Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-08-21

dence against me and | wasn't giving
them any. / hung around South Clark
street, Custom Hous- Place and the
rest of the Chicago tenderloin' but
never did a bit in Chicago.
That was in 1888, and it was tbs
year after the Johnstown flood, /
think that | returned to New York. l
hit New York with lots of money and
waded right into the gambling games
and races for two years. | went in
for poker, roulette, policy and all the
rest of it. Those two years lived the
life of a gambler-just the same life
as those fellows who have figured in
the RosenthaI case have lived. More
often l lost than won, but ! always
could find some one to stake me to
few dollars for a fresh plunge.
From gambling | drifted into sneak
thief work. | went in for bank, apart
ment house and second story jobs
This brings my story up to 1898. l
worked with a couple of pals in the
sneak thief work. Sneak thieves usu-
allv work in threes, if they are sue
cessful
How We Did It.
In the bank and house game we
pulled off a number of big jobs IN
New York They were three of us,
the 'getter.' whose business it was to
get the money; the stall who engaged
the attention of the cashier of the
bank. and the worker who would as
sist the other two in the preliminaries
and in case of trouble.
Our favorite method of working
was for the 'stall' to enter bank and
engage the teller in hot argument
over a check. The stall knew the
check would not be cashed when pre-
sented The worker by his prelim-
mary work would know the best how
to catch the teller alone in the cage,
and the 'getter' would be given his op-
portunity to grab a bundle of bills and
make his getaway.
I'VE never had any trouble getting
away 1t was pretty soft We had
as much as $4,000 to divide between
us at one time. | always gambled or
blew my share, and when it was gone
was ready for another job We had
to dress splendidly or we wouldn't
as easy.
4 finally decided New York was get
ting too nos for me 1t was just the
suspicion Of a guilty conscience. if
thief has such thing | decided to
leave my pals and play a lone hand.
With $1,000 ! made on one job | left
New York and went to Boston.
II had gotten wise that fellow
who worked a lone hand instead of
playing in with the mobs, stood a
better chance of getting by than the
fellow who didn't. | hit Boston in
1898 a lone worker out for myself
Within three years after ! struck
Boston ! had pulled off between $50
and 400 jobs by myself, as a lone
worker. l went in for sneak thief
work entirely. | dressed well and lived
on the best in the land. made a spe
cialty of apartment houses and second
story work. | used false keys to open
windows | never used a jimmy and
never carried a gun. | had no use for
them. | did all of my work in the
daytime. | never robbed house at
night in my life. have robbed a
house with the people sitting down
stairs, and have taken everything up
stairs worth taking
Never Took SiIverware.
81 only took money and jewelry |
always sidestepped silverware, even
though there was a thousand dollars
worth Of it. Silverware was too bulky
1t was usually easy to get rid of Jew
eIry. | only had to spend a little
money. Sometimes | got rid of the
jewelry through fences or receivers
of stolen goods steered clear of
pawnshops. The thief who tries to
dispose Of stolen plumber in a pawn
shop is a fool He either will have to
split with the pawnbroker or.the po-
lice friends Of the pawnbroker.
81 played the game in Boston for
three years before | began to hit the
dope / used to keep in touch with
the crooks who blew in but never let
them know I was working let them
think / was living straight / then was
stalling under the name Of Mccarthy