The Wichita daily eagle., 1893-12-06
CHIEF CONE TALKS.
LEWELLING'S TRAMP ORDER RE
CEIVED WITH DISFAVOR HERE
If 0beyed It Would Deluge the State With
Thugs and Blacklegs and Render the
Police Authorities Absolutely
Powerless to Cope
With Crime.

Such was, in substance, the reply sem
yesterday to Governor Leweiling by IT
board of police commissioners in receipt
ing for his order suspending both the
laws and ordinances Tor the regulation
of vagrants
1t didn't take here worth cent, and
this, as in the Colonel Hughes case, is Ger
tainIy an order that will be more honored
in the breach than in the observance, il
there is any virtue in public sentiment.
Chief of Police Cone knows thing OF
two about trampdom.
10 an EAGLE reporter yesterday Mr..
Cone said: Governor Lewelling is ten
der-hearted and ne issued that order from,
a humanitarian standpoint lam satisfied
that he was not thoroughly informed on
the subject and that he actually thought
be was coming to the rescue of honest un-
employed laboring men whom he thought
were being prosecuted on account of their
misfortune"
What do you think of it?"
'Te be brief will say that if tramps
were to remain unmolested by the police
this state would 0e swarmed with cut
throats, pickpockets. housebreakers and
blacklegs generally within three weeks.
am in favor of the laws and ordinances
against vagrants and loiterers. 1t
is the only protection we have
and it is hardly ever abused. The
police as rule know the difference
between the honest laboring man out of
work and sneak thief and professional
all-rounder, even though they fish both
out of the same box Car. The former is
treated right: the latter goes down in the
bastlle. just think OF it for a moment.
LIZ sneak thief or a burglar drops into
town what could we do with him without
the vagrant act. We may know him to be
crooked and not be able to prove it.
Under the vagrant act, or lettering ordin-
ance, we can order him out of town, and
II he does not 60 we can throw him in the
jug and prevent him from robbing a house
or killing somebody perhaps. If these or
dlnances were to be suspended the present
police force would be powerless to protect
the city. and the result would be that we
would be compelled to have a special
policeman to watch every suspicious
tramp that strikes the city.
"Do those you generally arrest belong to
une working claSS!"
Very few of the men whom we arrest
under the vagrant act are willing to work.
We have fifteen or twenty of them down
stairs now, and every one of them is a pro-
fessional. We can tell them by their hands
as well as by other tokens peculiar to
ourselves. When man claims to be
coal miner and has hands like lady, you
can't miss it very much by arresting him
for professional. We arrested eleven of
them the other day, and nine of them were
professionals" and the other two were
Caters"
"What difference is there in the distinc-
tion?"
"a professional" is tramp that will
not only not work himself, but hates the
man who will; CATER is tramp who
will work when he Is absolutely forced
to, and work only as long as
the necessity exists. Then there
is the bread and butter fakir,' but
he is harmless. He begs a hand out at
back doors, but will do no harm to any
body. He is more properly tourist
who prefers to roam about the country,
looking at the scenery and seeing life,
than to work"
"The professionals then are the worst?"
"Oh, certainly. The professionals are
al crooked and dangerous. They travel
about as tramps to hide their actual iden-
.ity They are divid ed into several classes;
Zach class has its criminal speciality. They
nay be classified as follows:
"'Box men,
"'Hotel grafters.'
'Short-change men,
"'High dice men,
"'Confidence mem generally.
"'Crib men, I
"'Dip men,
"'Peat men,
"'Gophers.'
"'Prowlers.'
Boosters
"'Stallers.'
"A box man is a gentleman who will /
pen drawers, etc.
A hotel CRATER is one who will put up |
t hotel and leave during the night with |
he can lay his hands on, in-
luding the silverware on the table.
A short change man will ask you for a
i've dollar bill for five silver dollars and F..
eat you out of one Of the coius every
ime.
A high dice man is one who has loaded
ice or something better in that line with
which to take in suckers, generally couu-
~ boys. |
A crib man is one who goes through
ouses. He begs from door to door very
ften to get the lay of things within,
nd when 10 get in.
Dip men are pickpockets They will
ip into Your pockets and take whatever
heir slick fingers touch.
Peat men are safe blowers. and so are
ophers. there being but slight diff
renee.
a nrowler is one who loiters about
otels and gets away with coats and
ats. etc.
Boosters and stallers belong 20 the
,me PROGRESSION anu go ,oso-Ier. They
nter store, and, while the staller at
acts the attention of the clerk to a GER
hin portion of the store, the booster steals
hatever there is in sight. They never
esl more than $50 worth of ANYTHING.
ud by that means escape the penitentiary
caught.
The above is the character of the men
ho would overrun Kansas If the police
'llowed out the instructions of Governor
dwellings, order.
Il want to tell you," said Chief Cone,
that they are effectively organized, and 1
le of them can tell another across the
rect easier than any two Freemssons
,u ever saw could recognise one
lother."
''They have signs. then ~
Not only that" said the chief, ''but
ey actually register in aud out of
'ichita, or any other town, as precisely
any hotel guest that comes to this
wu."