Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1911-04-29

- himself an expert at it,
= IIlIlM \ but came to grief over
over again. He is now, at
the age of 81, an old man. broken in
spirit, broken in health Seven long
terms of Imprisonment in penal insti-
tutions on both sides of the Atlantic
have convinced him that his chosen
profession is a poor one, and now
he finished his last term only two
weeks ago-he has resolved to lead
an honest life.
Everybody will say an habitual
criminal like myself cannot REFORM
said Lillis, the other day. 81 don't
believe a thief can reform. This Is
my opinion formed after association
with thieves for forty years. But a
crook can reform. There is a differ
ence between a thief and a crook.
The crook, l say, can reform, if he
takes himself in time. l would place
80 years of age as the time when the
probabilities of reform are greatest
OF course. there are exceptions; 1, for
instance, expect to lead an honest life
though am past so.
The ordinary crook is saturated
with the idea of obtaining money
easily and spending it rapidly. If, be-
fore he is 80, he sees the difficulties
he will always have to face he can
turn aside with a fair chance of bury
ing his past. But l wouldn't give the
average crook much for his chance
for reformation if he waits until he
reaches my age.
"ThieVes" and Crooks"
Il am not a thief although 1 have
stolen thousands of dollars. A thief
is a thief through natural instincts
Thieves are born, not made. A crook
is not a thief by instinct, but by pro-
fession. l have devoted my time to
stealing, in the same manner as other
men devote their time to law, to bust
ness or to medicine Stealing was my
profession. 1t was misdirected ener-
gy. Had 1 devoted the same amount
of time and energy to law or medi.
cine, | should have been a successful
lawyer or physician There is, how
ever, one great difference between my
profession and others. There can be
no lasting success in it. 1 am abso-
iutely convinced of this fact, and for
that reason l have now dropped it.
mo, l am not going to reform.
am simply giving up the profession
which l have followed for nearly forty
years.
There is no longer anything left
for men in my profession. Criminal
ingenuity has not been able to keep
pace with modern invention We are
forced into other lines of work Some
of the brightest of us have become
promoters and swindlers. 1 have tried
before to drop my profession, but
circumstances have been against me-
1 was unable to get honest work and
1t was either steal or starve l have
thought of suicide, but way down in
heart l believe in a God, so l have
never attempted to take my life Now
that | am free man, l am going to
remain free by abandoning the poor
est profession in the world"
No Money in Thievery.
The history of this remarkable
man, who is now in New York. earn
ing an honest living, is a record of
a series of astounding crimes and ter
rible misfortunes, and from it only
one conclusion can be drawn-thiev-
ing as a profession doesn't pay.
Lillis was born in County Glare,
Ireland, in 1855. His parents moved
to Cincinnati in 1861, and. as his ia
Their Joined the Union army, he had
to help support his mother Accord
ingly. he sold newspapers in the
streets, and he received his early edu-
cation from hackmen and from 9TH
er newsboys. He made several dol
lars every week during war times,
and everything went smoothly until
one day in 1867 we'll dressed strane-
er came up to him, snatched the news
papers from under his arm. placed a
IS bill in his hand and tossed the pa
pers into the gutter
Boy" said the stranger. eff Won
will work for me I'll give you SIS a
day"
You will?" cried the lad. trembling
with excitement. Five dollars n day
for me?'
Yes Will you work for me?r
'T will
His First Successful "Getaway.-
The stranger was Joe" Butts, the
notorious bank thief. He had planned
to rob the safe in the office of the
Phenix Brewing company, and he
needed a small boy to take the money
from the safe while he .snewspa-
pered," or occupied the attention of
the clerks Young Lillis, who was
then IL years old, was just the how
for the job
A few days after the meeting tbe
robbery was pulled Off Lillis made a
getaway" with $4,000, of which his
employer. the generous Joe" Butts.
took all but $780, Still. that sum was
a fortune to the lad, and then and
there he resolved 70 be a crook. He