The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-27
Youthful Drug, Cigarette and Whisky Fiends, In
fluenced by Reading Cheap Novels and Witness.
ing Blood and Thunder Plays, Become
Hghwaymen for Short Period
Experienced Criminals Are Not
Operating in ST. Louis.
NEGROES ARE HELD MOST DANG ERoUs.

In order to acquire effect, have been lay.
ing great stress upon the fact-it may moi
be fact. after ali-that this is young
mans age
Chief Kelly, custodian Of the public
peace Of St Louis. lays stress upon the
fact-he proves it a fact. too-that thi'
is the age Of the young man in crime
There is not any epidemic of crime in
ST. Louis at present." said Chief Kiely.
There Is the annual outbreak of youns
hoodlumism. however. We have 1t every
year about this time. The fight between
the police and the hoodlums endures for
q few weeks. then the police win.
What the people have been pleased to
denominate the present epidemic of
crime is not the work of educated Grim
inels. can say with absolute truth and
without fear of contradiction that not
one offense against Jaw. life or property
committed in St Louis in the last two
months has been the work OF habitual.
\ shrewd. educated and capable criminals.
This purse suatching. 'holp-up' epidemic
Is merely the work of hoodlums, boys who
KNOW that women carry considerable
sums In their handbags around the Christ
mas holidays and who take chance of
securing booty by daring snatch at the
pendent purse.
1t is so with the 'hold-up' men. They
are mere boys. inspired with false oour-
age and to insane daring by drink or
drugs. We have captured many of these
hoid-up' men. Among them there is not
full-srown, able-bodied man. Indeed.
many men held UP by these boys have
been ashamed to admit II when brought
ir. to idertify them. 1T was a man as big
as three of him. That kid could not make
ne Hold up my hands IL he had twenty
gins. they say.
OF course, this Is nonsense. When they
regard the boy carefully they probably
identify him. A e2-caliber pistol in the
hands of a 1s-year-oId boy. who began on
dime novels followed by blood-and-thun-
der dramas, cigarettes. cheap whisky and
cocaine. is a dangerous weapon and looks
like A p the unarmed man upon whom
its holder'has the drop
HooDLUM ROBBERS
ALL YOUNG MEN.
John" continued the Chief of Police,
calling Custodian Shea of the Bertillon
Department, bring me the pictures of the
last twenty stick-up men We have cap
tured."
Mr.. Shea. well informed and polite to a
degree seldom found among stern men OF
the constabulary, brought the pictures
and spread them out on the Chiefs desk.
:. Examine them" said Mr.. Kiely III you
find man among the lot over 90 or
Weighing more than 40 pounds. will buy
you handsome ovcrcoat for Christmas -
There was one man of % years among
them. Layje. desperate st;ck-up man,
who was one Of the ice-box robbers-R;ce,
Thinner and Iayje--who forced so many
ssioonkeepers and bartenders into their
own ice boxes and then robbed the sa-
looms. Rice was 70 and Thinner % years
old.
"Highwaymen.'' said the Chief, con-
temptuously. Indeed. the profession to
which Claude Duval gave tinge of brav-
CRY and a smack of gentiiity has sadly
fallen In personnel. Duval, Heath,
o'Rourke. the famous Irish rapparee, or
highwayman; Black Bart. who owned the
roads In Arizona. were men of education,
great personal bravery and some distinc-
ton.
"As a rule. the highwayman of the
Eighteenth Century was gentleman out
iawed for some offense against the person,
not the property, OF some law officer or
notable. Attained by the Crown and out
lswed OF justice. he took to the road. his
hand against every man not a personal
friend. and the same hands against him.
He never forgot his gentle breeding, all
ways wore his lace cuff across his
knuekies. dressed irreproachabIy, never
was other than well mounted, and had a
consuming way with a. maid. good, tall
fellow, In silk stockings. smalls and sur
tout. white hands, a mustache, smile
and a neat thrust in fierce was not an I'M
attractive parsonage, even il he was an
outlaw and highwayman.
EVOLUTION OF THIEF
FROM DIME-NOvEL READER.
How do they become nighwaymen?
Dime novels first. That is the beginning.
Many boys who would and should have
been good begin through the dime novel.
The hero. thief and highwaysnan though
he may be. Is given the pluck, prowess,
grace and bearing of DuvaI He robs
Z
invarfably protects the poor, virtuous and
oppressed. Quite well in Its way. but the
boys forget pluck, grace Of person and
generosity when they take to the highway.
They forget everything but getting the
money,
Next to the dime novel comes the
Observation-Disclosures drama. It is much on
the same lines. Highwaymen with saving
traces, etc.i The galleries of the meio-
dramatic paayhouses send many youth
to the Fenitentiary.
Cigarettes, being narcotics and opiates
IN their mildest form. come next. They
lead to morphine. cocaine. etc.
ssWhisly. Of course, leads TO crime. In
deed, almost every one OF the boys you
see IN this group. our fall crop OF high
waymen, were largely under the influence
OF either whisky or drugs when arrested.
do these peripatetic criminals ever
work? Very seldom. Between cigarettes,
druga drink and disease. they are phys
ically unfit to work.
mo smart. cautious thief, who means
to make money and live well outside Of
the Penitentiary. win resort to highway
robbery. It is too uncertain In reward. A
man held up may yield not more than
800, and, as g rule, not hardly $25. Such
cheap and dangerous jobs are not worth a
sensible thiefs while. So they are left to
brutal negroes or to boys.
There is Joe Swisher, the ls-year-old
Iowa boy who held up six persons around
Tenth and Walnut streets. few blocks
from this Office. Just mere boy. weigh
ing 1S5 pounds. Went wrong through
novels; contracted disease early: rendered
weak and incapable by sickness, he re-
sorted to drugs. became desperate and
took to the highway. He was fool enough
to stick men up within the shadow OF the
-Four Courts. He went a week. We got
him Envr he Z Ur<,x7 fnx- <x,> 49,.