The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-11-05

stOHc Vi TIC Oau SkueuLIu pIlSOu, now
serving his sixth term said:
Honesty might pay if there was
any justice in California. | came here
as a young man in 1850, and didn't
know what it was to steal. | made
So, 900 in gold crevicirg with a horn
spoon, and only wanted $4,000 more
to call it fortune and 90 home.
Then some scoundrels robbed nae of
every ounce, and to shut my mouth
they arrested me for horse stealing and
hung me up by the neck until con-
fessed TO save my life, when | was as
innocent as you are. | got three years
and the gang got away With my dust.
Dishonesty prOfted them, and the
honest toll which gained me that gold
proved my ruin. Of course all cases
are not like mine, but l can't help
feeling sore. I've been thief since
and can. say it pays. am sure it
would pay to be honest if there was
any justice here. Circumstances make
men. Under different circumstances
l would have been an honest man,
and honesty would have paid me.
"But you want general answer.
Well, to come right down to hardpan,
it never will be profitable to lie thief,
from business or any other stand.
point. The world is against thief,
and he is afraid of every honest man
he meets. 1.-The is a constant thief he
is in prison most of his time, no mat.
ter how sharp he is. He can't make
enough by stealing to pay him S. a
Month for the time he spends in
prison. He has to work In prison,
and he had better work outside for
SO month than inside for nothing"
Tommy Norton, a moral idiot So
far as property rights are concerned,
said
"Does dishonesty pay =? Well if
you mean relieving wealthy gent of
a surplus, will answer that it would
but for your blasted American cops.
They're too fly to leave any profit in
the business. As it is, it is about
stand-off with me. When / am free
| live great deal better than l could
by working. As long as / am free,
honesty does not pay. When l 60 to
quod | begin to think that it would
pay. Counting time lost in jail and
all things being considered, from
financial standpoint ] think | am
little loser by being a crook. / can't
figure it out to within ESQ, though :;
so Iguess Iii let it 60 that honesty is a
winner"
John Smith, county burglar do
ing his eighth term said:
"There is not the faintest room for
doubling that honesty pays. I don't
care how cunning a man is, if be
steals with his hands he will come
out loser. He may elude the
officers for a time, but even then he
won't have bank account. A thief
is bound to spend his money on some
thing just as fast as he can. Women
and cards catch me, and / can't look
back and remember stolen dollar
that ever did me any real good.
Whisky usually cuts figure in max
ing stealing Improbable, but l never
was drunk in my life. Still / have
other habits that eat up the profits.
and if didn't have ten to oue /
would acquire some. It don't pay.
Stolen money burns holes in pockets.
and anyone can make more by honest
work than he can by stealing. Why
do come back here so often if /
know this. Because / have been
here pretty much all the time since
May, 1859, aud it's like home, and
then I've got so.old it's too late to start
over again. Besides, 1 don't care
-, anyhow"
Shorty Hayes says: Decidedly,
honesty pays. The hundred or few
hundred dollars that q man in my
line of business may obtain in one job
will not pay for the risk of q single
year in prison, let alone fifty-one
years, as in my case. Even smalt
thieves die poor, no matter how sue
cessful they may be in eluding prison.
Stolen money DON'T do the thief any
good ; it is too easily spent, and /
don't think any ordinary every day
thief Can steal as much in his lifetime
as he can earn by following any
legitimate work, i don't care how
poorly paid it may be. Of course, if
a man can steal with a cloak over
him, something like business or a
disguised swindle, l mean, he may
make it profitable Gas business
proposition, / mean) for a while and
perhaps until he acquires a COM
petence. But no thief who takes
what be can lay his hands ON, can
make dishonesty pay"