Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1912-08-28
COUNCILMAN 4
!. FORMER CONVICT
Reform Politician Of Phnade|.
phIa Contesses.
IS 4 MODERN JEAN VALJEAN,

Fellow Convict Discovers Former Pa
and Levies observation-disclosures Ma,
Had Led Convict's Life For Eiah
Ysars-Mayor 6Iankenburs WouI.
Give Him New Chance.
Victor Hugos Jean Vatican, the 70
mantle and appealing reformed convic
of LES Miserables" has a counterpart
In real life. Confessing that he was s
former convict, burglar, a yeggmar
and porch climber, William Burke, 8
member of common councils Of Phila
delphia, has rendered his resignation
and fed the city. Burke was elected
to councils last fall on the reform ticke
by large majority.
Soon after taking his seat in coun
ellis, Burke says, he met fellow convic
who had served sentence in the Mas,
sachusetts state jail while he was {
prisoner there and who had been i'm
plicated with him in various robberies
Burke says that the ex-convict, now
aged and penniless, recognized him ani
since that time has been persistently
levying blackmail under threat of ex.
posure The fear that his past record
would be eventually revealed led Burke
to give up his position in councils anl
leave the city in order to make q new
start in life
Started a. "Gophsr."
Burke said In his published story
that he could not recall how he started
In life. A street waif ON the east side
Of New York, he began to exc out al
uncertain existence by selling newspa
pers. 1t was while he was changing
around the corners of the east side
that he began the life Of crook.
Gopher men," the species of crooks
who confine themselves to cracking ani
robbing safes, were the first of the un
derworld he fell in with. They used
him, SO his strange story runs, to visit
establishments where they thought 6
safe might be worth rifling He "spot
ted" many such an establishment fol-
them. his boyish plea that he was look
ing for work giving him the means tt
find out the location of the safe. He
received share of the plumber.
Then he drifted in with a gang o,
"moll buzzers," that class of thieves
which bears title bestowed upon IL
by the parlance Of crooks even farther
back than the Elizabethan days.
Burke goes on to tell how he was
sent to Blackwell's island at different
times, Of "yegg1ng'' in the west, OF
gambling 'Just as all those fellows
who have figured in the Rosentha:
case have done"-gambling, winning
and losing. From gambling he drifteG
into sneak work and then into bigger
'jobs," which he pulled off, mostly If
New York
In the second chapter the reform
councilman says:
II played the game in Boston fol
three years before began. to hit the
dope That was my finish. l used tc
keep in touch with the crooks who
blew into town from New York or 9th.
er places. l used to drop in at the
places where they hung out. l never
told them was working let them
think that was living straight. May.
be they thought l was going it alone
but l never let them get anything on
me. was then stalling under the
name Of Mccarthy. The crooks knew
me as New York SLIM
Zone of the crooks l fell In with, q
New York con man. was a hop fiend.
We got pretty friendly, and he started
me smoking hop. That has put more
than one crook down and out, and it
started me to the pen. Once you start
hitting the hop you have no nerve un.
less you've got it in you, and when
you've got it in you you have no
brains"
Abandoned Crime.
His term in prison, he said, destroy.
ed his criminal instinct, and upon be.
ing released he returned to New York
and obtained employment in the
stores. In May, 1904, discarding all
his old associates, he went to Phila-
delphia and took the name of viii.
liam Burke. He had learned the trade
of hardwood finisher while in prison
and found employment in the furni
ture factories. Later. having saved
some money. he opened a cigar store
Last year he was named as a candi
date for common council, receiving the
Keystone and Democratic nomina'
;tion. He stumped with the Blanken
burg party and appealed particularly
to the labor vote. He was elected to
the common council from the Thirty
third ward by a majority Of 1,2OC
votes.
Mayor Blankenburg leads a move
ment to turn back the resignation OF
Councilman Burke. While stating
that the acceptance of the resignation
is matter for the consideration OF
councils, the mayor says that this is
the time for the application Of the
Golden Rule.
Caught Shark by Tail.
A 400 pound shark that had beet