The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-11-04
Thieves HAVE A
PROTECTIVE SOCIETY
1t Is Well Known They Maintain
Strong Organization to
Fall Back On.
ALWAYS STANDS BY THEM

| T.
Should One of Their Number B.
"Pinched" 1t Always Sees to 1t
That They Have a Good
Lawyer or Cash Bond.
Sioux City Tribune: Keeping steI
with the times. the criminals OF
the country have formed trust
funds of which are devoted tc
fighting the law. Within the past year
or two Sioux City people have had q
chance to observe the work of this
| trust or protective association. Paddy
Irish and J. c. Jones. two of the bes,
| crooks In the clutches of the local po-
ice IN years. got easily away by put
tlng up bond money and failing tc
show up when their cases were called
for trial. In each instance a smooth
looking Individual. dressed az a bust
d ness man. dropped into town and
| dragging big roll out of an inside
pocket. Skinned off" the thousand or
| so necessary to procure the crook S
freedom. and dropped out of sight.
inspector George M. Shippy of Chi
caso, who was here recently, recover
ing rugs which were stolen by an or
gained gang the past six months, said
a criminals protective society was rec
osnlZed everywhere as an indisputable
lact. Ihose crooks who are high grade
enough to have fall" money, deposit
regularly with thessociety. which has
officers and agents throughout the
country.
How II Started.
This big trust had it's inception in
group of dozen first class Grim
inals who banded together to care for
each other in the tuSsel with their
hereditary enemies. the officers Many
stories are recounted Of the work of
this original dozen, who stood by each
other through thick and thin In
stances are recorded when. after one
OF the members was nabbed for a trick,
the others. being notified, went out and
blew safes with desperate energy I'M
III big fund was at hand to use in
defense of their fallen" brother. The
crooks at liberty fairly bankrupted
themselves to assist the member who
had been caught
The success the original group had
in keeping out of the penitentiary at
tracted the attention of other big guns
! Throughout the country. They organ
lied similar groups and for several
years worked along the line of the or
iginal dozen. Eventually they saw the
benefit of merging these groups and SO
a protective society was formed with
headquarters in New York city and
Chicago. New York IS the center point
of the eastern crooks and Chicago of
the middle west. San Francisco is the
headquarters of the western division.
FUNDS secured by the payment of
dues or assessments are used to hire
lawyers, bride officials and juries and
to furnish bonds. The best talent OBJ
n 1ara it,a o1,
cured for the first class guns who
are members in good standing of this
society.
Five years ago a pickpocket known
in all the big cities Of the country was
| captured at Sioux Falls. His bond was
trial. which he did eventually, getting
off with light sentence, the evidence
against him not being strong enough
to give him what he no doubt merited.
During his incarceration in the county
jail he related some OF the details of
the organization of the society Of which
he was member.
All Belong to 1t.
All the big guns belong to it," he
said. There's regular organization
with officers and treasurer who takes
cares of the coin. We pay regular dues
and occasionally an assessment Is made
especially If lot. of the boys fall.
Sometimes 1t has cost me as high as
$500 a year to keep protected and
wasn't under arrest any of that time
either. But I paid the stuff willingly
| because I realized If I was pinched,
the society would stand by me. Some
times If the bonds are not too high, the
society puts up the cash and the crook
digs out, thereafter keeping we'll away
from the locality where he fell. Again,
as in my case, If the bonds are too big
and the lawyer which the society
hires for me decides I stand a good
chance of getting off. and his fee is
less than the bond, I must stand trial.
But in all events the society takes care
of me. If by any chance I get into
stir the society still stands me, furn-
chance Is offered. fixing the screws
(guards), so I can blow (escape).
Many gun gets out Of stir through
the salve handed the screws"
Agents who negotiate bonds and en-
ploy legal talents are at the disposal
Of the officers of the society in Chi
cago. The moment member Is Jailed,
one OF these agents is dispatched to the
scene to employ a LAWYER and furnish
the money for the fight in court.
Bonds Are Forfeited.
At the time Paddy Irish was shot
here about two years ago by Officer
Walter Leake, less than week passed
before a well dressed man, looking
more like prosperous merchant than
the crook which he undoubtedly was.
appeared and hung around until the
bond was arranged. Then he quietly
put up the cash and Irish went east.
He never came back. So. when ]. c.
Jones. the smooth confidence man. shot
by Detective Richard, several months
ago, was placed-under bond. two of the
society agents came here. saw Jones'
/ wife, gave her the money to put up for
| a bond and within twenty-four hours
the CRATER had gone, never to return.
The society takes care of all its rnem-
bers. extending its protection to the
fence who is a valuable man to the
criminals, in that he dlsposes Of the
stolen goods, thereby making crime
profitable. Only crooks of high degree
are members of this protective trust.
i They are vouchad for by the older
members and are rated according to
their ability to steal and according
to their proinptness in meeting assess
ments. There Is a. schedule of assess
ments, the highest class criminals
those with the best earning capacity
"a a{y,er Int. =, tt1x,