The Detroit times., 1912-08-23
BY WILLIAM BURKE.

y
don't know when and where | was
brn.
The first thing can recall is sell
tlg newspapers as kid in New York
sating where | could with the few
pennies made, and sleeping In door
ways or any old place. fell In with
bunch OF gopher men" or safe
PACKERS.
Whenever the "gophers" pulled on
trick-in other words cracked a
sse and made a getaway got my
pecentage.
1fter | shook the "gophers" | got
in With a bunch OF mol buZzers, or
the kind OF pickpockets who go In
:. for women's handbags and trinkets.
piked pockets for quite while.
was uabbed a bunch of times and
wento the island for 10, 80 or 6O-day
bits
Afr shaking the mol buzzing"
TO falln with bunch OF ''yegg men"
| beatt. helped to pull of num-
Der OF IBIS In and around Chicago, but
they nyer caught up to me.
y BILE back to New York the year
after Il Johnstown food. struck
the tow with a bundle of coin. |
went infor poker and roulette and
policy al all the rest OF IT. | lived
the life the gambler.
From anbling | drifted into sneak
thief worl | went in for bank, apart
ment hoA and second-story jobs.
This brine my story up to around
), 1898.
We neve had any trouble making
a get-away.It was soft. We used TO
get big mey at times. l always
gambled ANY or blew my share in
and then LIQUID have TO start out
on a fresh b to get more money,
hit Bost, in 1903. lone worker
out for mysl.
4 Within thr, years pulled of from
$50 TO 400 jos. went in for sneak
thief work e.irely. lived like a
lord. | NADIA speciality of apart
ment house al second-story work !
used false kel or open windows.
never used ev, a jimmy-no tools at
all and not evn a gun. | did all OF
my work in dalght. never robbed
a house at mig, in my life.
I only took jgelry and coin.
pld1tu lhV tdIHe III DOoech ~
three years bere | began to hit
the dope" Tn was my finish
was then stallin under the name OF
Mccarthy The ,rooks knew me as
New York Slim
~ One OF the croks | fell in with, q
New York ''con man." was hop
fiend. We got pity friendly and he
started me smoky hop Well, got
to smoking the PIE and got care
less while l. was nder the influence
of the drug. | WEI to a small dealer
one day with somsgoods | had held
in reserve. He toolthe stuff, lot oil
3ewelry. But whesI went back with
a $1,000 necklace h became, so wise
to me that he tp'ed of Inspector
Knox. OF the Bison cops They
caught me with tn goods. Then they
showed me into th Charles jail for
trial.
got of with ssentence OF not
more than 10 and lot less than seven
years In the stateprison at Charles
fown. I was then nown as Benjamin
Trip.
At the end OF sven years they lei
me out. | cut out he hop soon after
I landed in jail.
Goodnight for he game" | said
to myself. THE onest game fol
mine after this"
took the nameof William Burke
and started right to live straight
ne in Philadelphi While | was II
prison learned TIN trade of hard
wood or furniture fnisher. so ] go
work for several pars with various
furniture concerns. and three years
ago I started a cigr store.
Aside from the ioney took in a
the cigar store, worked on and of
I'm different shops L hardwood finish
ing. | even got 3me hardwood nm
ishing sub-contracs OF my own.
was doing we'll married and | wa
happy. A girl wa born to my wifi
and we were happ. thought ha'
lived down my pst-God knows
had tried to.
became interested in politics
Soon | became active in them. ] wa
known In the labr game and ha'
-emade friends. finally became tn
leader OF the diviion in which lived
When 1911 cam, around my friend
asked \me to stald for common coun
ell. | became a candidate and In nc
yember OF last 'ear | was elected.
When took ny seat my happines
seemed supreme. ! felt that ha
buried all of the old life.
= II was not ong after | became
sfcouncilman that | met a certain ma
on the streets This man has bee
a crook all his life.
He started to borrow" money fror
me and the more he borrowed IN
more Ne wanted He knew my recor
and he made no bones about rubin
II In on me that he knew enough I
break me.
For six months suffered At las
ii cane to the conclusion that II an
one was to tell the story OF my pas
record | would be the one.
4 | know now that ! made big mil
take In trying to hide my record I
the, first place.
Al I ask IL fair play. I am goin