The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-17
NEW YORK TOPICS.
DRIFTS AND UNDERGRADUATES OF
THE METROPOLIS.

Calm After the Political Storm.
What the Crooks Think of "Shake-
down. Administration, According
10 Josiah Flynt-Rafies, the Gem
tIeman BriSand of the Bronx-Ep-
idemics In the City-A New Story
of Chauucey Depew-News and
views of the Street.
New York, Nov. 15.-Nothing is more
astonishing than the sound and fury
with which this city of ours throws it
self into political campaign. except
the lapse into quiescence and indiffer-
ence which Immediately succeed the
battle. For a week before election day
one would suppose us inoculated with
the virus of hysteria. We crowd meet
ing halls to suffocation, and therein
shrek and howl until no vestige of
voice is left. Our candidate appears
in the street, and we madly shin up
adjacent lamp-posts to catch a glimpse
of the top of his hat. We fill our Of
fees, our clubs, and even the entries
of our churches, with vehement out
lace, and part of the female, divides
itself into two principal mobs and a
number of smaller ones, and COMFORTS
itself strictly according to the precepts
of violent insanity. Then comes the
decisive day, and the city is a mael-
strom of political chaos, and the air
is full of threats of bodily assault,
II i
where from midnight to o'clock the
next morning, the city goes to bed
and wakes up same. The seven devils
of political madness are cast out. You
couldn't get up a, meeting with drag
net Your favorite candidate, erst-
while escorted by bowling thousands,
walks down the street in lonely dig
nifty, and you wouldn't turn the corner
to look at him. Politics is over for a
year, and everybody is glad. We're all
tired of it, except those to whom poll
tics is a business and those in whose
business politics plays part.
Of the latter class the professional
law-breakers are the most deeply in
terested.
1t has been generally assumed by the
anti-Tammany people during the cam
paign just ended that these were on
the side of Tammany. Josiah Flynt,
author of THE World of Graft" and
THE Powers That Prey" thinks diff
ferently, and there is no man whose
opinion on the underworld is better
worth considering than his. He lives
and associates with these people, by
whom he is believed to be a second
story thief and pockpocket, and they
talk to him as one Of themselves. The
day after the election he had g. talk
with a well known thief. which he re-
peated to me. z---------- = -
!. This reform game amt a bad
graft said the thief. 1T gives a man
a chance. If it's on the level why
they pinch us grafters., Maybe they
get us, and maybe they don't We
take our chances. We understand
that If they nail us UP we go and
work out our time. If we make good
touch we don't have TO .divvy. The
way it's been lately, we get shaken
down by the cops whether we've made
anything or not, and like as not we
get pinched for not having enough to
square them. That's what makes me
sore. I'll get out an hustle an if I'm
pinched I'll take my medicine an make
no shout, but I'm sick of supportin
graftin' coppers."
THAT, I believe" said Mr.. Flynt,
lis the view of nearly all the metro
politan crooks. The dive-keepers feel
somewhat the same way. Before cleo
ton a man who has made his pile.
keeping disorderly houses on the East
Side came to one of the fusion candi-
dates and said: I'm with you Mr.. -.
You're trying to do me up, and all my
sort, but I'm with you. 1 made my
pile under a reform administration. /
got it and nobody came around to get
it away from me- Since Tammany
came in I've been shaken down for
lust $37 600 and I've got enough. III
be glad to see you do that gang. Here's
a little check to help along. 1t amt
because I'm stuck on reform, you UNI
derstand. I'm against all that CUFF.
But there's been too much grating in
office and I want to see EN- called
down.
Mr.. Flynt thinks that the most con-
cerned members of the underworld are
the gamblers. They don't know what
to expect from the Low-Jerome admin
stration, and they are waiting anx-
icusly to see what turns up.
That extraordinary specimen of Brit
itsh imaginativeness, who has been
writing accounts to the London papers
about brigandage in New York rather
strained a point when he endeavored
to convince his Transatlantic readers
doors after dark with a gold watch in
his pocket or money on his person
simply tempted fate. But he might
have told some equally remarkable
tales about that part of the city which
hes beyond the Bronx river, and not
have exceeded the truth. The Bronx
district is at present being overrun by
band of merry highwaynen who have
ali the attributes of the comic opera
stage, except the gay apparel. One OF
them got on a car one evening, eX-
tracted SIS from the conductors pocket
so deftly that the official knew moth
ing of the theft until the robber polite
y returned the roll. remarking that
It was too small game for him. Then
The conductor objected and called the
motorman to his aid. whereupon the
brigand. who was as heavy-handed as
ne was ght-fingered. knocked them
ooth down and walked away whistling.
Another jaunty crook-or perhaps the
same one-climbed a Bronx porch, and
nshed through the half open window
with line and hook. He caught two
pairs of trousers, a watch and chain.
ana an overcoat, and was endeavoring
10 get nibble from a roll of bills on
me dresser, when the occupant of the