Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-07-26
A DESPERATE YOUNesrER.
who Collects Tribute from the Boys at IN,
Free Baths.
New York World

Nroo hntho.
New York World
A young highwayman, with bare brown
legs and scant red hair, held the walk
between the barge Office and No. 2 bath.
house, at Castle Garden, Saturday after
noon from until nearly O'Clock.
He was not three feet high nor ten
years old and his forehead bulged above |
his eyes into two bunions that beetled |
and hung over the thin Jaws like sentry
towers on the corners OF prison in
closures. His little pants were patched
and ragged, and two buttons--one to the
left OF the backbone and the other under
his right riDs-held the garment
to dark jacket that was full of
rents and holes. A round, peakless cap
rested on one of his ears, and moist
looking, pink-frilled nose and hard,
thlnned lips made him as hard looking
young citizen as could be found anywhere
between Harlem and the Battery. He
had two pals, ragged, bare-legged, reck-
less and trimming over with profanity
like himself, but he alone was the object
of admiration and the cynosure Of the
crowd.
The free baths were open aud children
were thronging to them in large crowds of
little fellows in varying degrees Of ragged
ness, wretchedness and dirtiness, press
ing against the bridge entrance awaiting
the ringing of the bell. Dozens Of men
lounged In the neighborhood and looked
on. Occasionally the fat policeman
emerged from the bathhouse to straddle
the threshold and fan himself with his hat.
The old apple and candy woman stood
under her big umbrella beside her basket
and pushed aside the boys that iostled or
tell against her In the scutlles. There
were nearly 400 persons right there in
the one spot, and within 100 feet at far
thest of them and in the very midst of
some the brown-legged midget held up
every boy who came along and relieved
him Of everything he had. The apple
woman looked on in semi-amazement
and the men In pleasant establishment
He was a desperate youngster, and
tackled many lad older and taller than
himself. Early In his exploits he got
possession OF toy pistol, and during the
afternoon he held this in one hand and
kept clicking 1t as he ran from one vic
tim to another. II Jesse James were
alive, or Claude Duval or Jack Shepherd
or Sixteen-Stringed Jack, either or all OF
them would have turned green to the roots
; could they have gazed upon this WEI
mite of knight OF the road whei
he ran up to four nicely dressed lads
) who came down the walk holding eacl
others hands and swinging their arms II
rythmic innocence, all unconscious OF tn
impending danger. With arms stretched
out to impede their progress he hurriet
: towards and brought them to halt. Hi
two pals were still rifling the pockets o
. the two boys who had been stopped
moment before. Selling the fourth DO
of the quartet and the first by their jack
i, cts the little highwayman drew the fou
around and close to him. Sweeping hi
. eye across their faces he soon let theT
:, know that he meant business.
"Gimme wot yer's got" he said q
!, determinedly as If he were maske
/, Missourian standing out in the col
y moonlight with blue muskct BARR
q cleaning in the brightness,
y All stood there submissive and
~ went to work quickly. The way he doy
V into pockets showed his deXterity at tt
a. = business. He thrust his arm in so thi
y, !. you expected to see his entire body &c
~ low and the little fellow himself to drC
!, through the bottom on to the other boy
y toes. Usually he got nothing. Som
, times he found a penny or two, o
= of the four whom he tackled
,, the occasion here described
~ got only an old knife. From one DO
ie two inches taller than himself, he o
=. tanned ten cents, which the victim ]
y, 10 fused to give over at first, by taking b
~ straw hat and holding it until the ranso
y was paid. This boy cried, and the
Dc were other lads, too, who wiped the
moist eyes with the corners of their lit
caps and carried traces of their grief in
e. the bath-house in the shape OF rings
ne dirt under their eyes. The daring you
desperate got seventeen cents and '
re riety of toys and pocket knick-knac
'rt during his two hours and made fir
display of his qualifications for robh
chief by keeping a lions share OF
20. plumber for himself. One little chap W
- lost some pennies went crying to
apple woman, who made a few loud
'. marks about calling the policeman. I
young highwayman gave her look OF {
IN. fiance, uttered an imprecation or tV
,ea and calling to "Duffy" or "Bill, his
q, sociates, walked off to the peaceful sha
,sr of a tree, where they talked business
"a they sat with their feet gathered unt
The them on the grass. The boys at the ba
49,, house complain that the same little d
No. perado with his companions Is on ha
.ne every day, and compels tribute In I