The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-10-23

all the other States, especially those IN
the South.
The safe blowing and robbery by
"yeggs" at Port Chester last week in
dicates to those who know the habits
Of this queer class Of criminals that a
band are working this way. 1t is on
the cards for them to be heard from
soon in New Jersey or down on Long
Island, although in the past the
"yeggs" have bothered Long Island
very little.
The men whose business it is to know
all about criminals, their ways and
the peculiar marks by which their
work may be told; have had a hard
time in studying the "yeggs." One
reason is that the "yeggs" are a COM
paratively new class.
1t is only within ten years that they
have become known in this region.
If they were known previously in other
parts of the country detectives here
never heard Of 1t.
Very little of their origin is known,
but that they have a more complete
organization than even the common
American tramp is well established.
Their work Is all of one class. They
loot country postoflces and railroad
stations, country stores and OCCASION
ally, but not often, a country residence.
They use dynamite in blowing open
safes always, and they depend upon
the terror that their holiness spreads
over a neighborhood for their success.
Some of the raids that they have made
right in this State are unequalled for
boldness by anything ever done by the
stage robbers Of yellow fiction.
The 'yeggs" are really tramp Grim
inals. They must not be confused with
the country road tramp who loots
kitchens and hen roosts, because they
do not belong to that class at all and
hold such petty criminals in great
contempt.
The "yeggs" are bright, clever
thieves, who dress well and plan all
their operations with care. Their chief
characteristic is stheir utter fearless
ness.
When they mark a place for a raid,
they don't sneak up to 1t, throw out
guards and use other precautions.
They just march up with their imple-
ments, break open as many doors as
may be necessary, charge the safe
with dynamite and touch it off. Then
they take what they want from the In
terror and disappear.
If any one interrupts them they
shoot at him. Almost invariably a
fusillade follows any attempt to inter
fere with "yeggs," and this evident
willingness to shoot recklessly always
has the effect Of keeping people off.
It must be remembered that the
"yeggs" work almost exclusively In
country places where there is no or
ganized police force to interfere with
them.
Some folks think the "yeggs' are
gypsies. but they certainly don't show
any signs of belonging to that race.
They don't camp out anywhere n
they are seer very little on the road.
What road travelling they do is done
by night. as it is a part Of their bust
ness to keep their movements secret.
Occasionally "yeggs" are caught.
Then they are found to be men of u i.
usual intelligence. They are OF all
nationalities, and seem to come from
50 many different walks Of life that the
notion. that they are a class like the
gypsies is exploded.
1t is the organization Of the "yeggs'
which eycites the admiration of men
who have seen something Of 1t. They
have ways of communicating with n
another that are mysterious and eff
fective. They will sweep down on a
country postoffice, blow open the safe,
shoot several people and then get away
with the loot without leaving the
slightest trace of their movements.
They haven't been seen coming in,
| anu lIty uuNtii l DCth oliNS SOiAS
out. \ general alarm sent out over the
surrounding country never seems to
result in catching the participants in
any of these raids. They seem to melt
away.
A remarkable instance Of this oc-
Cured last summer in a small town
in Southern New York. A gang of
about thirty "yeggs' descended on the
place. Instead Of robbing stores they
carried out 4 carefully planned raid on
the residence district. This town has
a uniformed police force of some thirty
men. but despite this the "yeggs'
marched in. went into houses without
bothering to find out whether any Il
was home or not, took what they
wanted, shot at any one who objected
and at some who didn't and then went
away. They walked through the main
streets Of the place with their loot
fred shots in the air and so terrified the
local police that the latter did not dare