, 1888-04-19
TALK ABOUT CROOKS.
THEY ENTER PRISON TIME on PROXY,
AND LOSS ACCOUNT.

Among tho craft Except
cessity-Dying In Poverty--Nonse"se'
UThieyes-I mean professional thieves,
criminals OF the higher grade '-shiu
Mai. Lawrence Harrigun, appraiser OF tho
mort. "pursue their crooked career WIN
the same feelings that honest men follow
their daily yocations. The business i,'h"
expects q certain percentage OF losses ''ur-"
inc the year, Just as he has reason to DO.
licye TINT he will meet with unexpected
gains. These losses or gains are entered
up i'm the profit and loss account no
professional thief or criminal philosophl-
Cally argues TO himself: what gtlh
gain easily, and | must be prepared 10
serve portion Of my years in prison it
1t is little, so much the better FOR me; II ~
Is much, so much the worse Tor me
Eyes, sir,n he resumed, 1.-THE thicr
looks upon his terms in Jail CT the penl-
tcntinry as so much lost in the game lie
Is n thief, and next to devising ways ana
means to acquire without labor the prop
erty that belongs to others, his nnud ~
bent on devising ways and means To Keep
out of prison. He is like man playing ae
rrr, ,--he wins or loses ! recall an IN
Stance that illustrates what say; ono
morning. at about 3 O'Clock, after waiting
out all night, ! arrested notorious hotel
sneak. As soon as ! put my hands on
him he knew what he was wanted ior.
There was dead case against him. ana
whom touched him on the shoulder nnd
said that the captain wanted To see Nun,
have no doubt that he made up his nina
to plead guilty and get of as cheaply as
possible. 1t was in winter, AMI as We
walked together down Morgan street ON
the way TO the police station, we passed
an old cobbler'S shop. Early ms IT. was,
and q bitter cold morning 1t was, too,
we'll remember, the old fellow was up,
pegPing away at his work by candle light.
Tue thief glanced in at tho industrious
shoemaker, and then said to me;
81 have spent seven OF the past twelve
years in prison, and Yet have done bet
ter than that old fellow. lie works from
curly morning until late mt night to set
lis bread and meat, and then he does not
live us we'll as do In prison and wren l
am on tho outside | live on the tat ot tho
land, with plenty Of good clothes, guy
companions and everything that money
can buy. / wouldn't trade places with
him him right now and ! know tnat l
am booked Tor n "trip up the road,'
'"rhc fact Is that all thieves are men of
appetite. They do not steal for the sake
of stealing. They want money with which
to crafty their passions. If the r'~Sion
Is not for women-and 10 most always is
1T is for cards or drink. The thicf,
when in funds, lavishes IL on his woman
or leaves III itt lne CttItI luDlc' FNOlIt VI
the shrew,lest and most adroit thieves Uto
the veriest children in the hands of II faro
dealer. Say thief who has often talked
about 'squaring it, as they cali REFORM
ing, does get several thousand dollars.
what good does II do him? WoneOwine
and cards get IL in short order, and no
must 20 to stealing again. These things
he must have. H won't work for his
money, so he continues to steal. 1Icre
l,n, nf r4f.H r
and many u small town has its hO;rl or
saloon keeper held in esteem as an hoIest
man by all who know him, and yet that
man has history which he would like to
forget. a police officer is not much Of u
believer in reformations."
"These people are very honorable in their
dealings with each other, are they roty'
"You mean honor among thicyesF
There Is no such thing Thieves make a
virtue of necessity. They are known to
each other all over the land, Any thief
knows that if he shouldssqueal, ar bc-
tray brother thief he would at once 10
n marked man, and that the entire fra
ternity would make IL their business to
see him settled, or, in other words, con
victed for some one of his own crimes,
and that right speedily. a great deal Of
sentimental admiration is wasted over
these men who honorably refuse to- betray
their companions. Thieves are like any
other class of men, They have their
friendships. A man would go to cx-
tremes to help his pal out OF trouble,
while as for another thief in whom lie had
no personal interest he would say lie got
into that trouble himself, let him get out
himself
"You may put 1t down as rule thatno
smatter how successful they are, they
| either die in the penitentiary or the EOor
house. All this stuff about thfcNes Lead
| ing double life, one of crime and tho
| other in good society; Of their wives sup
| posing that they are engaged in reputable
| business, is good material for novels and
plays like ''Jim, the Penman," but there
| are no such cases. The professional thief
origin is always low. He commenced
stealing when boy, and his education
was perfected I'm the House of lefuge
Jail, work house and penitentiary. Up to
| the time that he Is sent to the penitentiary
he is apt to be desperate and reckless and
undertakes Jobs that an older hand would
hesitate about engaging in. When he
| comes out he is more cautious. He comes
| from the slums, and Is brave and shrewd,
Justas the women of his own class erc often
OF surprising beauty and seeming refine
| ment; beautiful green and golden flies
born III the muck heap. Men of position
very rarely sink to a life of professional
crime. If they do they become forgers and
swindlers, but in nine cases out of ten
even this class of criminals have worked,
their way up to their exalted position in
the fraternity.
"New York is, OF course, the headouar.
tiers of all thieves Of the upper class.
There are n dozen quiet little places where
tle beer Is good, where they tongregute
and plan their little excursions into the
country: One can almost imagine q gang
OF burglars sitting down and manning out
route just like the manager of a show
that is to make one and two night stands.