Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1898-12-16
NOTED RAWSON TWINS.
Desperadoes of New Jersey In
tend to Reform.
SOME --TcS THEY HAVE DONE

Picture as q Penance For Their
EVIL Deeds - VIII BE Decent. Not
SANITY.
The Rawson twins have announced
that they have reformed. Maybe there
is news that will be more important to
people living about Hillside, Wood
cliffe, Ridgewood, Undercliffe and 9TH
er New Jersey towns, but the inhabit-
ants cannot think of it offhand. There
haven't been twins so famous since the
Siamese pair travelled through the
country. For ten years the Rawsons
have been associated with the most pic
turesque and daring deviltry that New
Jersey has known. The Rawson twins
made the announcement Of their refor-
nation the other day. Incidentally they
protested against the publication in
newspapers that they have been indicted
five times.
1--WE have never been indicted" said
Albert Rawson, the younger by an
hour, in smooth, musical tones iva
have been arrested many times AMI
spent good many days in Jail. but wa
were never indicted. We will be of aga
next year. We will come into abous
$50, 900 each then, and we want to get
into some business We are going te
work in New York We are going to
paint picture of Christ and two dis
ciples for the Riverdale church, SO that
people can have something before their
eyes to remember us by and az sort OF
pledge that we have turned over a new
leaf. Both of us have studied painting
under our father.
but we are not going to turn into
saints" drawled Alpheus Edward Raw
son lazily. "We have few come backs
to settle up in Jersey. We thrashed
Marshal Van Wagonen recently. We
owed it to him because he wouldn't let
us go to our sisters funeral. And we
must thrash Demorest Zabriskie be-
cause he accused us of crimes we knew
nothing abont. Yes, we must pay up
Demorest Zabriskie," said Albert Raw
son, smiling sweetly. 1--WE will wait
some night until he has a gang in his
house and then we will clean it out. +"
Albert weighs 175 pounds stripped,
although he looks anRmic. He is inn
mensely powerful. He is slightly shorter
than his brother, who lacks an inch OF
being six feet and weighs 165 pounds.
Ed Rawson, as he is always called, is a
boxer, while Bert is q better wrestler,
although he is harder man in long
fight than his brother. Bert is the in
tellectual twin. He has light, straight
hair, long nose with widely distended
nostrils, and clear, steady, gray eyes.
He smiles very pleasantly. When he
chooses, be uses excellent English.
Both boys have strong chins.
Now, I'll tell you how it was, "
said Bert, leaning over aud speaking
with an air of the most winning conf
dence. 1--WE are New York boys. We
were born in Bond street, III the house
that belonged to our grandmot her, Laura
Keene. We went TO Hillsdale to live
when we were about 7years old. When
we went to school, the boys set on rs
and beat the life out of us because we
couldn't hold up our own end. We let
them beat Us, and we learned TO fight
as we went along We kept at it until
We walloped the whole bunch.'
Both boys lighted cigarettes and Bert
went on: 1--WE had trouble at home
with our stepmother, and that made q:
little touchy. She always said W.
were bad boys. Then the boys we wal
Hoped always blamed everything on to
us, so that people came to believe we
were bad boys There hasn't a thing
happened within ten miles of Hillsdaie
for ten years that hasn't been blamed
ON us. - 1--WE never really did any thing
to stir 'em up until three years ago,
observed Ed. That's when we turned
out the fire department, explained
Bert. 1--WE had nice time. We tied
the door of the house. Then we sounded
the alarm with all our might and got
the whole town out of bed. We stood
| around and watched en-
1.-The way they swore was awful, T"
said Ed. 1T was along about that time
we were first arrested" Bert contin-
ned. 1--WE went swimming on Sunday
with six other boys. Only Ed and
were arrested. We were fined 81 each.
After that we used to go through the
i town at o'clock in the morning and
shoot off our guns, just to make people
| understand that we intended having q
live town. The next time we were ar
\ rested was when we were playing the
| ghost. We wanted to scare a couple OF
| fellows who were wearing down the
| sill of a house where two girls lived
We bad an eye over that way ourselves.
We rugged up a figure with an old skirt
| and cardboard and fixed it in the road.
1t happened that there was a surprise
party that night. Maybe the crowd
| didn't have a fit.
I've were arrested and false charge
| cooked up against us, but it didn { hold
| We got out after 30 days. Thirty nine
| charges against us all told, said Ed.
waving smoke into the air. sThey
| accused Us of attempted murder, bur
| glary. highway robbery and larceny.
| petty larceny, mayh hem, conspiracy and
I don't know W hat all, said Bert. with
his sweet smile. And they never tell
about the good things we have done
I've saved seven lives-four from drown
| ing and three from an express train.
| the children of John ]. Wortendyke-
| Ed saved q bunch too ..Of courne
/ that doesn't amount to much, said II,
"but it shows we have not alwayn Sen
1 raising mischief Rut we'ya ref pmed