SCHOOLS OF CRIME
Crime, like many of the diseases that afflict the human body, is both
infectious and contagious, and criminal principles can be taught to old
and young as easy as the alphabet or any of the profoundest sciences.
As the larger part of our population dwell in cities and these cities
are recruited from the immigrants that come to our shores, it is
reasonable to believe that many of them, if not criminals already, come
with criminal instincts, so that the rising generation who are the
offspring of crooks are sure to be criminal.
According to the present statistics, the United States leads the world
in criminality. Hitherto, Italy and Russia were the leaders, but now the
United States surpasses all others.
It seems that for every million of inhabitants the United States
furnished 115 _known_ relapsed criminals, Italy 105, Russia 90, England
27, France 19, Germany 18. Not only do we make criminals ourselves, but
we import them through our defective immigration laws. Congress could
partly remedy this evil against a free people by closing our immigration
doors for the next twenty years. But our political party leaders, who
rule the people, are afraid to do this, hence our rapid growth in crime,
partly through immigration.
As a matter of fact, when crooks get together, no matter what their sex
or age may be, they are sure to brag of their criminal accomplishments,
and escapades. It is in such an atmosphere that crime is taught, and
especially among the young. To a beginner in crime who hears them, all
such utterances are exceedingly interesting, and much of it is sure to
make a deep and lasting impression for evil. As a rule, many criminals
are exceedingly garrulous and talk much, and when they tell a rosy tale
of how to get money or valuables without working for them, the whole
thing seems captivating. Frequently such a story carries a new beginner
in crime off his feet. It is in this manner that our jails,
reformatories and houses of refuge become schools of crime.
It is the general opinion of the leaders of bench and bar that crime is
carefully and systematically planned and taught in our prisons. The fact
is that more than fifty per cent. of all our first offenders return to
jail a second time, showing clearly that rather than being weaned from
such a life by the imprisonment, many of them are encouraged to continue
it.
When I have asked boys and young men why they returned to crime a second
time, they informed me that while inmates of different prisons and
reform schools, they learned scientifically how to become pickpockets,
thieves, second-story men, and burglars. That is, they were taught it.
In some of the prisons which I have visited at different times, such as
Sing Sing, Auburn, and Elmira, the inmates have not the same opportunity
of speaking to each other, as the law is strictly enforced to prevent
such communications.
But in the City and District Prisons of Greater New York, Blackwell’s
Island Penitenetiary, the House of Refuge, the reformatories and county
jails without number, where old and young crooks are huddled together,
they are permitted to communicate their ideas as they please. My opinion
is that all such places are simply schools of crime.
My cure for such a condition of affairs is entire isolation, segregation
and classification, and the inculcation of moral and religious teaching.
The old adage, that prevention is better than cure, is as true to-day as
ever. And yet our law-making bodies and prison authorities seem to
forget all about it in this mad age. Recent statistics show that crime
among young people is alarmingly on the increase, and one of the main
reasons for it is what may be termed “criminal contamination.” But
little or nothing is done to prevent it.
Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist mentions the case of a crafty old Jew,
named Fagan, who was known to the London police as a “fence,” or
receiver of stolen property. Fagan carried on a business much like that
of a pawnbroker, in advancing money on all the “stuff” or stolen goods
that was brought to him. He had a number of confederates of both sexes
in his employment. They were adepts at the business, and could destroy
the identity of all the stolen property which he purchased daily from
his thievish customers.
Fagan always kept on hand a dozen of boys, whom he called apprentices.
These with the aid of dummy figures, dressed in male and female attire,
he carefully taught the art of pocket-picking. As soon as they had
learned the business, they were sent out in pairs into the thoroughfares
of London, where they “worked” rich men and women for all they were
worth, and often brought back large quantities of plunder. Fagan was
finally captured “with the goods,” and hanged for his crime. This is the
origin of what is known in criminal parlance as “Faganism.”
Within twenty-five years “Faganism” has become a profitable business in
the New World. This is especially true of New York, where strong
evidence of “Faganism” is presented in our criminal courts from time to
time.
The work is done by a gang of greedy, diabolical wretches who teach boys
and girls to pick pockets and when they become experts send them forth
to steal in the street, street cars and large stores. The work is so
carefully and systematically done by our East Side “Fagans” that they
are able to cover their tracks so as to elude detection. It is a
shocking state of affairs to be told by the District Attorney’s
detectives as well as many settlement workers who live among these
people, that many of the police are in league with the “Fagans” and
share their plunder.
Detective Reardon has made a study of “Faganism” on the East Side the
past few years and has been able to “run down” scores of criminals of
this grade. In about two months Mr. Reardon has been able to make 178
arrests for pocket-picking, besides breaking up a score of “Fagan
Schools” where boys and girls from ten to seventeen years of age were
taught how to steal. Several well known thieves named Meyer Lewis,
Cockeye Meyer, Joseph Monkey and Fitch who were proved to be “Fagans”
were sent to jail and their business broken up.
As soon as a “Fagan” is arrested he at once offers the police a big
bribe not to expose him and in some cases it is accepted with the result
that Fagan still remains in business and divides the spoils with the
police. This was the experience of Miss Wold and Detective Reardon who
made a thorough investigation of East Side conditions several months
ago.
As a rule our modern “Fagans” are very foxy. The boys and girls sent
uptown to the Fifth Avenue stores and thoroughfares are well dressed
while those down town are dressed like school children and frequently
carry a bunch of books in their arms. The New York police will have to
change their tactics entirely else they will never “run down” these
criminals.
In a great city like New York we must expect such criminal combinations
to defeat the ends of justice by teaching children to steal and then
receive the plunder, but when such persons are caught they should get
the extreme limit of the law and be shown little or no mercy. They are
the worst kind of degenerates.
Recently four Central Office detectives found a “Fagan” headquarters on
East Third Street in this city, run by a notorious “fence” named “Gaunt”
whom they arrested with four others. The revelations came through a
Tombs prisoner named Herman Doritz who made a sworn statement to the
Court that he, with many others, was taught the art of thieving in Teddy
Gaunt’s School of Crime. There were forty pupils in the school and after
their graduation these lads were scattered over the city in large
stores, where they stole thousands of dollars worth of goods besides
pocket books and jewelry. As soon as the “fence” received the stolen
property he took pains at once to destroy its identity. Then he sent men
out to sell it at half its real value. In this way the boys said he made
big money at the business.
Now, whenever the police arrest a juvenile criminal they put him through
the “third degree” to see whether or not he was taught in a School of
Crime. This is proper. But the cause of much of this must be laid to our
high living, fevered home life, grasping after the dollar and the lack
of moral training in our homes and schools.
I have no hesitation in saying that the Boys’ Prison of the Tombs is a
prolific School of Crime!
What would I do about these things? Well, when love had failed I would
treat the teachers and scholars of our Schools of Crime to a dose of
corporal punishment. But some one says this is degrading. So it is. But
what is more degrading, blighting and damning than crime! Give them
their choice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------