Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-08-01
Gales aud Sketehes.
Few Big Robberies Now.
DIsrRUsr AMONG THE BIG THIEVES
MAKES PROPERTY SAFE.

"Mavbe you've noticed that there haven't
been a great many big robberies taking
place lately" said an old detective. sin
fact there hasn't been real big job done
for several years. You might wonder at
this, too. if you kept the run of the big
criminals, for there are a good many OF
them out of Jail vet, and some of the very
men who planned aud helped execute
some of the biggest and most daring bur-
elaries on record. But they seem to have
lost their nerve, or lack the confidence IN
each other that they used to have. And
they have reason for that lack OF conf
dence. too. because many OF the jobs that
have been done lately have been given
awav to the police.
The heaviest blow to the criminal fra
ternitv around these parts was the killing
of Johnny The Mick. in Shang Diapers
saloon, juss after the Mick had shot dead
Johnny Irving. the burglar. There's
long story behind that that never came
out. and the circumstances that brought
about the row, in which these two men
died. mi ght throw little light on the want
of confidence that now exists among the
big thieves. and which has divided the
criminal fraternity Il mean the fraternity
of great criminals) into two parts. either
of which would be only too glad to see
the other behind iron bars. Of course you
remember how Johnny the Mick, or John
Walsh. which is his real name. was drink
ing in Shang Diapers saloon. how Irving
suddenly appeared and blazed away at
him with his pistol at short range, and
how Walsh coolly placed the glass from
which he was drinking on the bar. re-
treated into back room. to gain time to
pull out his own pistol and then snot Irving
dead. When the police arrived on the scene
Walsh was lying dead, too, with three
bullets in him, which had not been fired
from Irving's pistol. Burglar Billy Por-
ter, Irving's partner, was arrested just out
side of the saloon, and his revolver had
three empty shells that fitted the bullets
found in Walsh. He was tried for
Walsh's murder, but the bar tender, son
of Jimmy Hope. the bank burglar, Will
liam Vosburg. who is called father of
thieves , and Red Leary and Draper, who
were all there. sympathized with the fac
ton to which Porter and Irving belonged,
and they gave testimony that influenced
the jury to acquit Porter. Abe Coakley.
who was friend of Walsh, said on the
night of the shooting that Porter had killed
Walsh and, though he was Walsh's friend.
he thought it better not to mix up in the
case Maybe he believed that Porter
would be convicted without his aid, for
the case looked strong enough to convict
any one.
''All this bears strongly on the feeling
among the big crooks today. Walsh had
many friends, for he was bold and dar-
ing, and generous as well, and these
friends were bitter, not only against Por-
ter, but also against Porter's friends. The
division into cliques had already taken
place, but this widened it. so that hostility
became bitter enmity. l was at Walsh's
funeral, and as he was lowered into the
ground his professional friends withdrew
from the family. and knelt together little
distance away, and when the earth ratified
down on the coffin their faces had an ex-
preston that did not bode well for the
man who had caused the funeral. Porter
hadn't been tried then. and was locked up
in the Tombs. AS soon as he was acquit-
ted he skipped to Europe along with
Sheeney Mike, and if he has since come
back nobody knnws about it. Maybe he
thinks it wise to remain there.
"But to come to the cause of the first
split Walsh and Irving and Porter had
done a job together in Philadelphia. The
plumber was worth about $4,000. and it
was left with Walsh to convert into cash
Then Porter and Irving were arrested
They said that Walsh had given them
away, but he had not, for he was not the
kind of a man to 60 back on friend. He
helped them to escape. but they were not
even then convinced that he had acted
squarely. At least they said so. 1t was
from that time the split began. Some say
that Porter hated Walsh because he was
jealous of him on account of a woman, and
that the treachery accusation was only a
blind. Irving and Porter were insepara
BILE, and although Porter was the moving
spirit. Irving swore to kill Walsh. He
had drawn pistol on him before the affray
in Diapers, but had been disarmed.
1.-The breaking up of Mother Mandel-
baum's fence" the detective continued,
''also hurt the business of the crooks.
But lately even Mother Mandelbaum did
not take that care of her criminal children
as she did ten years ago. She got the
handle of mother from the fact that she
not only bought the stolen goods, but Of
utu 1uIulSUcu HlOutN W Tue burglars. III
was she who arranged for the escape of
Porter and Irving, who at one time were
her favorites, from the Crow Hill prison
But lately Mother Mandelbaum got a re-
spectacle fit on her. and bought chiefly
from sneak thieves and shop lifters. Pos
sibly it was because she knew that the
police knew her. and watched Der. Of
course. when a big bargain was offered
she took advantage of it without much
questioning. There are other fences in
town now, and could name them if
wanted to. There is one on Broadway
kept by man who is said to be friendly
to the police, which may account tor his
never having been arrested. In fact, all
the fences of any Importance are known
to the police, but they are not broken up
for two reasons. one of which is that it is
the hardest thing in the world to identity
stolen goods, and the other is that the
police tlnd these fences very useful
big criminals have very little conf
dence in the fence keepers, and if they
cannot sell the proceeds of their robber-
les. what good does it do them to rob
l am going to give you now a little of
the inside history of how criminals are
detected and stolen property recovered. A
week or so after a robbery you often read
little notice In the daily papers like this
1.-TWO trunks containing most of the goods stolen
from - Co.'S store a week ago. were found by