The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-06
How an English
Judge Used 1t
to Effect.
STORY OF HIGH RIPPERS.
An Organization Of Young
Toughs That Once Ter
rorized Liverpool.

Pal fDGIICu SdFC Ca pa " llt nope
that he might live to. see. the day when
the Massachusetts Legislature would
empower him as judge to sentence men
81 guilty of the crime of wife-beating ito
be logged upon the bare back he
brought down upon himself the some
n what severe condemnation of a few
sentimental editors who rebuked the
judge for his desire to get the wheels
of civilization working backwards by
returning to so brutal a form of prison
punishment as f1ogging. Brutal, it GER
tainly is, and "uncivilized" and badly
out of harmony with all our latter day
humanitarian ideas of prison reform.
Yet there is one class of criminal IN
every community whose case is beyond
the reach of any other remedy and
whose return to the paths of rectituda
cannot be brought about by mere con-
finement in a jail. That is the class
whose members are known in police
circles everywhere as young toughs'
strong, healthy fellows from IL or 49,
to % years OF age, who have a con-
stitutional aversion for work of any
nature, who live on "de folks" whether
de folks" be aged parent or hard
working sister, or heartbroken wife,
and who punctuate the progress of
their idle years by periodical assaults
of the most brutal character on those
who so foolishly provide them with food
and shelter. For such scernps as these
simple Imprisonment has no terror.
They chafe and writhe for time, Of
course, under, the calling discipline and
close, confinement and the unpalatable
food that Is so hard to swallow. But
they soon get used to the regime with
its clean, warm bed and regular hours
and three meals a day, and they so
through the sentence possessed with
the single thought of revenge when
they get out, whether that revenge is |
to be wreaked upon society in general
or only on "de folks in particular. |
Just such chaps as these, Judge Fallon
had in mind the other day when he |
made his now famous declaration of
regret that he could not sentence the
fellow before him to 80 days and 30
lashes, Instead of four or six months
in jail without the laying on of knotted
leather thongs. If he had the power, |
and used it, his honor would soon be
satisfied of the efficacy of the treat |
ment.
Some years ago there was in the city
of Liverpool, England, a desperate |
state of things in existence. A gang, or
a reg OTSdIllLdllOlli VI JOhAA5i
hoodlums had the entire shipping dis
trict, with a population of 100000, in a
stat of terror for months. These ruff
fans had a name for their association. |
They called 1t the High Rip gang,
and high rip was soon recognized byl
the police as their password or rallying
cry from the frequent use that was
made of the expression whenever a
policeman found himself trying to take
one Of the gang to the nearest station
house surrounded by mob of sympa-
thizers with the prisoner clamorfng for
his release. In those days liverpool
with its 100000 inhabitants, had no such
police signal system as one can see in
every city or town in America. The
officer patrolling his beat mile from
his station, and finding it necessary tot
make an arrest, whether of a fighting /
tough" or merely a dead drunk was
Obliged personally to take his prisonert
to the station, task of no small diff
Guilty and peril in the presence of a
hostile crowd. During the high
rip reign of terror the police force Of
Liverpool, composed of 1000 men, be- |
came almost demoralized through it's i
inability to cope with the situation. Thel
high Tippers,e working in gangs of
three, garrotted men and women on the
pubic thoroughfareS even in broad day. |
light, storekeepers were held UP at all
personal jewelry snatehed, often before
the amazed and terrified gaze of scoresi
of customers.
The police made a strong effort to
grapple with the evil. Despite dailyl
and brutal assaults on individual Off
GERS, frequent arrests were made andI
were quickly followed by sentences of
Is months or two years for eachI
captured high ripper" But the reignl
Of terror went on unchecked. Finally
the press of Liverpool raised it's united
voice in protest against the inability
. of the authorities to- stamp out the or
ganized criminals who were daily
growing holder in their operations, un-
4 til 1t looked as If soon no section of the
city would. be free from their lawless-
4 ness.
Just as the tide of crime seemed to
reach high water mark there came into
the arena strong and fearless judge,
who, like Judge, Fallon Of Boston, was
not afraid to tell the community that
under certain conditions simple con-
nnement in jail Is no cure for crime. He
was Judge Day, afterwards Sir John
Day, who sat In Westminster hall as al
member of the memorable Parnell COM
mission. Judge Day told the grand jury
u opening the assize court one morning
mat he would stamp out garrotting or
robbery with violence. In the streets of
Liyerpool.s He had made up his mind
that be the cost what 1t may, the city's
streets should be made SO safe that a
girl ten years old could pass through
any street at any hour with her fathers
weeks wages in her hand and be free
from molestation. The grand jurors
looked at the judge with incredulous
eyes, the police Struggling their Shout
ders and smiled in pity, the general
public voted down Judge Day as an
opumist OF the most sanguine mould.
He may have been. But optimist or
pessniist, he kept his word.
AS group after group Of high rip
pers' came up for trial and was con-
Vlcted. Short, sharp and decisive,
came the sentence from the bench.
q. sixty days in the city prison. with
oV lashes of the cat on the first day
ana 30 more lashes on the last day Of
me sentence" and loud was the waiing
u the doomed garrotters as they were
hurried to the cells below.
Make the time seven years, your
nonor. I'd sooner do 1t than take the
Sdt ana 60 days." whned one of three
.lgh rippers who had been convicted Of
salrotting the fourth engineer of a Gu
as aSa steamer who had put up such a
an. an llsht against his cowardly assail-
E. his life. ''us 2 - iieariS oose nm
ar. NO. sir, replied Justice Day, you
hso,.p altogether too young and too
saw. TO be supported for the next
cal IL years at the expense Of the hon
rncn.sN payers Of this community. Two
0mros shs and the cat will suit your case
huch better,"
avail t Gown he went, disconsolate, to
pr,so ms ride In the Black Marie to
ana to ohastisement.