The evening world., 1904-04-01
George Thompson Declares He
Is Accustomed to Life in Jail
After Twenty-three Years and
Likes Prison Bars.
~ AM A CROOK AND
WILL BE ONE" HE SAYS.
When Free Policemen Tell En-
pIoyer After He Gets a lob Of
His Record, and There Is
Nothing to Do Except Steal.

prison Is like home to me-" said
George Thompson, as he stepped jaunt-
fly back into the big cell room at the
Raymond Street Jail after talking en-
tertainingly for half an hour about his
remarkable record.
Il have spent twenty-three years OF
my life behind prison bars. and I'm
getting used to the life OF felon. II
: isn't half bad. at that; only 1t gets
rather monotonous ut times.
For the best part OF my life I've
been n crook, and 1 expect I'll keep on
being one. 1t doesn't pay. but to one
in my position an honest life Is impos-
sible.
II have tried St came out of Col
well Prison. at Newark, n. j., ten
weeks ago and got converted in a
Bowery mission. 1t was a good. big
religious dose, too. and I was as re-
peritant chap as you ever saw. | Sc
cure a Job as a waiter, but a police
nan who knew me told the boss OF my
record, and / was fired. / have had iive
other Jobs since, apd every time the
cops peached on me and had TO go.
VIII XIII the Cop.
''1f I ever catch that cop I'll kill
him, even II go to the chair for 1t!
I'm not going to try to be honest any
more. / would steal from blind man
on crutches. This reform game doesn
pay when you have n prison record"
Thompson, who says he is fifty-nine
wears old and a native of New York
City, expects to receive his twenty-hrst
prison sentence for larceny when he
comes up before the Court of Special
Sessions on the charge OF stealing six
razors from Flatbush avenue barber.
He has done time" in eleven differ
ent penal institutions In the East and
In England. His sentences vary In
length from three months TO eight
years. The maximum term was served
at Sing Sing. At the mention OF that
job Thompson smiled reminiscently rs
though It were a good joke. but declined
to 20 into particulars.
Thompson. who admits that he some
times goes under the name of Cooper.
says he has been at Blackwclis Island
a half dozen times at various periods In
his career. That was his first prison
home. whittier he went at the age oil
twenty-t three years. Since then he has
been an inmate of the Massachusetts
State Prison. House of Correction Mt
South Boston. New Haven and Will
mantle Comm jails, Trenton an. J)
Prison. Kings County Penitentiary,
Sing Sing. Colwell Prison at Newark,
N. j., the Liverpool England Prison.
and numerous jails and Iockups in New
York. New Jersey and New EnS%uhd.
Man of Intelligence.
Despite his checkered career Thomp-
Ion - "A man OF more than ordinary
intelligence. He has the easy bearing
OF a CLUB man and uses the best OK
language with huency. lie managed 10
eave money out OF his earlier stealinSS.
and owns a $1,000 house In Charlestown,
Mass, where four grown-up children
fathers record. His wife died a number
OF years ago.
Thompson says that the only time he
ever escaped conviction when arraigncd
in court of justice was at Baltimore.
He has acted as his own lawyer at all
OF his trials. but admits that he is not
as good a lawyer as he Is = shoemaker.
sesalks of his prowess at the cobblcr's s
bench.
II was one OF the best shoemakers in
Sing Sing, and when l went back for
my second term there | demonstrated
that hadn't forgotten how to handle
the awl and last" he said II worked
pretty hard up there. but never had to
as have often done when at liberty
and victims were scarce.
But I'll never starye when j can
steal. And l have never yet begged.
Stealing is respectable compared with
'panhandling.