Evening star., 1901-02-23
AS BAD AS CHICAGO
New York Getting a Great Reputa-
ton for Lawlessness,
HIGHWAY ROBBERIES FREQUENT
Police Are Unwilling or Unable to
Give Protection.
NOTES OF THE BIG TOWN
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
NEW YORK February d. 1901.
New York is becoming Chicagoized so
rapidly that a movement is on foot to per-
init citizens to carry firearms without gain
ing permission from the authorities to do
80 1t is very close to the mark to state
that New York is unsafe place
of residence as Chicago, and for ten years
past Chicago has been properly looked
upon as the most Iawless great city in
Christendom.
When Byrnes was the top policeman of
New York the town was policed. What
Josiah FIynt calls grating may have
prevailed just as much during the Byrnes
regime as it does today, and it would be
carrying the praise of Byrnes too far to
state that during his rule the protection
OF certain of the criminal classes was some
thing unknown But if at that time there
was protection for the cheerful workers
who were able to pay for it there was also
protection for the public. Byrnes had the
town cut up into dead lines. and his re-
concentrate system for the herding togeth-
er in strictly charted districts of crooks
engaged in certain lines of business was
about as fine a thing of the sort as was
ever devised. The crooks had their sta
tiOns,'' and they answered to their num-
bers when, metaphorically speaking, Byrnes
called the roll with all the alertness of a
ships company falling into their places Tor
fire drill. When the crooks got OUTSIDE thelr
districts they inevitably received a sum
mons from Byrnes to look him up at
headquarters and explain.
In those days there was little or no open
violence on the streets of New York Hold
ups were exceedingly scarce. Pocketpick-
ing became actually uncommon, excepting
during huge crush affairs on the streets
Impertnent and menacing panhandlers
were virtually unknown. Women were sell
dom or never robbed in the streets
special law of singular but just severity,
was framed for the crooks who made
business of employing knockout drops. In
brief. Byrnes made and kept New \ ork saie
for law-abiding citizens, and man could
walk the streets at any hour or the DAY
or night feeling that he had at least an
even chance of making his home with an
undamaged anatomy and his portable prop
erty.
Highway Robberies.
Tt IS dull dag under the present police
administration, however. when the records
do not show at least a half dozen cases Of
highway robbery. \ number of recent
hold-ups have been committed in broad
daylight and right in the heart of the city.
1t has not get happened that the mayor
of the city has been held up in the city
hall by a "gun''-a refreshing experience
through which a certain mayor or Chlcago
passed about ten years ago-but there was
a bit of fine comedy on the Bowery the
other morning. when a well-known Tam
many politician was shaken down by
gang of ''rough-house panhandlers and
deprived Of his watch and chain and some
500 in money. 1t was positively pathetic to
see the grieved wounded expression on this
Tammdny politicians countenance as he
told OF his loss. Only about q week before
he was held up he had stated in an inter-
view that he regarded New York as the
cleanest. best regulated and best policed
city III the world.
Women Are Not Safe.
Women are being knocked down in the
streets and deprived of their pocket books
and jewelry with astonishing frequency,
and the majority of the crooks performing
these tricks are making good their escapes
When one of them happens to be captured
the ochre papers essay TO stir up sympathy
for him by publishing maudlin stories to
the effect that the Culprit had to steal in
order to provide the necessaries of life for
his wife and family. The women of New
York who feel that they cannot achieve
comfort or happiness without littering
themselves with diamond jewelry before
setting forth on shopping tours are becom-
ing decidedly alive TO the situation. and
some of them are exhibiting great coolness
in the teeth Of danger.
rough-looking customer tackled a
young woman on st. Nicholas avenue the
other afternoon for money. She wore a
fine sealskin coat and a siZable pair or
solitaire earrings. She coolly informed the
tough-loOking panhandler that she had
nothing for him, and proceeded up the
steps of the nearest apartment house. II
she belonged there-which she didn't. The
robber was right behind her She touched
every electric button in the vestibule and
when the thief, who unquestionably had de-
signs upon her pocket book and earrings,
was right behind her in the vestibule she
coolly pulled revolver from the pocket of
her coat and covered him, at the same time
sweetly requesting him to throw up his
hands.
The robber complied without a murmur
ana then a number of the malc
whose bells the nervy young woman had
rung appeared and nabbed the robber
Whereupon the game young woman irume-
dlately emitted two or three weary little
gasps and tainted.
From Beggars to Robbers.
IL would seem if all OF the numbering
rum-sodden chaps on the streets who used
TO be known simple beggars for de