The sun., 1903-08-01

ing himself with this form Of money as lately
as the year 1891, for when he was 10 years
Old, ana consequently in that year, 1t was
his fortune to see gentleman 4touch" a
lady for her "leather" in street car, and
when the gentleman saw that Jim was
next" to that forbidden operation, he gave
him -four dollars in ten and fifteen-cent
paper money" as an inducement to keep his
mouth shut.
Again we find Jim mistaken in his memory
OF the time OF the Inauguration of depart
ment stores and the delivery wagon sys-
tenn. He speaks as follows OF conditions
when he was Is years old--that is to say,
in the year 1883: 1T was time, too, before
the great department stores and delivery
wagon systems, and shoppers were COM
PEELED to carry more money with them
than they do now, and to take their
purchases home themselves through the
streets"
We find also a rather glaring sin against
the true chronology Of the Wanamaker
store. Jim is speaking Of the year 1894,
when he says, on page 2l0: "The Kid
asked me if | was ready, and pointed out
swell Mol, big, breezy and blond, COM
ing down the street. with large wallet
sticking out OF her pocket. II seemed
easy, with no come back in sight, and I
agreed to stall for the Kid. Just as she
went into Dennipg's, which is now Wanna
makers, I went in ahead of her, turned and
met her. She stopped, and at that moment
the Kid nicked her. We got away all right,
and found in the wallet over 800 and
small knife. In the knife were three rivets
which we discovered on inspection to be
magnifying glasses. We applied our eyes
to the same and saw some pictures which
would have made Mr.. Anthony Comstock
howl; if he had found this knife on this
| aristocratic lady he would surely have
sent her to the penitentiary."
We think that Jim is mistaken as to the
time when Wanamaker's was Dennings.
We think, too that he has an erroneous
notion of ladies' pockets and the hardness
Of the same in the year 1894. We are not
quite sure az to the full powers of Mr.
Anthony Comstock in a cese such as Jim
describes and supposes.
When jim got his third "fall" he de-
scrbes his state Of mind as follows: |
believed that | was going to die anyway
and that things did not matter; only I
would have as much company as possible
on the road to the other world. l meant
to shoot the copper who had beaten me
with his club, District Attorney Olcott,
the Judge, the complainant, and myself
as WE'LL as soon as I should be taken into
the courtroom for trial. The pistol, how
ever was taken away from me before |
entered the court: | was convicted and
sentenced to five years at Sing Sing
Much Of the time l spent in stir on
my third bit I still harbored this thought
of murder. That was one reason | did
not kill myself The determination to do
the copper on my release was always in
my mind planned even more cunning
t0venge.
Il imagined many a scheme to get him
and gloat over his dire misfortunes. One
of my plans was to hunt him out on his
beat, invite him to drink, and put thirty
grains of hydrate of choral in his glass
When he had become unconscious | would
put bottle of morphine in his trousers
pocket and then telephone to a few news
papers telling them that If they would send
reporters to the saloon they would have
good story against a dope copper who
smoked too much The result would be.
I thought, rap against the copper, and
his disgrace and dismissal from the force
would follow. Sometimes this seemed
to me better than murder; for every copper
who is broke Immediately becomes a
bum When my copper should have be-
come bum magined myself catching him
dead drunk and cutting his hamstrings."
Pleasant. But they sent Jim to the
asylum for the criminal insane at Matteawan,
and when he had been four years without
opium he forgavc the copper and reformed.
There is a good deal Of sameness to his
autobiography. but we think that It will
entertain the reader, and it may be that
II will instruct him.