The Washington times., 1922-05-01
CRIME CAREER
Of DAPPER JOE
/ BEGAN At 10
Jimmy" Thief BIames His
Downfall on Associates and
Environment.

&SMu ANoOClhlCE anu tANAthAftA~bNS
are blamed by Charles Joseph IIau.
xon, thirty-three years old, confessed
mtilion,dollar jimmy thief ana pro-
fessional cracksman. for leading
life OF crime since he was but ten
years old.
Not only did s'Dapper Joe" Lau-
Kon, as he is known In the under
world of crime, and who confessed
10 having stole more than s250,000
from apartments in Washington
during the past year and half.
so wrong when but a child. but he
claims that two other brothers fol-
lowed in his footpath of crime. One
OF them was shot while holding up
q Western train, and another had
an arm blown off when a safe he
was dynamiting prematurely ex-
ploded.
Brother in Prison.
One OF the brothers is in Still
water prison, Mimi, while the other
died In a felon's cell from tubercu-
losis as a result of the bullet wound
he received in his back when he
and several other bandits held UP
passenger train out of Chicago
several years ago.
II started on a career of crime as
. sneak thief" said 'Dapper Joe"
Lauzon at the District Jail today.
Later, became strong-arm thief,
q highwayman who knocked his vic
tins insensible when he was bent on
robbery. Later on became yGgg,
blowing safes. But I soon learned
that II was dangerous work. this
blowing of safes, so I learned how TO
open safe with the delicate touch
of the fingers. Finally, hit on the
plan OF breaking into homes and
looting them-I became a Jimmy
man. This was not quite so danger
Gus work az the other had been en-
gagged In and have been at II for
several years.
II suppose that during the past
ten years 1 have stolen more than
Sf.000,000 worth of jewelry and
Liberty bonds. OF course, / did
not realize this money all in cash.
sold the stolen loot for approx
mately one-third less than IT was
worth. / sold Il through crooked
Jewelry dealers.
Had Little Trouble.
II had but little trouble getting
rid of jewelry and valuable stones
that / sold. In the first place Il
was simple for me to enter a home
with a Jimmy. When Z found no
one was at home I opened the door
with my jimmy and III short time
ransacked the place of jewelry,
gems and other valuables that were
left by their owners lying about in
insecure places.
1T was while was operating in
Chicago that was first caught for
pulling a Jimmy job. They sentenced
me to from one to twenty years in
Joliet prison. While in the prison
tqca bead nf ha H.
and was voted the best-liked man In
the prison before the riots several
years ago.
II first learned TO steal when l
was sent TO a reformatory I'm Chi.
cago. II was while in this institu-
tion that l. met some hardened
crooks and they taught me many
things I never would have known
had i not been sent to the place. It
was this reformatory environment
that caused me TO go wrong-it also
caused my brothers to lead GRIM
tnal career.
Travelled Over U. s.
After we left the reformatory we
all started out to make a living by
stealing. We Travelled all over the
country, robbing in every city where
we went. II made but little differ
we got the money. II was while my
brother and were blowing a safe
in a Western city that he lost his
right arm from the premature ex-
plosion OF the nitroglycerin and
soap used in blowing the door from
the hinges. 1t was several months
later that my other brother was
shot in the back by a passenger on
Western train which he and sew
eral other bandits held up.
81 suppose that had engaged
An an honest labor, devoting as
much energy and thought to my
fob as / have to stealing, l would
have been a successful man. But,
once a fellow gets in reformatory
or in prison his career Is blasted.
His record follows him wherever
he goes He may hold his job for
few months, or maybe year.
Then suddenly somebody comes
along who knows of your past and
away goes your job. I found this
10 be a fact on several occasions
when / tried to live straight
The world ought to give the
convict a chance. But II don't
He's condemned and little consid-
keration does he get from any one
rven the reformers, many of whom
Are In the game for the self-glory
bey get out Of IL. Why, had not
ben locked in a cell here an hour
fore met on the same tier where
pm confined a man / met when
vas in the Chicago reformatory.
But 1 suppose / will have to
my medicine. intend to 60