The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-04

! die rather than have them exposed to such
! influences as surround ours He is rich and
| can keep servants to see that they do not
| go astray. l. have to work-rny wife has to
work. While she is at her household work
she cannot watch our boys and see that
they are not in mischief. 1t is an outrage
that we are given no relief
There are Boo gangs in every stage of
development in this community At the cor
ner of West and McCarty streets Yesterday
afternoon lot of young men, most of them
eighteen or nineteen to twenty-five years.
were shooting craps on the street There
We're perhaps fifty either throwing the dice
or standing about as spectators 1t is a
common occurrence for crap games to con-
tinue from morning to night in the first al
ley west of West street, Just off Kentucky
avenue. A guard stands al the mouth of the
alley. AT the West-street corner is another
guard, and yet another stands at the next
corner south Down the alley at the next
cross street is still another guard. If one
of Mayor Taggarts cops" comes in sight
a warning whistle is given and the crap
shooters scatter like rats from a sinking
ship. Last week two officers were riding
on a street car. When it stopped at Ken
lucky avenue they saw gang on the cor
ner engaged in this fascinating form of
gambling and sprang upon them. Hastily
grabbing the coin that was scattered over
the pavement, the players ran away. The
officers gave chase. OF course, they caught
none of the players
The Board of Park Commissioners took
great credit to itself for converting Green
lawn Cemetery into park. Fences that
were old and rotten were torn away, the
grounds were graded and sodded and pro-
Vided with benches. This old graveyard, ly-
ing just west of West street and north OF
Kentucky avenue, has become as infamous
g resort as the lake front in Chicago. Men
and women of degraded morals throng 1t
day and night. Time and again residents
living on the south side of Kentucky avenue
have seen kegs of beer carried into the
graveyard tapped and drank in broad day.
PETTY CRIME RUNS RIOT.
Last week the gang that infests the Ken
tucky-avenue point stopped q colored man
and his wife who were driving into town
from the country. They began pelting them
with stones. The old man was compelled to
dismount from the wagon in self-defense.
The man who told the Journal reporter
about this occurrence asked if the colored
man would not have been justified in shoot
ing. Last winter a man was seen by two
or three people to walk up to a grocery
store take down two rabbits that were
hanging to hook, put them under his coat
and walk away just as unconcerned as II ne
had paid "two-bits' for them. Such tmngs
are of common occurrence.
why don't you drive the gang away"
merchant was asked.
Il dare not. If l were to say anything
they would rock my windows, perhaps stone
me-"
Ripley county before the Versailles lynchlng
House-breakng, highway robbery, till
tapping and petty thieving are OF almost
nightly occurrence. A man kept tab for
two months this summer. There were SIX
ty cases in that time-almost one for every
night. Off-handed he recounted few or
the cases. Many of the housewives keep
poultry on South West street. There was
one woman who had half-dOZen of her
o'clock at night The same night another
woman's rOost was visited the chicken
thieves tearing off boards of the hen-house
in order to get at her fowls. The entire
| flock thirty in number carried OF. A
freight car was broken open on the VAN
dalia tracks, near by, and several cases or
| shoes stolen They were peddIed on the
streets at rs to so cents a pair Two men
were arrested, tried and sent to the work
house for a year, but 1t IS Claimed that
they were dupes and Understudies, and that
the principals who planned and executed
the robbery are still at large A man
house was burglarIzed. day or two after
one of the thives boldly appeared on the
street wearing a suit of clothes that had
been stolen from this house; Herman
! Gates's house was robbed while his wife
was at the grocery. He lost all his cloth
ing, a gold watch and $50 in money. Mr..
Haley, a street-car man, was another we
tim. Saloon No l was entered and the till
tapped three times in rapid succession. An
other mans house was burgarized of
| everything that was not nailed down. The
thieves carried off a clock, valuable hunt
ing gun, jewelry and clothing. While in his
house the ROBBERS tCO OK tIeSn box or ach-
| ing from his dresser, and, falling to hnd
shoe brush, used white nscktie to polish
their shoes. They were exasperatingly faS-
| tidiouS thieves. The ponce succeeded IN
turning up some old clothing stolen out or
this house. There is a woman who owns
| saloon. Her place was visited and liquors
and cigars taken as well as all the money
in the till. The next day the gang was
seen distributing whisky in tin cans IN
| Greenlawn Cemetery. Recently Mike Finn s
saloon was entered and the till tapped of
$65 to $40. The Celtic Hall saloon was also
robbed In August, after pension day, an
old soldier was held up and robbed of his
money at the power house near Kentucky
avenue A few days ago Miss Mamie FOs-
| ter left her bicycle at the curb for a few
| moments. 1t was scarcely dusk, and she
thought it safe to leave it while she ate sup
per. When she looked for her wheel 1t was
The sixty robberies spoken of have all
| occurred this summer and fall, all OF them
| south of Kentucky avenue In many cases
| the thieves have been known, but they
! were not apprehended.
| A dude is the pet aversion OF all the BOO
| gangs" Every man who wears good
clothes is listed in this category. Two young
men of distinguished appearance and fine
! clothes were out walking with two young
! ladies q week ago. Unhappiiy, they went
| down West street All at once the gang
| caught sight of them, and with a yell like
| that of Comanche braves about to execute
| a scalp dance the youngsters began shying
| rocks at the frightened couples. For an
! instant they were too frightened to ad-
vance or retreat, but when the rocks began
| raining against q bill board beside them
| the men and maidenS fled inglOriouSly.
| They will never venture in that part of
town again.
| a book might be written. 1t is because of
| such things that there is a disposition to
| denounce Taggart in the gang-ridden neigh
| borhood and the public meeting last week
| that ended in the orgies described has
| brought things to something of a crisis in
| the minds of a good many Democrats. They
| are particularly indignant that bicycle
! couriers were sent around to the byways to
bid toughs into the syndicate drinking fest.