The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1912-08-02

undoing. Now let the principal &C
tors tell the story.
DANNY M'BRiDE's STORY.
In the days when masked burglaries
were in vogue, and all the villages
within one hundred miles of New
York were considered by these spe'
cial students of the dark lantern and
jimmy as the proper places for them
to visit. there was no more desperate
gang in the world than that led by
Danny Mcbride, who was a sort Of
a hero among the lower class Of citi-
zens in the old Second Ward. Danny
started out when quite young fellow
as a river pirate, and was just get
ting a knowledge of the business
when Jerry McAuley, who was after
ward converted and founded a mis-
sion, was in his former glory and had
pretty nearly all the ship captains on
the river front terrorized. There was
not the police protection at that time
that there is today, and no mans
property, or even life, was safe after
dark In certain sections of West,
South and Front streets.
Danny followed thieying on the bay
and river front for several years, but
the business was not very remunera-
tive, as most Of the stuff which was
stolen was disposed of as old junk.
1t was about as safe g line of THE
very as there was going, because
Danny and his gang, which consisted
fof Ben Harper, "Simmy" Kelly, "Old
Man" Dobbs, Pete Beller and Jack
Opp, were such cold-blooded cut
threats and careless handlers of the
knife and revolver that no one, not
even the police, cared about running
up against them. Every one of them
would kill before he would submit to
capture, and as they invariably went
together and had the sympathy of a
large number Of persons in their
bailiwick, it was practically sure
death for any one who cared to test
their strength.
They were known as the greatest
collection Of rough-and-tnmble fight
'ers, and many bitter battle did they
have single-handed or together with
the champions of the Ninth, or
American Ward, as it was known at
that time. 1t was the toss of a cent
who was the better man, Abe Hicks,
the American, or Danny Mcbride
And, although they had d dozen fights
in which all the work was done while
they were lying in the street, they
always came out about even. The
last fight they had, john Morrissey
was the referee, and he was in sym
pathy with Mcbride. Hicks seemed
to be getting atrife tho best Of The
argument, and Morrissey sinterfered
Then on tho Morton street pier &C
Cured one Of the bIDodiest fights tina
ever TOOK place IA The Ninth Ward
Mcbride went 10 tle hospital covere,
with wounds and slory, and it wa
three months beiors hsVgaa able t.
get out.
THAT aMorrissey fght, said M
Bride, "was the worst thing that eve
happened to me, for while was Il
the hospital the police got in on tn
gang and landed Dobbs, Kelly an
Opp for killing sailor In West street
They got twenty years each, all BE-
cause wasn't out to help them. Thi
broke up the old gang, and coul
not get good men together for, ne7
one, when l left the hospital, VIII
could be trusted.
1T was along about this time tina
JEFF Reynolds, whose life | save
when Billy Porter was trying to a
him full of lead, came down fror
Sing Sing after doing stretch of te
years, and the first thing he did wa
to hunt me up. was then unde
cover for q highway trick on State
Island, but JEFF knew where to fin
your uncle. When found out tia
the cops had no pipes on me for tn
Staten Island Job went in with JET
Ben Harper. Long Sam Wiley an
Spanish Forbes. Forbes was a nigge
and as clever crook as / ever kney
He had nerve that would carry hill
through stone wall.
JEFF got up scheme to do th
towns on the East and Hudson Rive
fronts, and travel in a sloop. la
ways liked the water, and this .ju!
suited me. WE worked Oh the tricI
in the houses on each side Of the RI
ers one after the other. SO as I
throw down the police. All our sal
ing was done in the night, and Forbe
who travelled on shore as q begga
planted the places ! for US. It va
dead easy work, and more like a pi
mic than anything else. calling UP Pc