The Harbor Thieves constitute one of the most dangerous and active
portions of the criminal class. There are only about fifty professional
thieves of this class, but they give the police a vast amount of trouble,
and inflict great loss in the aggregate upon the mercantile community.
Twenty years ago the harbor was infested with a gang of pirates, who not
only committed the most daring robberies, but also added nightly murders
to their misdeeds. Their victims were thrown into the deep waters of the
river or bay, and all trace of the foul work was removed. At length,
however, the leaders of the gang, Saul and Howlett by name, mere lads
both, were arrested, convicted, and executed, and for a while a stop was
put to the robberies in the harbor; but in course of time the infamous
trade was resumed, but without its old accompaniment of murder. It is at
present carried on with great activity in spite of the efforts of the
police to put a stop to it. The North River front of the city is
troubled with but one gang of these ruffian's, which has its headquarters
at the foot of Charlton street. This front is lined with piers which are
well built, well lighted, and well guarded, being occupied chiefly by
steamboats plying on the river, and by the foreign and coasting
steamships. The East River is not so well guarded, the piers are dark,
and the vessels, mostly sailing ships, are left to the protection of
their crews. It is in this river, therefore, and in the harbor, that the
principal depredations of the river thieves are carried on. "Slaughter
House Point," the intersection of James and South streets, and so called
by the police because of the many murders which have occurred there, is
the principal rendezvous of the East River thieves. Hook Dock, at the
foot of Cherry street, is also one of their favorite gathering places.
The life of a river thief is a very hard one, and his gains, as a rule,
are small. He is subjected to a great deal of manual labor in the effort
to secure his plunder, and is exposed to all sorts of weather. Night
work in an open boat in New York harbor is not favorable to longevity,
and in eight or ten years the most robust constitution will give way
before the constant attacks of rheumatism and neuralgia. There would be
some compensation to society in this but for the fact that the police,
whose duty it is to watch the river thieves, suffer in a similar way.
The river thieves generally work in gangs of three and four. Each gang
has its rowboat, which is constructed with reference to carrying off as
much plunder as possible, and making the best attainable time when chased
by the harbor police. The thieves will not go out on a moonlight or even
a bright starlight night. Nights when the darkness is so thick that it
hides everything, or when the harbor is covered with a dense fog, are
most favorable to them. Then, emerging from their starting point, they
pull to the middle of the stream, where they lie-to long enough to
ascertain if they are observed or followed. Then they pull swiftly to
the point where the vessel they mean to rob is lying. Their oars are
muffled, and their boat glides along noiselessly through the darkness.
Frequently they pause for a moment, and listen to catch the sound of the
oars of the police-boats, if any are on their track. Upon reaching the
vessel, they generally manage to board her by means of her chains, or
some rope which is hanging down her side. The crew are asleep, and the
watch is similarly overcome. The thieves are cautions and silent in
their movements, and succeed in securing their spoil without awakening
any one. They will steal anything they can get their hands on, but deal
principally in articles which cannot be identified, such as sugar,
coffee, tea, rice, cotton, etc. They go provided with their own bags,
and fill these from the original bags, barrels, or cases in which these
articles are found on the ship. They are very careful to take away with
them nothing which has a distinctive mark by which it may be identified.
Having filled their boat, they slip over the side of the ship into it,
and pull back to a point on shore designated beforehand, and, landing,
convey their plunder to the shop of a junkman with whom they have already
arranged matters, where they dispose of it for ready money. They do not
confine their operations to vessels lying at the East River piers of New
York, but rob those discharging cargo at the Brooklyn stores, or lying at
anchor in the East or North rivers, even going as far as to assail those
lying at quarantine.
[Picture: THE RIVER THIEVES.]
In order to check their operations as far as possible, a force of about
thirty policemen, under Captain James Todd, is assigned to duty in the
harbor. The headquarters of this force are on a steamer, which boat was
expected to accomplish wonders, but which is too large and clumsy to be
of any real service. In consequence of this, Captain Todd is obliged to
patrol the harbor with row-boats, of which there are several. These
boats visit all the piers on the two rivers, and search for thieves or
their boats. Sometimes the thieves are encountered just as they are
approaching a pier with their boat filled with stolen property, and again
the chase will be kept up clear across the harbor. If they once get
sight of them, the police rarely fail to overhaul the thieves. Generally
the latter submit without a struggle, but sometimes a fight ensues.
The thieves, however, prefer to submit where they have such goods as
rice, sugar, coffee, or tea in their possession. They know that it will
be impossible to convict them, and they prefer a slight detention to the
consequences of a struggle with their captors. The merchant or master of
the ship, from whom the goods are stolen, may feel sure in his own mind
that the articles found in the possession of the thieves are his
property, but he cannot swear that they are his, it being simply
impossible to identify such goods. And so the magistrate, though
satisfied of the theft, must discharge the prisoner and return him the
stolen goods. The only charge against him is that he was found under
suspicious circumstances with these articles in his possession. From
three to four river thieves are arrested every week, but, for the reason
given, few are punished. Sometimes, in order to secure their conviction,
the police turn over the thieves to the United States authorities, by
whom they are charged with smuggling, this charge being based upon their
being found in possession of goods on which they can show no payment of
duties. Sometimes they are prosecuted, not for larceny, but for
violating the quarantine laws in boarding vessels detained at quarantine.
Several times the most daring of the river thieves have robbed the piers
of the European steamship lines. In one instance, they passed under the
pier of the Cunard steamers at Jersey City, cut out a portion of the
flooring, and removed several valuable packages through the opening thus
made. They then replaced the flooring, and secured it in its place by
means of lifting-jacks, and decamped with their plunder. The next night
they returned and removed other packages, and for several nights the
performance was repeated. The company's agent, upon the discovery of the
loss, exerted himself actively to discover the thieves, but without
success. The watchmen on shore were positive that the warehouse, which
is built on the pier, had not been entered from the land, and there were
no signs to be discovered of its having been forced from the water side.
Matters began to look bad for the watchmen, when, one night, the harbor
police unexpectedly made a dash under the pier and caught the thieves at
their work.
The North River gang are said to own a fine schooner, in which they
cruise along the Hudson almost to Albany, and carry on a system of piracy
at the river towns. Farmers and country merchants suffer greatly from
their depredations. A year or so ago, it was rumored that they were
commanded by a beautiful and dashing woman, but this story is now
believed to be a mere fiction.
"Another gang is called the 'Daybreak Boys,' from the fact that none of
them are a dozen years of age, and that they always select the hour of
dawn for their depredations, which are exclusively confined to the small
craft moored in the East River just below Hell Gate. They find the men
on these vessels locked in the deep sleep of exhaustion, the result of
their severe labors of the day; and as there are no watchmen, they meet
little difficulty in rifling not only the vessels, but the persons of
those on board. If there is any such thing as a watch or money, it is
sure to disappear; and it has often happened that one of these vessels
has been robbed of every portable article on board, including every
article of clothing."