The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-29

night was beset by two men. who ran out
on him from alley.
One of them. throwing an arm around
him from behind, tried TO choke him. while
the other seized his daughter Being an
old resident. the police justice had his pis-
toi In convenient pocket He shot the
first thug over his shoulder and wounded
the other as he broke away and ran for
the alley. In that same place three nights
before two young men were stopped by a
pair OF girls of the street. After minutes
talk the young men started 10 go on, when
e eaize OF the girls as IN spirit OF mischief
tossed II into the alley. He went after II,
was set upon by three men, beaten, robbed
and thrown back into the street almost
dead. For nearly a week his life hung in
the balance, but he finally recovered. This
is only one case out of hundreds.
Hat tossing Is one OF the recognized
forms of robbery. and the experienced Chi
cago man lets his hat go and runs for
the nearest light corner, for the thugs
seldom or ever. come near an electric light
An attempt was made TO pass a bill light
ing up the entrances TO the alleys, but the
Chicago Aldermen defeated it by an over
According to the police the women GRIM
lnals are even worse than the men. In
the hat-tossing game they work t9gether,
the girls doing the tossing and the men
doing the victim. with a dizzy of spoils
afterward There are women thugs who
work by themselves, however Two OF
them now in the penitentiary have been
arrested more than a hundred times for
holding up men on the street and robbing
them. ass
TERRORS TO THE POPULACE.
Both of these women are negresses. and
very powerful Their method was to APP
proach a man from behind, If possible, and,
while one Of them caught him around the
throat with the gag hold, the other went
through his pockets with the dizziness of
long practice. From the proceeds Of these
robberies. extending over a period Of five
years, the women bought three expensive
dwellings in a semi-fashionable part of
town, and have since been running them as
disorderly houses. They were finally SEN
fenced for a particularly fragrant robbery,
committed at the very door of one of the
railway stations, and, despite the potency
of a political pull, extraordinary in its
scope and power, they were sentenced.
Such was the terror they inspired among
and run on seeing them approach, even in
the principal streets, and every colored
woman was looked upon with fear and
distrust.
1t has become a recognized rule of the
streets by night that no man shall allow
another TO come upon him unseen from the
rear. On hearing footsteps overtaking him
from behind the Chicagoan always crosses
the street, else turns and faces the on
conner. A visitor, returning to his hotel
Winter She Fear f had adSed speed to his gait
which was naturally swift one, and as he
walked along Madison street he caught up
to a well-dressed man in front of him.
When he was within few yards the man
turned sharply upon him. Somewhat
alarmed, the visitor stopped. -
go on, if you want to pass" said the
stranger CURLY.
"well-er-I-I don't know-er-I-"
'Pve got revolver" interrupted the
| stranger, partly drawing 1t from his pocket
"Oh, Lordv exclaimed the visitor; Il wish
had. but haven't
You're cure either liar or fool "na retor ted
knows anything goes around unarmed at
| this hour
How do 1 know anything about your in
man doesn't have to take an arsenal with
him every time he goes outdoors"
Keeping his revolver ready. the other
drew near, and, being finally convinced of
the visitors respectablity, offered to walk
along with him as far as his hotel, an offer
praaehed an as aiiey and the Visitor started
to sheer out to the middle Of the street, as
he had done before, instinct having told
the Chicagoan kept right on. and as ne
came to the alleys mouth there was a
sound of quick footsteps and a form rushed
Don't shoot! Don't shoot!' came cry.
| and the form plunged back into the black
ness. A volley of curses followed the re-
air.
THAT is why it's convenient to have a
gun around" he observed to the visitor.
According to the police, sandbagging is
decreasing here, but a significant circum-
stance would seem to show the reverse to
be the fact. Actuated, doubtless, by the
| department stores recently added to their
leather department a kind of slungshot,
end with lead plummet. The sales aver
aged twenty a day for a week, the new
article going under the name Of an 'arm
exerciser." Following the sale of these was
an increase in the street assaults. and the
hospital surgeons found that they had a
new kind of wound to deal with; smaller,
l~,,< hat arfn md do nC th,x,
the regular sand club effect They reported
to the police that new weapon was being
used, but the police, being unable to catch
to produce any of the weapons. The sale
of the farm exerciser" still goes on.