The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-08
CRIME LEARNED IN CELLS.
OLD BURGLAR SAYS BOYs IMPRIs-
ONED GROW WORSE.
Get Ambitious to He Big Crooks.
Peculiar Lingo of Thieves and
Thugs, and What Some of the
Chief Phrases stand For.

Thugs, and What Some of the
Chief Phrases stand For.
From the New York Press.
My friend the burglar was at the lutt
of a long cigar, and could scarcely be
induced TO open his mouth, except to let
out smoke. Il like to smoke in peace"
he growled at last; 80 would you if yvu
had been in prison for thirty years.
LAS ! told you last week. little Tommy
and little Jimmy had the misfortune to
fail in their attempt to shove in-or bur
gle-a house. They were young and in
experienced. and had not the proper tools.
They were sent to the Ref, which H.
short for the House OF Refuge on RAN
dall's Island. Like many successful pro-
fessional burglars, was there for awhile
and l know all about it. House of Ref
uger Great Scott Why don't they call
it an Academy of Crime. or something
like that?
THE boys find chances of talking to each
other, and you bet they take advantage
of those chances. And what a lot They
learn! Yet as a rule they do not like the
place-they don't appreciate their advan-
tages, dye see? They object to the reg
ular tasks, and lots Of them think it's
hlAlAE illltu 10 Ut III a luNtillit place any
how. They would rather be In Sing Sing
or some other swell prison.
THE first time Jimmy met Tommy and
they had square chance to talk, after
they were committed, Jimmy asked: How
do you like this placer And don't forget
that / know what they said, and that
I'm telling Il to you as nearly as can
The burglar paused, hesitated. smiled
and then blurted out: MY first name is
Tom, dye see? Now, do you catch on?
oil Ton auHH ~. Hta1a
sent up above TO Sing Sng) Dis is
h-ll of a place. Dey won't get no work
out of me. | don't care what they do to
me. ] wonder de old woman don't como
up to see me. You can bet your life
when / get out again I'll get in with dat
big mob expert professional burglars).
and I'll leave home altogether and go on
the road with them turning of big tricks
doing big professional jobs.
" Me, too, said Jimmy enthusiastically.
There's Red-nosed Barney-you've heard
of him. Oh! but you ought TO see the way
he gets up (dresses). Why, he looks like
one of them big bankers-he has. high
hat on. and no one would ever think he
was on the crook beading the life of a
professional crook
" What's that book you were reading
yesterday asked Tom.
You see" explained the burglar, the
kids get all the reading they want SNUG
gled in to them-yes and tobacco, too
There's never the slightest trouble about
it.
Jim said to Tom. The name of the
book is The Pirates Lend it to me after
you're through with it, said Tom. Yes
said Jim, you ought TO get hold Of that
book. Joe Morgan has another-a queer
one, ell full of funny pictures without
many clothes on. / tell you, It's rich
Somebody sneaked 1t in to him with lot
- But oh, goshl / am tired of this id
school, sighed Tom, and all that hymn
singing Ugh"
breaches every Sunday? asked Jim.
d" The chaplain, you mean, said Tom
oh, he makes me sick. Dat stuff has an
easy time, eh2 He don't do any work, and
we do all the work in the shop, and il we
don't do It we get dubbed. Is dat fair?
" Say growled Jimmy. I'd like to blow
dis d-n place up, or blow the shop up,
anyway and den we could see one an
other in the yard oftener Say dye see
dat kid over dere leaning against the
wall? He is the smartest kid in the Ref
He is Whitley Bobs kid 0he boy assist
ant of the professional named). You
ought TO see him go down a mans kick
(pOckeD and get his leather (pocketbooK)
He don't mix with de other kids, ne
"'Of course he don't l know that said
Tom. He put me on to some of them the
other day and told me not to have any
thing to DO with them; that they were ali
slOp-pal and dOoTmat thieves, and j be-
lieve him. He always has dust (money)
seWed up in his clothes. | hope | meet him
when | go out. He knows all of dem big
crooks in de Eight an Efficient wards.
on bet l ii get IN WIN luaI lQOD.
Then the boys began to talk longingiy
about Sing Sing again.
" All the big guns are up there sale
Tom. There are some blokies up for life
but that don't matter. You don't feel your
time there. and you amt with a lot Or
kids. Bet you life, | won't come to this
place again. De mex time I'm collared
i'll tell de judge I'm 81.
" Oh. say" exclaimed Jim. you tell
Monk Murray dat pal of his got twenty
years up the river. De old woman told
me dat lie las time she was here
" Wen. he don't have to do all dat
time. said Tom 'Dey takes "A lot Of
time of if bloke behaves himself
4" Kid Wallace has q book with all the
fighters in it, remarked jim. Did you
told US Say, you can bet tho principal
is dead leary afraid Of him. Thinks ne
would shove a knife into him
And so undoubtedly the young scoun-
drel would II he had the chance" said the
burglar. "The house Of refuge n worse
than that swell school at New Haven
that the lady was talking about the other
day. when she said she rather have her
sons sent 70 he'll than that school N she
really feels that way let her send them
10 the house Of refuge There, II they're
nell-bent. they'll learn the road without
dinlculiy
rye given you q pretty faithful report
of tho talk of the tfdgliug crooks up
fact, ! have kept back whole l0t m
language that d. utterly unht Tor publica-
fiuu."
'ffhe language or the American profes.
SON.. SAID ftls hesf-feal of burglars "ia
not lifH f'ff " professional talk. ni-