Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1888-03-17

GOTHAM'S WHARF RATS,
MEN WHO LIVE BY STEALING FROM
DOCKS AND shlPs.
Plumber Hidden In ths Rivers BED.
Thieves Who Are Expert Divers and
Who Are Abs to Eluds tAs Pslies.
Selling the Loot.
A great city l!ss' New York contains
many people who live by violating our
laws, and these people are divided into
odd groups, each having Q distinctive pur.
pose Of its own. One Of these groups in
tests the water front Of New York, and
nowhere IN our civilization Gun be founla
more degraded class Of criminals. The
members are known to the police and to
the watchmeu on the ships a. "wharf
rats" The title 10 certainly we'll chosen.
The wharf rats are expert swimmers and
divers and are as agile in avoiding the po-
lice IS il any intelligent rodent in escaping
ALVIN SAS SA0GSuCS - q Sot xQ6S9 men
and grown up boys live 10 criminals from
choice. They extract more happiness
from the theft Of q bag Of coffee or a coil
Of ropo than tho average person would
from q Christmas present. II shot at
while stealing from q ships cargo they
jump into the river, sink out of sight and
come to the surface under the protecting
shade Of u wharf. II not wounded they
take their experience as a joyful advent
ure. II wounded they rest on the rafters
under the pier until night comes along,
when confederates take them away
The most conspicuous Of all the wharf
rats Of New York is Buckshot Taylor.
He has carried several loads Of buckshot
In his legs and back and one side Of his
face is also disflgursd because Of his un.
expected Acquaintance with Q shotgun.
Taylor never steals rope or coffee unless
no is hard up. His specially Is the theft
Of bars Of lead. He is Is wideawake a. Q
lynx after a snowfall, and always knows
where to look for his plumber. Taylor
will dive under . wharf and fastsn an end
Of thin wire rope to n Of the raftsrs.
Then, with the other end IN his hand, 10
will sneak on board . lead laden schooner
and fastsn the wire to his plumber. Al.
other wharf rat keeps watch while this 10
being done. II the coast 10 clear the loot
Is dropped iato the water, where 1t sinks
out Of sight. Then tho thief, who IL as
much at home In the water Al on the
land, dives out of sight, coming up, Of
course, under the wharf where the wire Is
Fastened to the raftcrs. One Of tho heavy
bars o. lead will net from So to 81 at any
one OF the junk shops which abound along
the river front. II Buckshot Taylor steals
two or three bars y week during tho
spring, summer and autumn months he
feels happy, for all he cares for IL q little
food, plenty OF whisky and q constant
supply Of tobacco.
CRIMINALS OF Low TYPh.
Buckshot Taylor is tho best known Of
the wharf rats, but there are hundreds
WHO follow in his footsteps. As a rule
they commit no greater crime than petty
larceny. The majority OF the wharf rats
do their work at night and move about on
the water in row boats. Their specially
Is the stealing of ropc, which is IN article
easy to dispose Of to junkmen who do
business with shipmasters. II chased by
the harbor police tley abandon their boat
nnl swim, under cover of tho darkness, to
places OF refuge under the wharvcs. Some
of these fellows makes u specially Of using
giant nuscrs, and boring through tho
AoOIIuS w LIS NOCh3 uIu lnLO LuO sugar
barrels that have been unloadcd from
ships. They empty the sugar into bags,
anil then dispose Of 1t when the opportu-
nifty offers.
All these wharf rats do not carry their
plumber to tho stores along South and
West streets. In some cases the plumber is
ton bulky, and in other cases tho wharf
rats are TOO well known to risk discovery
by carrying the stolen goods in the etreet.
Friendly junkmen fill this deficiency
T1ero Is a'band OF junkmen that goc.
from wharf to wharf in boats and buys old
stuGs from tho captains of ships. Some
times these junklnen have something to
sell in the way Of rope, anchor chains aud
pulley blocks. The wharf rats await the
comm: Of these juukmen, and in their
lairs uuler the wharves make their sales
of stolen property. One ehipmaster buys
the rope and other stuff stolen from
another ship, and so there is a constant
demand by junkmcn for the plumber OBJ
tanned by the wharf rats. These degraded
specimens Of our civilization have very
little courage aud are Of q sueaky dis
position. Ones in a while they Go an
honest days work In unloading boats, but
1t Is only when luck goes against them
aud when they must work or starvs.
TuErR METHOD OF LIVING.
In tho summer months the wharf rats
sleep in row boats under tho wharves, or
In the daytime upon the docks. Not a
few of them who steal at night sneak
upon the summer excursions Of local So
cial clubs, and when they are stupid from
drinking beer sleep under the benches to
be found on all excursion barges. When
they lul themselves peuniless they sweep
out the ginmills that limo tho river front,
and with the dime they get for their labor
buy coffee and cakes. Others fish from
the ends Of the piers, and il they catch q
string Of fish have no trouble in obtaining
. quarter from tho liquor store proprie.
tors, who offer 'f1ne 0sh chowder'' free
as an inducement for 'longshorsmcn to
spend i've cents for beer or ten cents for
whisky. A quarter Of . dollar goes q
long way with q river crook, for next to
the satisfaction Of stealing he finds his
greatest comfort In chewing the cheapest
kind Of tobacco. The wharf rats who
have good fortune divide with their com
panions who have Ill luck. In this way
the proceeds Of = days plumber will make
= large number Of the thieves happy.
The hundreds that sleep on tho piers in
summer have to dnd ten cent lodging
houses in winter. Such Of these y have
not courage to pick pockets or steal from
the stands outside Of stores got . little
money in the winter by begging. It Is
not easy to steal from ths docks in the
winter, and 10 80 per cent. Of the wharf
rats have to exist - best they can until
The severity Of the weather passes away
aoI papmjta them IN rysA fha wafor and