The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1888-08-17
Hard Lines for Crooks.

IL Is one OF the boasts OF the New
York detectives that they are per.
sonally acquainted with all the pro.
fcssional criminals i'll ;.nd near town.
The results Of this acquaintance are
often peculiar. You are talking will.
Detective Frior q few feet from ths
door OF the Fifth.Aycnue Hotel and he
sees n young dandy halt q few feet
away. "Better keep right on" he
says to the dandy; "hurry up now."
ooh, good morning" says the dandy,
"1'm only going to set my watch"
That is Kid Miller, chief OF the bunco
men, and the detective will not allow
him to stop i'll front OF the hotel.
You are pushing Your way into Macy's
shopping store, and u little lldyiike
body is just ahead OF you. Suddenly
some one steps up to licr and roughly
orders her to "Gct out at once"
"Certainly, sir" she says very mcckly.
u WAS only going to match u piece OF
silk" She lies. She is % s!lopliitcr,
and the man who ordered her out is I;
detective.
Perhaps you are ut the Arion bnll
with it's 5000 dancers and lockers on.
You walk in the lobby near the en-
trance for % breath OF air and meet
Capt. Williams, in uniform, alert and
handsome as an eagle. IIcdarts from
your side and stands in front of a
stout, elderly, weit.aressel gcnte
30 ;,s to oppose his progress. "What
do you mean 10y coming hcrcY lie
says. Tho answers boldly: "My
wife is here and have como to take
her home" "l'hat'll do now" SAYS
the captain; "thcrc's the door; sc,!"
And, us Artcmus Ward used to say,
the GETS" OF course the man is q
piclipockct.
A neatly-lresscd, rather substan.
tial-looking man of middle age sends
in his card to Inspector Byrncs at
police headquarters. The name on
the card is that OF Il burglar better
known by analias. says cred Leary,"
for instance. "Wcll, what do YOU
want?" Mr.. Byrnes asks, grullly.
He has an especial tone for men OF
that class, and it is u tone that for.
bids familiarity and suggests mastery,
Il very different tone from the quiet
and easy one he has for his friends.
"l would like to bn in Wall street
fifteen minutes tomorrow, inspector,
says tho burglar. al want TO sec
about II personal mattor."
I'll will have one OF my corps meet
you at Broad and Wall ut noon,
sharp" says the inspector.
Tie burglar thanked the official, fol
it is n favor to such ~ man even to bc
allowed to GO to the money centrp
with Il detective at his shoulder I'LL the
time he is there. 10 20 without tl,
permission and escort means ~ GER
tainty OF being arrested and locked
up. The only known crooks that get
into Wall street under Byrnes ;lrc men
in business there whose oiYcnses ho
cannot punish; the only others are
the employees who default now and
then.
This is not the only part of town
that shady characters are excluded
from. 1t has always been II i;lvoritc
method with Capt. Williams to say
to rascals OF various sorts, of you
ever put your foot i'll my precinc. III
send you up. This may not he ac-
cording to law, but it's according to
fact. and they give that precinct II
wide berth. Pickpoclsets like the Al
len brothers, who are well known,
have Il hard time OF it in New York.
No matter how much they may want
to see Il play or IL ball game or attend
II meeting there is apt to be some onu
to stop them at the entrance with
"ri.ht-about face, now. You can't
get in here" have seen q pickpock.
ct hustled along like bit oi down il
the wind from one block to another
while apparently an innocent specta
tor OF street parade.
And yet on the other hand they
elude observation very often. Tho
hostilcs are not always on bad terms,
either. You will sometimes ste Il
burglar and q detective nod pleasant
ly as they pass each other, and even
stop for IL moments chat Perhaps
the detective may have once sent the
thief up for Il term OF years, but the
thiet Is even the more proud OF the ac-
quaintnncc on that account and likes
to ask the officer ii it was not ~
good Job" he went to iail for. Arcply
in the affirmative Is like meat and
strong drink to Il criminal.