The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-02-25
TALK ABDUL CKUUKS.
THEY ENTER PRISON TIME ON PROFIT
AND LOSS ACCOUNT.

"Tneyes--I mean professional thieves
criminals Of the higher grade said
Mai. Lawrence Harrigan, appraiser Of the
port, pursue their crooked career with
the same feelings that honest men follow
their daily vacations. The b 5iness man
expects certain percentage Of losses dur
ing the year, just as he has reason to be.
lieve that he will meet with unexpected
gains. These losses or gains are entered
up in the profit and loss account. The
professional thief or criminal philosophi-
callv argues 10 himself. What gain
gain easily, and | must he prepared to
serve portion of my years in prison. If
il IL little, so much the better for me; II 1t
is much, so much the worse for me. '"
Eyes. sir" he resumed, "the thief
looks upon his terms in Jail or the peni-
Tertiary "a 50 much lost in The game. lie
! Is thief, and next to devising ways and
means to acquire without labor the prop
erty that belongs to others, his mind IL
bent on devsng ways aud means TO keep
out Of prison lie IS like Il man playing at
! cards-he wins or loses recall an in
stance that illustrates what say: One
morning. at about D O clock, after waiting
out all night, arrested Il notorious hotel
sneak. As soon as | put nay hands on
/ him lie knew what he WAS wanted for
There WAS a dead case against him. and
when touched him Oh he shoulder and
said that fhe captain wanted to sec him, ]
/ lave no dorbt that he made up his mind
| u plead guilty and get of Is cheaply as
possible. II was ~ winter, and "a we
| walked together down Morgan street on
/ HE way TO the police station, we passed
IN Old cobb,er's shop Early rs IL was,
and . bitter cold morning II was, TOO,
well remember the old fellow was up,
rogpiug al MS work by candle llcht.
| Tie thief glago-d in at the industrious
! Aoemaker, uId tlen said n me:
81 haze spent seven Of the past twelve
years in prison, aud yet have done bet
ter than that old fellow. He works from
c1rly morning until late at night to get
las bread and meat, and then lie does not
ike as well a. 10 II prison, and when /
nm on the outside live On The fat OF The
land, wish plenty OK good clothes, gay
companions aud everything that money
can bug | wouldn't Iadc places with
him him right now and I know that |
am booked Tor @ lip up the road
The taos ~ that all thieves are men Of
appetite iacy do nor steal for the sake
Of stealing. They want money with which
10 crafty their passions II the passion
is not for w0mcu--and il most always is
lit is for cards or drink The thief,
when in funds, lavishes it on his woman
or leG-es It nc the card table Some OF
the shrewdest and most udroit thieves are
the veriest children in the hands OF q faro
dealer. Say THIEF who has often talked
about 'squar.ng IL, as they call reform
ing, does get several thousand dollars
what good does IL DO him. Women, wine
and cards get it in short order, and he
must 20 10 stealing again. These things
he must have He won't work for his
money, so he continues to steal There
have undoubtedly been cases OF reform.
and many small town has its hotel or
saloon keeper held in esteem as an honest
man BY al iiiii, X ise- ksew him. aud yet that
man has q history which he would like to
forget A police officer is not much OF q
believer in ref0rmations
Those people are very honorable in their
dealings with each other are they not,'
you mean honor among thievess'
There is no suck thing Thieves make
virtue of necessity. They are known to
each other all over the land Amy thief
knows that if he should squeal, or be-
tray n brother thief, he would nj once be
a marked man, and that the entire fra
ternity would make it their business TO
see him settled, or, in other words, con-
yicted for some one Of his own crimes,
and that right speedily. \ great deal of
sentimental admiration is wasted over
these men who honCrably refuse 10 betray
their companions. Thieves are ike any
other class OF men. They have their
friendships \ man would 60 10 eX-
tremes 10 help his pal out Of trouble,
while as for another thief la whom he had
no personal interest he would say, He got
into that trouble himself, let him get out
himself
you may put it down e. a rule that 10
matter how successful they are, they
either die In the penitentiary or the poor
house All this stuff about thieves lead
ing a double life, one OF crime and the
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
does not aspire 10 any such life His
origin is always low He commenced
stealing when Il boy, and his education
was perfected In the House Of Refuge,
jail, work house and penitentiary. Up to
the time that he Is sent 10 the penitentlary
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 are often
Of surprising beauty and seeming refine
ment; beautiful green and golden HES
born in the muck heap Men Of position
very rarely sink 10 a life OF professional
crime II they do they become forgers and
swindlers, but in niue cases out Of ten
even this class OF criminals have worked
their way up 10 their exalted position In
the fraternity.
New York is, OF course, tue headquar-
ters OF all thieves Of the upper class
There arc dozen quiet little places where
tie beer is good, where they congreeate
AID plan their little excursions into the
country. One can almost IMAGINE a gang
Of burglars sitting down and mapping out
Il route just like the manager oil show
Tint is 10 make one and two night stands
\ great deal Of nonsense has been written