Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-12

| the chumps of the earth, the very scum OF
all creation. It's only the capitalistic
thief that succeeds in covering his tracks
and he does it by getting into your CONT
dence or playing the religious dodge. All
those who do big Jobs are mostly men
who are cranks on the subject of stealing.
Then they don't get tenth part OF the
proceeds. The fences take the lions
share and the chump spends what he gets
buying whisky.
Il have had some experience and be-
lieve that nearly every one of the old
criminals is insane. They get a few
glasses Of whisky into them and then go
out to do job. Maybe the first place
they stumble on has big money. They
get of with it and then the detectivessay
it was a put-up job. Sometimes good
workers go through half dozen houses
in a night before they get anything. Then
where does the stuff 60 to? The fences
get 1t. Suppose man Is settled He
goes to the penitentlary. First he re-
solves he'll square himself when he comes
out, but after while the other prisoners
get to telling him crooked stories and ne
falls in with their way of looking at
things. That's why say most criminals
are insane. They don't consider the
risks; they get few horns of whisky,
then 20 over job like a mechanic doing
piece work, not anxious to finish it per-
tectly, only anxious to get through
with it.
There is something in the lie of q
prison which tangles up mans mind. /
have often thought about my own case.
doubt would come over me. why
amt | like OthersY I'd ask myself. 1t
isn't because a man loves to steal that he
becomes a thief. Most of them start In
big fools. They are men with big hearts.
The other kind haven't sand enough TO
do a good Job They want money to give
saloon keepers and spend about town,
and out thew go some where, do Il JOB an d
get nabbed. Then they 90 TO the pen.
They come out with weak resolutions.
Perhaps they secure work, when alOn <
! comes detective and tells your employer
that you are an eX-cOnvlct 1t won't
pay those detectives to see a man work
ing straight. There is too much money
in it for them. They get reputation.
SO the ex-convict is out of work. What
has he to do then? Why the next thing
easiest. A man who knows how to steal
amt going TO starye. Then down they
I 90 again and they come out more ratified
than ever.
Most crooks build on nothing. They
say: This will be my last job; Pll catch
stake this time, and live straight and keep
out of the way of the cOppers.' When he
and left, and then he wants more money
and so it is.
"What am telling you is for the bene-
fit Of young people more than any others.
They see the picture OF a well-known
I criminal in a paper, and read how much
he has stolen, and say: He must be a
smart fellow and feel like going out and
initiating him; but it's all madness.
Sooner or later the smartest thieves will
get caught. They can't escape it. The
chances are dead against them all the
time. My case is an example of that. /
got six years-One year for receiving
plunder from the Mount Forrest post
office robbery, two and half years for a
robbery at Lansing and two and hall
years for another job.
Il hadn't a thing to do with the last
two jobs, but L couldn't prove my inno-
cence except by the testimony of thieves.
and that would condemn me with any
jury. l fixed up two alibis, one to be
sworn to by thieves, but the detectives
knew these people, so | got another abb,
to be sworn to by straight people, but it
wouldn't work and here am.
cit was a mere accident that led to my
arrest. Two of our people were locked
up at the Twelfth-street Station for the
Mount Forrest robbery. Lawrence went
over to see them. He wasn't smart
enough to know that a detective followed
him back. Dan came into Carew's saloon
on State street, where | was, sat down
and we had drink. Then in came the
detective. He found a watch on me from
the post office at Mount Forrest