New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-08-17
CRIMINAL PAST RUINS
REFORM POLITICIAN
Ex.ConviCt's Former Prison
"PaI' Hounds Him by Black
mail and Exposure Threats.
HAD SERVED TERM IN JAIL
Was Leading Correct Life, Had
Been Elected to Philadelphia
Council, but Fled in Terror
of Blackmailer.

lBy Telegraph to The Tribune.
Philadelphia. Aug. 16.-Confessing that
he was former convict. burglar a
yeGgman and porch climber, William
Burke. member Of Common Council
from the 33d Ward Of this city. has ten
dered his resignation 10 the president or
that body and has fed the city. Burke
was elected TO Councils last fall on the
reform ticket by large majority
Soon after taking his seat In Council.
Burke says in a published statement. he
met a fellow convict who had served
sentence in the MassaciuIsetts State jail
while he was a prisoner there and who
had been implicated with him In various
robberies Burke says that the ex-con-
vict. now aged and penn!less. recognized
him when they met by chance In the
street here. and Stree that time has been
persistently levying blackmail from him
under guise Of loans and under threat OF
exposure. The fear that his past record
| would be eventually revealed led Burke
TO give up his position In Council and
| leave the ci.y In order TO make new
! start In life.
Burkes story. told in The Inquirer
this morning, is a remarkable confession.
| lie was known before coming here as
Benjamin II. Trip. under which name
| he served long jail sentence.
Began Life as New York "Newsie.'
/ Burke said in his published story that
he could not recall how he started in
| life. A street waif on the East Side Of
oil nj u
! father and mother were had been blotted
out before he began 70 exc out an uncer-
tain existence by selling newspapers. II
vas while he Was hanging around the
corners OF the East side that he began
that life OF crook which he now. about
in his forty-third year. has confessed to.
Gopher men, the species OF crooks
who confne themselves 10 cracking and
robbing safes. were the first Of the under
world he fell in with They used him, 80
his strange story runs. To visit establish
msnts where they thought safe might
be worth rifirg. He spotted many
such an establishment for them. his boy
ish plea that ne Was looking for work.
giving him the means to find out the loca-
ton Of the safe. once the latter was
blown open by the gopher men" ne was
associsting with he received share OF
the plnnder.
Then lie driftcd IN with a sans OF mol
buzzcrs.' that cias. OF thieves which
bear. I ti,lc bestowed upon II by tho
rarlsncc OF crooks even further back
than tho Elizabethsn days.
From picking Womens handbags.
Burke went West sith several ''yegg-
men" those outlaws whose dexterity
with both rcvolvers and explosives makes
them 20 feared by the authorities OF
small communities. in which safes have
80 often been blown opon with nitro
Elycerine and robbed.
In chicago, Kansas city and fan Fran
cisco in the so's Burke was tho associate
OF desperate thieves. ~. helped 10 crack
many a safe and the toughest sections
Of Western cities were his fayorite
hsunts He escaped the clutches OF the
Law and finally wandered back 10 New
York He knew the underworld there
and. with considerable sum OF money
left from tho proceeds Of Ids "yegr'' cx-
pcriencc. hc sought II out in order 10
mako. n flash among the thieves he
had once known. he scorned picking
pockets then. No longer Lad he 10 re-
main satisfied with whatever gopher
men" might give him for sporting for
them. He had risen 20 higher level in
the underworld
Lured by Gambling Dens.
Gambling lured him a.. 1t has many
another crook. He gambled and hc GAM
bied hard. Like all tho rest OF them"
he SAYS. II lost more often than I won"
From gambling nc turned sneak thief.
HIS pals" al many a gaming table had
been crooks who. when Ia need OF money.
opened with skeleton keys tho doors, or
climbed through unfastened windows, OF
apartment houses and stole whatever OF
value they could find lie fell In with
them and soon became their partner. In
crime. With them he worked the we'll
known bank game. the snatchng OF a
bundle Of banknotes by one thief while
confederate Is engaging bank cashier
In violent argument. There were times,
he says. that he and his pals" Of those
days had as much IA 5000 TO divide be-
tween them.
AZ a pickpock"t. before he hah gone
West as "ycggman." he had been
caught by the police and sent TO Black
wells Island FOR a three or IA six months
sentence. As sneak thief he was never
caught IN New York. although once or
twice they took him TO detective head
quarters 'on suspicion
Burke decided To play what he de-
scribes. In thieves slang. As lone game"
In other words. he made up his mind To
separate himself from the crooks he had
been associating with and do his stealing
by himself. lie says he had got wise
10 the fact that the man who worked
alone stood a better chance than the man
who didn't"
SO he drifted to Boston by himself. He
began remarkable life there. robbing
houses right and left In broad daylight
for three years without being detected.
He claims tha>in that time he committed
robberies on from 80 to 800 occasions
without even using a Jimmy or any other
thieves tools than bundle OF skeleton
keys.
II was not until he became friendly, lie
says with a New York confidence man
who was addicted TO the use of drugs
who was HOP fiend." to employ his
own expression-that his career as
sneak thief was abruptly terminated by
81. -. - ,,l.ap He hogan IN Use