Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19

The experience of this dip is typical
of the course of most of the underworld
which makes this sordid section its home.
One of the worst features of these
hang outs is the fact that young fel-
lows of the district, who enter them just
to play stuss, and who have no criminal
records make acquaintance with pick
pockets and thugs. and are attracted by
the easy money which d life of crime
seems to assure. The consequence is that
these places not only shelter criminals,
but breed them.
There is a place Orchard street
which is to outward appearances cigar
store. AS a matter of fact the cigar
boxes in the window are all empty. Inc
place is run by an eX-conVlct. VINO IN ms
time thought no more OF cracking Skull
than he did of cracking safe. and had
cracked many of both in the course of his
career.
This place is patronized at all times by
the young fellows of the relShbOrhood.
Lads of fourteen or fifteen. whose worst
crime, perhaps. is "playing hockey get
into this ''hang-out, associate With the
crooks who spend most OF their time
there, and very soon become criminals
themselves. The proprietor of the place
is very ready to show the boys how they
can make few dollars. and under his
able coaching they speedily develop INTO
adept dips and 'stick-up' men.
In the holiday season. when the thor
oughfares all over the city are crowded
and people are we'll supplied with money.
pickpockets work overtime. When the
shops have closed for the day and the
last shopper has returned home, the
dips who have MIXED them may be
found in the 'hang-out joints" of this
district. rapidly throwing away at stuss
the money they had boosted in the aft
ernoon.
At the end of an afternoons work on
busy day experienced plckpocket VIII
have a pretty good-sized roll. and per-
haps several pieces of jewelry which have
been picked up in the course of the aft
ernoon's bag opening and wallet
boosting
The crook plays the money first. but
when that is exhausted he has no hesita-
ton in putting up the jewelry exactly as
he found it. The fact that it has it's own
er's initials Oh it or presents other evil
dence of having been stolen Is matter
of no moment.
"I'll play this for twenty the crook
suggests, pulling out a one-hundred- dol
lar brooch or pin for the stuss dealer S
inspection.
Lets see it," the dealer replies, taking
the piece of jewelry and giving it more
or less thorough inspection
Nothing doing, Shorty, hfteen bucks
is the best l can do on that piece of
junk
You're on; fifteen bucks 1t is.
The dealer hands over fifteen dollars.
pockets the stolen jewelry, and proceeds
to deal In a very short while the law
of average will have declared itself and
the fifteen dollars he paid for the 1ewelry
will be back again In his pocket.
This jewelry very often finds its way t
the homes Of the stuss dealers, and is
not infrequently worn by their wives.
There is one woman in this district. the
wife of a stuss dealer. who is extremely
fond of jewelry of all kinds, and she car
ries enough of it around on her to stock
a jewelry-,shop. There are the proceeds
of probably twenty different touches"
and robberies on this woman's person
every time she puts them all on"
But perhaps the most interesting char
acter in this district is the man who for