The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-11-10

And the efforts he makes in this direc-
ticn would convince the most skeptical
minded that the thief, sometimes, is not
the most egotistical animal in the
world.
Several years ago two men were ar
rested Immediately after the commits
sion of burglary. l was one of them.
When we were searched at headquar-
tiers it was discovered that my pal
had all the tools and all the goods
in his possession. Talking the matter
over in the Jail after we were remanded
the notion occurred to him that 1 had
a chance for turn out" 1t was a slim
chance, owing to my bad reputation,
but he pleaded with me to take it. In
acting this way he fully realized that
he was mourning a danger of adding a
few more years to his sentence, but he
persisted. At our trial he declared I
was >innocent-was a stranger to him,
and when evidence was adduced to
prove that we had "done time, to-
gether, he denied it bluntly He was
threatened with an indictment for per-
jury and divers other penalties, but he
never swerved from his course for a
moment. 1 was turned out" but my
poor pal received five years, where he
would have received but one if he had
simply pleaded guilty and allowed me
to fight my own battle.
So 1, at least, cannot be blamed for
believing in the saying that there is
honor among thieves.
In grating it is the same. Some
are ever on the lookout to gain some
little advantage. A party of men
"go OUT to get a leather A certain
man is assigned to make the touch
that is, do the actual stealing-while
the others act as stalls" often the
The job comes off, but the party get a
noodle" They separate and meet
again at some previously designated
point. If the touch" is ION the lever
he will not have looked into that
leather until they have all come to-
getherH If he is "snipe'' he will have
"weened' it, and thereby earned ever
lasting contempt upon the discovery Of
his treachery.
There are some guns" whom the
average gun ION the lever would
trust no farther than he would a de-
tective.
These are the stools" or Switches"
These men receive a little pseudo pro-
lection from the police in return for
information furnished as to the do
ings" of the other "cannons'' in their
district But their usefulness is short
lived, and when it is ended, they usual
ly ''go away far a long bit" thus
proving that the police despise the
tools they use.
This sense of honor is strongest be-
hind the prison bars. Here whenever
possible, the men who are acquainted
outside form clans. A stranger
could far more easily break into New
York's '4OO' than into one of these
cliques. The good" man would no more
think of familiarizing with the petty
hook or "snipe" than Reggy Wander
bile would choose for a constant COM
panion a tramp of the most degraded
type.
These lines are rigidly drawn, and
the enc thing needful to maintain ones
position in good prison society is
honor. No matter how great a reputa-
ton a man may have earned as a sue
cessful crook outside; no matter how
many rifleG jugs all over the land
give evidence of his skill and nerve,
if he acts dishonorably in stir" he is
nothing.
He must be ION the level" If he has
secretly conveyed any money within
thes walls, it must be used for the
benefit of the clique to which he has
been admitted. He must not mingle
or associate Familiarity with the pris-
oners outside of his class, and above
all, he must not under any circum-
stances, attempt to curry favor with
the guards. This last is the one great,
unforgivable unforgettable sin, for it is
prison proverb that one half the
prisoners keep the other half.
The average visitor to great
penitentiary is often amazed at the
small number of guards it takes to
control a great number of convicts To
the old time convict this is no mystery
He could point out among a working
force of 500 men in one shop at least
100 'stools''-men who would not try
to escape if the opportunity were Of
fered them, and who would Immediate