The evening times., 1898-12-22
LONDON RoWDIFS.
The Increase of street Rufianism i'm
English Cities.
(From the London Mail.

II.
There has been an increase of late of
ruffianism in the streets. such as seems
10 occur sporadically in every large CITY.
and the LondoneTs are taking il very Sc
lousy For long, gangs of lads from fif-
teen to twenty years of age and even
Older, under little restraint and with no
regular employment but search for what
American slang calls trouble have in
tested some of the meaner quarters-the
borough on the Surrey side of the
Thames, Clerkenwell and Islington 10
the northeast, and the water side Of
Chelsea. For time they amused them
selves by fighting, gang against gang:
In inVaslons of the streets each had pre-
empted. or in attempts to win away by
force the girls whose favor their rivals
enjoyed. These combats. with fists
stones, waistbelts. with heavy buckles,
and, on occasions, knives, did not add TO
the comfort of life in the neighborhoods
affected, and peaceable residents grum-
bled much. wondering at the inability OF
the police TO repress them.
Perhaps they complained too loudly and
too often; perhaps by innocent inadver-
tence they stirred the quick wrath of the
gangs; perhaps the larrikins and the hoo
Hgans. as the local dialect calls them,
grew weary of indecisive warfare upon
each other. They began to find their prey
in their neighbors and in chance wayfar-
ers. If they coveted some article of food
In a shopman's door or window. they stole
it under his eyes and warned him. should
he complain to the police. of worse things
to come. If he resisted in any way. in
deed, they stole the more. Or. it, as
body or as individuals, they nursed
grudge. they vexed their victim and his
household with petty irritations. or.
watching their opportunity, assaulted
him when they were twenty and he one.
BY day they robbed children and women
of their pennies. BY night they despoiled
men that were alone too drunk to
make much resistance. URopposed they
used merely fists, belts and clubs: thwart-
ed or in danger of arrest, many of them
made play with knives. The mildest of
their pastimes the jostling of way
farers into the roadway and the aiming
of profanity and obscenity at passing
women Finally, if they were brought in
to court. they were often strong enough
TO silence timid witnesses against them
Ordinarily the police have been able to
arrest such offenders with little use OF
their truncheons. or If gang or the Gu :
prits friends attacked the ofncer ne
could RELY upon the aid of more or less
bystanders. Truncheons, however. nave
not been as effective as usual against the
weapons OF the pFdcticdi iaiiihi'is, w
that some of the constables have been
roughly handled, while fear of the re-
venge of the gangs kept the spectators
strictly neutral. In the petty courts. too.
II had been the custom to dispose quick
| ly of occasional cases of ruffianism in the
streets with a small fine, that the prison.
er's companions paid by round robin.
| When, however. the number of such Of
| fenses rose to three or four day in as
many different courts; when witnesses
began to seek magisterial protec ion
against the vindictive gangs; when Ier-
secuted tradesmen held secret meetings
| to take measures for mutual defense:
| when quiet folk grew shy of various
| quarters of the town after nishtfall and
when one or two assaults had ended In
| downright murder, discussion of causes
| and remedies briskly ensued on all sides.