Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-02-06
like DR.. JEKYLl AHD RR. HTGE
Trained to Evil Life, He Could No,
Resist the Temptation to Pick pee
Nets, Though He Tiled Hard to ov.
creome Tempsatlon-Frienda Can't
Believe Him Guilty.
(py Assoclntod prcas.l

NEW YORK, FEB. 5.-Con Tossing
that In spite of al-his efforts tn lead
an honest life. he was unable to re-
siist tho temptation To pick pockets.
To which he mad been trained in his
youth. Louis Wolf. prosperous
Brooslyn business man. who was ar
rested more than a month ago in that
borough. has revealed as strange
tale OF double life and the
never ending struggle between right
and wrong as has ever been told out
side of the pages of fiction Llke
Steyenson's DIR. lekyll." the impulse
to do wrong grippci Wolf with an in
tcnsity that he could no more resist
than could Mr.. Hyde" refrain from
committing the crimes that his other
personality vas guiltlcss of.
For was VOLTS legitimate business
merely clokc for his other trade. as
has been tho case In other instances
of apparently honest men who we're
Criminals at heart, IIo protested
TO Assistant District Attorney
Elder. of Brooklyn, that his de-
sire 10 reform was sincere. and that
it was only when tho temptation 10
30 out and steal became too strong
81
he yielded to 1t.
81 have made "a high as $1,000 n
year picking pockets at night. while
carrying on my rug and carpet llsi-
ness in the daytime" is part of the
amazing human document that now
forms part OF the criminal records
of Kings county. The confession III
full was not made public. but Mr..
Elder gave out enough of II yesterday
10 reveal tho tragic story of n man
who. bred to life of crime. sincerely
tried to reform, bnt found the power
of old habits too strong for him.
Early Career Of Crime.
II was born on the east side OF
Manhattan ghirty -thii=e years ago."
said Wolf in his confession. After
leaving school. at the age of fifteen,
fell in with n band OF young men
who never worked and whose ability
10 dress we'll and spend money liber-
ally was always a mystery to me- Al
last learned that they were pick
pockets. and before long l was their
pupil in crime.
Their leader was man. then in
middle life. who was known 10 the
band both as "Old Isaacs" which
probably was his real name. and as
'Fagin the Second He conducted a
school for pickpockcts that In every
hing but the local setting resembled
that conducted by old Fagin in Dick
ems novel OF oliver Twist He was
an expert dip panhandlcr' and
strong arm man." to use terms from
the vocabulary of thieves. Under his
instructions ! soon learned all there
was to IL learned of the games oil
preying on the public. and became an
expert myself
when | had become proficient in
crime | struck out for the West
had made lots of money from my
thefts i'll New York. and continued
10 live we'll in Chicago and st. Louis
was arrested in Chicago several
times, but | usually escaped with a
! light sentence.
Later on was arrested in ST
| Louis. and while doing time there
a dogs life after all. | had had tho
advantage of public school educa
ton, and was perhaps better able tc
think along right lines than some oil
the men who had been my carly asso-
ciHlcS III CRIME. w mic | was SCrN
ing sentence in the ST. Louis work.
house made up my mind to lead an
/; honest life. Thinking it over, can't
10 tho conclusion that could max,
money honestly in New York, and
that time had changed nc so thai
none OF my old associates would rec
oeniae ne, and would not be tempt.
Cd to fall BY the wayside.
| II camc back East and started lii,
anew. For a long timo after / started
in business in Fast New York / wa!
the happiest man living. felt as /
a great load had been lifted from IN,
shoulders. AS look back feel tina
must navc had the yestigcs of ;
conscience. Ifclt then that the TEN.
ptation TO pick pockets would neveI
return.
Yielded to Temptation.
Ono night when ] went out on tn,
streets alone felt the call OF the ole
trade come back. / was perfect,
sober, Int could no moro resist tn