The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-17

From the New York Sun.
Two Central Office men were guard
,ng the entrance to Madison Square
GARDEN one night few years ago
1,,en a crook known to the police as
1i,,mie the Dip attempted to go in.
uA wore fashionable clothes and he
Was looking forward to enjoying the
Measures of the French Ball.
He had often before been deprived
If the privilege of entering places of
nublic resort, owing to his propensity
for mistaking other peoples property
for a common fund for the needy. But
This night he had an air of confidence
and smiled patronizingly on the two
detectives when they stared hard at
him.
Notwithstanding his confidence they
we're not inclined to acknowledge Jim
nv as a member of their social set.
Instead of meeting his advances in a
friendly spirit one of them tapped him
on the shoulder and said menacingly:
We'll, don't you know enough to
keep away from here?"
On previous occasions Jimmie had lis
tened with cringing air and defect
ed mien to that same question, but
now he looked at the officers with that
half plying, half indignant expression
which had many times stood him in
good stead when a victim had grasped
his hand and demanded: How dare
you, sir, attempt to purloin my purse?"
Gentlemen, may 1 ask to be inform
cd fO this unSRRmlV conduct on VOlIr
part?" he asked.
One of the detectives finally caught
his breath and recovered from the
surprise caused by this answer. He
promptly gave Jimmie a violent yank
that landed that worthy in a corner
of the lobby and blurted out:
We'll, you crook! You've got the
nerve of a wardman!"
Sir" Jimmie replied, you are mis-
taken. am legitimate business man
solely bent on the enjoyment of the
evening"
You in legitimate business?" said
the detective incredulously. What
business?"
"The green goods business, gentle
men," replied Jimmie, with exultant
anticipation of the total collapse of his
captors.
Within a half hour Jimmie was using
his crush hat as pillow on one of the
hard benches at police headquarters
and wondering what they expected an
old crook to do in order to be classed
as g. legitimate business man.
Jimmie was only one of a large class
of crooks, who, after having earned a
precarious living by pocket-picking,
burglary and other forms of thievery
in which the remuneration was small
In comparison to the desperate chances
taken, had drifted into the safe mode
of acquiring money easily, known as
the green goods business. In this call
ing they got money so easily that they
could not classify it as stealing, and
many of them like Jimmie actually be-
lieved they were in legitimate business.
and again like Jimmie many of them
met with curious setbacks in their
prosperity.
There was the case of Poodle Hans,
another encyclopaedia, who had re-
ceived a diploma from James McNally
to act as one of his agents. McNally
was king OF the green goods men then
and his control of the business would
have been classified as another trust
if it existed to-day.
In a short time Poodle accumulated
upward of $4,000 and opened saloon
in one of. the large downtown office
buildings. His business f1ourished be-
cause all of the green goods gang pa
freely. But his success brought
well-developed attack of that insidious
disease that has caused trouble to
many a man endowed with superior
intelligence, namely, big head.
Perhaps he had ideas of breaking in
to society or perhaps his dignity was
offended when he heard one of his old
time friends call out from one of the
little booths that lined the wall, Here,
HWY
as it may, one day Poodle in a little
speech told the green goods operators
that as he had a good trade among
respectable business men it didn't look
well to have them around.
That was the beginning of the down.
fall of Poodle, and his end was sud-
den. It was not long before he dis
covered that the loss of the green
goods trade made a big difference in
his receipts, and he put an advertise
nent in the daily papers offering to
sell out.
The green goods men discovered this
and sent man to Poodle to buy the
place. The place was finally pur-
chased from Poodle for $22,500.
Poodle received that amount in notes
due in six months and Endorsed by
man rated at more than 100000. Be-
fore the notes fell due the man failed,
the place had been resold and Poodle
never got a cent. In the meantime he
had tried to blossom out as a stock
Spectator and awoke one fine morning
TO the fact that his room rent was
due and that he had no money.
He then tried to break into the gang
again, but failed When last heard of
ne was working in the clothing trade
Tor the state, steady work for four
years and eight months being assured
MIN. He secured his employment by
trying to find out the time on another
mans watch.
There We're many curious incidents
IN the green goods business" said
former operator. 1.-The death of Tony
Martin was due to the gross careless
ness of a man we had with us who
mad acquired the sobriquet of Coffee
and Cakes, owing to the fact that that
diet was the only one any of the boys
ever saw him eat. He was very ava
rlclous apd would not trust his own
mother where money was concerned.
Tony Martin had steered two VIC
ufns from Pennsylvania and as they
We're both hard-looking customers it
was decided to leave one in small
restaurant in charge of Martin, while
CoHee and Cakes took the other to
me Joint to transact business. After
the business had been transacted, Cot
lee and Cakes was to escort the victim
Ddck to the restaurant, so as to see
mat he did not open the box until
martin got away.
o. instead of doing this Coffee and
axes left his man two or three blocks
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