The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-24
ETHICS OF THE UNDER WORLD.
"Do AS THE ROMANS DO" WHEN
WITH HOBoEs OR CROOKS.

ciaI POSitfon-Vfndictiye of An
Identified "Dip,-Neither "Guns"
Nor s.Hoboes" Arc QuarreIsOme, as
RuIe-A Letter From a High Class
Crook.
Copyright. 1901, by Josiah Flynt Willard')
New York March 22.-The Under World
is hospitable to a newcomer If the new
conner is prepared to take the place that
the Under World thinks fits him. There
are very definite social distinctions IN
outcast life, and a man is expected TO
respect them. The "gay-cat" in Hoboland
the man who will work at pinch-must
kunckle down to the man who won't work.
Inability sincerely to struggle for an ex-
istence in a respectable and respected
way is the badge of aristocracy in Tramp
dom. Willingness to leave money alone
that can be successfully stolen is the sign
of the "tenderfoot' in the professional
criminal environment.
The newly arrived" in the tramp's,
as we'll as the crooks world, are sized
up" and socially placed according to their
understanding of these two theories of
life. The man who is prepared to soil
his hands with toll while he is tramping
is respected by the "perfesh," if he is
recognized as a genuine workingman
looking for job The man who is pre-
pared to soil his hands with toll because
he does not understand how to keep his
hands clean is neither respected nor
wanted on the road" It is a common
belief that he does more to jeopardize the
interest of the fraternity than any other
traveller of the turf" The man who can
seem and act like a "blowed in the glass
shn"-the real thing-is welcome among
both crooks and hoboes. He gets his par
ticular place in the social arrangement
according to his reputation as skilled
operative" but his position in general
as an accepted and qualified member OF
outcast society is good as long as he re-
mains true to outcast principles. theories
and customs.
The professionals" in both the tramp
and criminal worlds have generally nc
cepted me into their society with very
few questions asked. Inquisitiveness
about a mans private affairs unless he
volunteers information concerning them,
is not popular anywhere in the Under
World, and have made it my rule to say
as little as possible about myself and
business, ard to stick to what 1 saw, no
matter what happens. In Hoboland am
plain Cigarette, the tramp" nothing
more and nothing less. As class, the
tramps in this country-and it must be
remembered that a large number of these
men used to be criminals in the strict
sense of the word-have treated me as far
as it lay in their power, as pal, and
have very few criticisms to make of their
"hang-out'' hospitality or general good
fellowship.
mi, e III te~I, oil
" a much more reserved and uncommuni-
cative person than the tramp has accord
ed me practically the same friendliness
that 1 have found in Hoboland. He has
often been put to it to make up his mind,
as to my standing and position in his
class, and there are a number
of his fellow craftsmen who
are still wondering what my particular
graft is; but we can get along to-
gether socially with very few mean words
exchanged, and, up to date, without any
blows being landed successfully. l have
| tried to express my opinion pugilisticaliY
to two thieves of my acquaintance, ana
they endeavored to express theirs with
similar force but on neither occasion was
1 able to do any more than feebly indi-
cate my meaning, and the same is true
of the two men. If we should meet
again. the chances are even that we
to violence.
There is one professional thief that
I know who has publicly declared that
my light is to go out the next time
we meet in a place where he can get at
me in the way that he wants to, but
he is the only man in the Under World,
so far as / know, who holds any such
grudge against me. He got angry with
me because l once turned policeman In
bAr
from that officials point of view and
belped TO land him in the penitentiary,
during the process. j was out in OHIO
at the time following up circuses that
we're being transported over certain
railway company's lines. l carried with
me a little black book of photographs
of notorious pickpockets and general
thieves of the middle west II was my
| duty TO commit to memory as many or
the faces in the book as l could, and to
| look out for the originals on my route
| of travel One day l arrived in town
where Buffalo Bins Show" was being
| exhibited. and a pickpocket had been cap
tured. and was locked up in the local
"calaboose." so 1 went to the lookup to
get a view of him. Unfortunately Tor
| him Il so happened that It was his mug
| IN my book that 1 had given considerable
| attention to a few days before, and I rec
oenized him the instant that the officers
| brought him out for our inspection. The
discovery OF his identity pleased me so
| much that nothing would do but l must
| run TO everybody in the room and show
| them the mans picture. The thief watch
ed my movements very closely, and after
| he had been Enthusiastically identified, and
| was about to be led back to his cell,
| he turned on me the most vlndictive look
ing eyes | have ever seem and gave me
the worst roasting it has been my
| privilege to receive. To the best of my
| knowledge | am not afflicted with con-
| sumption, but thieves pay very little at
tention to facts when roasting an enemy.
you mean little consumptive duffer
YOU" seid the pickpocket, you're nice
one to go around knockin' against guns.
you've only been dead about two weeks
yourself. Wait till / get out of this, an
I'll nut your light out forever; take my
tin on, that" He is now doing five years
IN a big penitentiary If we should meet
again on dark night in a secluded spot
nv Eight" would doubtless become very
dim.
The men who know nothing about my
short career in the police business gen
orally take me for a pickpocket or an
outsider when we meet in the thiefs
world An outsider is one who pipes
OFF, a place to be robbed before the men
v-0 are TO do the work appear-watch-
ing out for danRer-whie the men are at
work He Is called an outsider because
ne duttas keen him mainly in the open.