited from the sons of
respectable and even wealthy families.
[ stated this belief to him.
"Oh, family don't count for moth
ing with them gangs" he responded,
in cavalier way. ''What they want
is the feller that can get up the live
liest racket; it amt blue blood"
''And there were many like you,
then?"
It promised to be interesting to
hear Of the doings and aspirations of
such lawless band from the inside
point of view.
: .sWell, Patsy Bogan's father was
blacksmith, Jimmy Gunnison's drove
truck, and Big Ed Whites old man
kept saloon. Big Ed has fought
prize-fght since. Billy Bottoms folks,
though, was high-toned, the same as
mine,-may be more so. Jever hear
of Billy's racket that got him nipped?"
mo, | don't recollect hearing of
His father was a church Deacon
bang-up respectable. They lived on
Thirty-Eighth Street, in one Of the
swellest houses there was. They got |
Billy kind Of confidential place in a
brokers' Office down town, after a
while. cause he wouldn't go to school,
One afternoon the broker gave Billy
a package Of bills, about ten thousand
dollars, to put away in the safe. Billy
showed the money in his pocket, right
there under the brokers' nose, slammed
together the safe, and walked OFT, and
came down the next morning as bold
as brass. He was collared for it,
though. They proved it on him, and
sent him up to the penitentiarY for
seven years. He isn't out yet. He
didn't give 'em back the money,
though, and | s'pose he'll have it to
spend when he gets out" !"
The narrator showed little of any
other emotion at his story than amuse-
ment.
"Of course we didn't go in as heavy
as that, in my time. That was after
lie had left the gang. We used to be
generally making it lively for small
stores on our beat; snatch1ng their
'ruit, tipping over their barrels, both
ring their customers as they passed {
a and out, and so on. One day |
vas standing up before old Zumpt's !
how-case, -Zumpt the shoemaker, (