Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-01-09

III II NNlNNN ll-iFlfi Nl Nu' i|iNNN NltitfH N''i'N
Service. ON the evening Of that day ! was
Y y reading ln my home No 78l Wood street,
when the doorbc rang The servant who
answered The bell would not let the caller in. she
came back and told me very ugly looking man was
standing on The porch went out 20 investigate and
found-an old friend In his time he had been one OF
the worst criminals in Philadelpha. lie stlll asso
catcd with criminals but not for tine purpose Of Join
Ing them Ga any Of their undertakings. HIS business
was 70 learn the Of his crooked friends and sell
the information 10 the government Aud | bought
what he had to sell just the government IN time Of
WAY WIN compensate traitor for revealing facts re
gardng the plans Of the enemy
brought the man into the parlor and asked him
what he came 10 tell me.
ooh not much" he said. Maybe YOU win not care
anything about tits in your line. But the gang
are going tonight to DO Job some where In Jer-
sew don't know exactly where They've found n
dear old farmer who is supposed have quite lot Of
money in his house and they intend to roast HIS feet
until he gives up who is going along? on oscnr
(ooain Cooper Witscy, Austin Keene, Dick KING
and a man named Chapman who lives over In Cam
den"
think had better stop right here and tell about
that band u was Of four that in the late seven
lies made their headquarters in Philadelphia. Com
bned they conducted an extensive business In crime
rhey made more counterfeit money than was pro-
duced I'm any othcg city IN the United States. They
also did burglarics holdups teups, ASSAULTS and an
occasional murder ticup consisted of taking an
aged farmer unawares. ioshng his hands behind his
back aud his feet together and putting tho sole Of his
bare feet against a hot stove In those days there
less confidence IN banks than there Is now and the
popular criminal method Of bringing forth hidden
treasure was to roast the feet Of the owner
Tho members of the bands differed much 70
appearance and ability the crimes did in character
Some Of the would pass anywhere they were not
known as wcll-to.do citizens. Austin W Keene and
his brother Lawrence for instance had inherited
good deaf Of property They owned q brick block in
the business district Of Philadelphia untn gambling
got f. away from them and even after they took TO
crime they always good clothes and looked
prosperous
Others were plain roughs n they we're drinking
aud stranger entered who looked II he had at least
tgo dollars ne was invited TO take a drink While his
head was tipped back 20 draiu the glass his host
would knock him out with the ice pitcher and search
bis pockets on nights when there was nothing else
20 do they amused themselves with cock fights and
dog fights Occasionally dog fighting would seem too
tame and one Of the outfit would yield 10 the i'm
portunities Of his friends and the alurement OF a
small purse by going down into the pit to fight Of
the dogs a big bulldog once nearly killed his human
antagonist The animal was known TO be so vicious
that all rules were suspended aud the was per
mitted 60 kick well TO strike but the dog caught
him by the throat and had 10 be beaten OF with club
do not know however that ] give any AIDE
quae idea Of what may be called the "toughness" Of
some of this crowd without telling story about an
event in which / was concerned that occurred one
evening Dick Brunnazzi, an Italian Secret Service
man, had seen a thief snatch girls watch and had
turned the thief over TO the police The girls father
came TO my office and wanted TO give Dick $50