The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-11-03
Ways or THE HOLD-UP MAN.
some Points Regarding an Industry That
Thrives I'm chicago.
From he Chicago Tribune

man while the latter Is plying his vocation
have a wrong conception OF him. To most
men he represents an angry. hungry beas st
proving on society. The conventional high
wayman must be ugly and have broad shout
ders and curse horribly. He must have g
trusty weapon and maybe two. one as trusty
as the other. He says stop. throw up your
handsi" as melodramatically as any JACK
Sheppard or Claude Duval. and under no cir
Sumstanc ssn must ls , his S aemdan Old iG idea money on him ne
IL is romantic, and no highwayman OF that
class could work "a. advantage without a set
and perhaps an orchestra to dole out slow and
creepy music.
But that is not the sort Of hishwayman that
into custody may be called fair examples Of
those who escape, II Is easy TO see that the hold
t v tn m"tter, is neither a ohiySairous Robin Hood
nor a heartless %rufian. More often he Is the
latter, but the general rule Is that he Is an
wake the e l, snoIt G msn of the famous team IN Of the
long and the short men g , Wn0 f FrntEsrsto tne
Kid Murphy, and a few others OF mat sort, the
hierarchy Of their profession as y T we sci Hus1
man. They had more daring and more
strength than the men who will work this
winter The successor snd once 20 t thbey are UNDER.
stood successful highway rooberies VIII DC
less frequent. Fl.
MUCH oil tnelT StTenRtn rs i'NiNtou' -
idea OF an attack in the night carries frlght
with IL 10 many men. and the appearance OF
the highwayman Is exaggerated I'D ieI9olss
ho,d-up men who are known to the police now
are with n few exceptions the cheapest sort OF
Dnsa 5Gho eTbtmIddsiy where honesty is quoted at a
considerably lower figure than the ability 70
get away from the police; They grow up on
saloon habit One saloon in the levee district
is the harbor of most hold-up men wheare. as
the actors say. at liberty a hignt o Sron of
the rpformatory at Pontiac. Daroled cOnNlcls
and some men freed from Joliet. the ainateurs
who are going into lives OF crime because ,ney
and boys who get In the place by mistake
ara there TO drink and 20 talk crime ana ciin,
iruls The police Of the Harrison street station
Let the place run because they believe IN lhe
concentration Of the habitues They never
have TO go fur to lo9k Tor ne he. men ea ,n'y sntoscsi
pigeons" who are hired spies. in the place and
they watch 1t closely. Hold-up men IN emDryo
of the sort But they are sadly lacking in the
qualities that appeal to the seeker aite! !he
picturesque in Srlmin min. ,sot fhn nlSS.a Spe m nS, are
cheap thugs. The exceptions are sale IN jan
The Common variety go EARNED, OF coursH, out
the arm ament Is "a old-fashioncd. usually, as
As soon as one OF them is arrested his revolver
is cout-cated and n needle Is not louno ~
haystuck more seldom than Is a GOOD weap1n
found on a hold-up man Tho guns are usually
choap bulldog revolvers that might have cost
q dollar and a quarter u tne ao N Tor
hs vcapon he was grossly swindled. Some OF
them carry socks hlled with lead, ana WIN
these weapons made in the humble home, OF
the operator must be classed the ~slungshot
or bit of plugged leather which Is more .l.en
than not constructed ut home ana 70 suit w
individual taste Of the man who, Is 10 wlelu "
Many times have hold-up men been atfss!tu
with revolvcrs which have not enjoyed the
completeness that goes with Z, weapon whicn
a. ~ for ct,ntiur pmrDOgpS sometimes u II
the cylinder that - missing sometimes
there Is no hammer. and oiten the ,rigseIJ
that constant companion 81 q. Wen eaulpltu
revolver. has been missing A handkerchief
makes the best mask. hut most holq-up ihtn
DE-" not ,HaiI d Gs ai., wheg they hear their
victim. approaching somst'ne., IL dheH
wanted 20 mask, they would nave 10 go All
the way home for a handkerchlei
4 dark alley is an essential part of a hold-up
The pedestrian walks. past the mouth OF Nc
alley, and then the hold-up man Ret. ou.uI i
M sight, II follows that If pedestrians 90
not walk close TO tue wall or hulidlng nh'l
they seek the CurhStone. OF, better sun tle mlu-
die of the road. they are comparatively saLe
4 black, soft hat of the sombrero ordcr Is
n means Of hold.np prevention ma. ILurn
tenant. the captain. and the plain clothes men
wear soft hats when not ~ uniform so,la
cit zen who il not on the police force can affect
the regulation police swagger, and can anord
"A soft hat, not many hold-up men Will Nenturr
close enough to ask for his money without
~ illiam buchanan, a colored hold-up man.
Who. on nccount of the deNterity Win whlch
hr used to operate. !. now reIos,,s W q
OF Washington Park Other lights that are
lesser by many candle power also aneG' Wy
parks, because at night they are PROVIDED WIN
80 many obscure paths Tho trees ana the
-hrubbery make good alleys to escape hhn
j. never a safe plan TO walk too close 70 the
confessions Of hoid-up men show that they
are often ~ frightened as the men they ite
holding up They have then r"NnlN'r uhusa
the nose 81 the man from. whom they iTa
getting rich quick, and with the other hand
thov are going through III" pockets some
of them believe In lacking some po'h'l-
has time 10 go into their victims shoes Tor
money. and the ribbon ~ a hht j. dho,ltr
safe hidiug place lhrryt-t 20 sh99' ar" IT'LL
idle. hut the question Of toe lnld-up ilahs
-inc.rit, L. -u,h "a d"licIte one that Il j. best To
believe that he Will shoot ~ nr s'ys so, thu
th"p one H. oil ~" al" IA" bht u tnei' =
SAY. o. resist No hold-up man ,~ll MI a
rolo.uau unless there D. absolutely no other
chauc" fog ~, r,clpr h'rtgn"n sS" uhsn
am OUTLAW Aa- Iill|d an unloef lhat outiaN
will fpll dead lust ~ soon as a. lpho"ihAh
cot ia. revolver iu hI- hand aud the hold-up
have III proving that they posses thhl wlt'nl
IN other surroundings would he ia" 'spir'
~. h.'t auti critics agree that While tho
su.ryt aud aNIlf. 4 the average hnla-up
man be- grrltl, ,Aas.'rlt"d y D. wiSsNs hfl-
To- before l'EIuulug 10 dtfh l"Nih'f ."lh, %.
,tytt tn leave thr Nutsh lu SOME safe pla0"
duuu.ttsU and o. H"rrr'" mooney ih lh' .n''
90 au uut col u.r aHH p"'h'' lh"n lh'
tls l.u.-t ,t9-u aud hlW b. 10 greeting A.
Ilrs u. uu mooney chat F"- hHNdr ll' l"ll -up
industry lu- HoU, IH' tr-t ui co." lfai'H l"h
Wt,k ~ NTI>G ~ iTiH
49,. .., uitb ths turd. az Hear MI ~