Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1891-11-21
G0THAM'S WHARF RATS.
MEN WHO LIVE BY STEALING FROM
DOCKS AND SHIPS.


Who Are Able to Eiude the Police.
Selling the Loot.
A great city like New York contains
many people who live by violating our
Law and these people are divided into
odd g,cups, each having distinctive pur-
pose Of It's own. One Of these groups In
TESTS the water front OF New York, and
nowhere ia our civilization can be found
more degraded class Of criminals. The
members are known to the police and TO
the watchmen on the ships ms "wharf
rats The title Is certainly well chosen.
The wharf rats are expert swimmers and
divers and are as agile IN avoiding the POI
lice as is any intelligent rodent IN escaping
from the clutches OF cat. These men
and grown up boys live as criminals from
choice. They extract more happiness
from the theft OF bag OF coffee or coil
of rope than the average person would
from n Christmas present. II shot at
while stealing from a ships cargo they
jump into the river, sink out of sight and
come 10 the surface under the protecting
shade Of wharf. IL not wounded they
take their experience rs joyful advent
ure. III wounded they rest ON the rafters
under the pier until night comes along,
WHEN Commentaries Ntke Anetn uNAJ-
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 aud one side of his
face is also disflgured because OF his un-
expected acquaintance with a shotgun.
Taylor never steals rope or coffee unless
he is hard up. His speciality is the theft
Of bars of lead. He Is as wideawake as a
lynx after snowfall, and always knows
where to look for his plumber. Taylor
will dive under wharf and fasten an end
of thin wire rope To one Of the rafters.
Then, with the other end in his hand, he
will sneak on board a lead laden schooner
and fasten the wire to his plumber. An
other wharf rat keeps watch while this Is
being done. IL the coast Is clear the loot
IL dropped into the water, where IL sinks
ont of sight. Then the thief who is as
much at home In the water as on the
land, dives out Of sight, coming up, Of
course, under the wharf where the wire is
fastened to the rafters. One of the heavy
bars OF lead will net from 50 to "a at any
one OF the junk shops which abound along
the river front. IL Buckshot Taylor steals
two or three bars week during the
spring, summer aud autumn months he
feels happy, for all he cares for is little
APbis VI nuloh1 anu u COnSldLll
supply Of tobacco.
CRIMINALS OF LOW TYPE.
Buckshot Taylor is the 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 mt night and move about on
the water in row boats. Their speciality
is the stealing Of rope, which is an article
easy to dispose Of to junkmen who do
| business with shipmasters IL chased by
| the harbor police they abandon their boat
| and swim, under cover OF the darkness, TO
| places Of refuge under the wharves. Some
OF these fellows makes \ specially Of using
giant augers, and boring through the
flooring Of the docks and into the sugar
barrels that have been unloaded from
ships. They empty the sugar into bags
and then dispose Of 1t when the opportu
nifty offers.
All these wharf rats do not carry theil
plumber 10 the stores along South anC
West streets. In some cases the plumber /:
too bulky, and in other cases the wharf
rats are too well known TO risk discovery
by carrying the stolen goods ia the street
Friendly junkmen fill this deficiency
There is "A band of junknen that goe
/ iAbila Whit ~ III DptAS bu1t Ol1
stulfs from the captains of ships. Some
times these Elnktnen have something t.
sell in the way OF rope, anchor chains an,
pulley blocks. The wharf rats await tin
coming OF these juukmcn, and in thei
lairs under the wharves make their sale
of stolen property. One shipmaster buy
the rope and other stuff stolen from
another ship, and so there il constan
demand by junkmen for the plumber oh
tanned by the wharf rats. These degrade,
specimens OF orr civilization have YER
little courage and are of a sneaky dis
position Once in while they 10 a
honest days work in unloading boats, bu
it IL only when luck goes against then
and when they must work or starve.
THEIR METHOD or LIVING.
In the summer months the wharf rat
sleep In row boats under the wharyes, o
in the daytime upou the docks. Not
few Of them who steal at night sneal
upon the summer excursions OF local 50
cial clubs, and when they are stupid from
drinking beer sleep under the benches 3
be found ON all excursion barges Whel
they find themselves penniless they sweel
out the ginmils that line the river front
AMI with the dime they yet for their labo
buy coffee and cakes. Others fish frou
u
string of fish have no trouble In obtainin
a quarter from the liquor store propris
tors, who offer ''ilne fish chowder'i FIRE
as an indncemcnt for 'lnngshoremen /
spend five cents for beer or ten cents 70
whisky. \ quarter OF n dollar goes
long way with river crook, for next I
the satisfaction of stealing he finds hi
greatest comfort in chewing the cheapes
kind OF tobacco The wharf rats VIII
have good fortune divide with their con
panions who have i'll luck. In this wa
the proceeds OF days plumber viii max
u large number Of the thieves happy
The hundreds that sleep on the piers /
summer have 10 find ten cent lodgin
!, houses In winter. such OF these as hay
, not courage To pick pockets or steal froI
the stands outside Of stores get littl
money in the winter by begging. 1t
not easy 10 steal from the docks In I'll
winter, and 30 30 per cent of the whal
rats have 10 exist as best they can unit
the severity 1t the weather passes ava
and permits them TO use the water an
! the under side OF the wharyes as aids I
their methods OF thieying These whar
! rats have great horror Of policemen, ant
even when not gailty of any recent Grim,
keep away from the vicinity OF the blu
coats. A few of the river crooks beeom
professional burglars and in many cass
sneak thieves. Many OF them tire Of the
hard experience aud ship before the mast
! and a natural percentage find death /
: the river, temporary place on slab
the morgue aud then rest in potter
tield.-New York Mail aud Express.