Old Police Trails in the Town That
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OLD POLICE TRAILS IN THE TOWN THAT I WAS PLACE that would have delighted Louis Not all were ii /"k Robert Stevenson, Morgan pirate lairs along the Spanish there was a famous one on tinguished company. Gathered about,, hir-i ¿% Robertson or any of those old sea Main; Cherry Street. were Mrs. Langtry, Harry Parker *H-'th<?n al*- writers was 'The Sailor's Rest,' As to dives* known along Broadway M The Fashion Plate" a sort of divo where in New York could a u Cherry Hill, crimp»s" and to-day you find Fleahag? .Charlotte Carew, of the Henry Irvine com»-, wading house run by 'Mother' Olson." pany; Denman Thompson, of 'Old Homesteac was Francis Bv ARTHUR JAMES PEGLER »rjja speaker Cadell, former Drawings by J. NORMAN LYND fame; Barney Dillon, who sang the comely Oaf York City detective, lately retired after song 'Seven Ages of Shakespeare'; Charlie g_rty-efght years' service. I found him on Mitchell, English ring champion, and hi?r fath¬ ¡porch of his home in Brooklyn. His mood er-in-law, 'Pony' Moore; P. S. Gil more, mana¬ ¿g reminiscent ger of Niblo's Gardon, at that time in its hey¬ «.This woman was a Scandinavian with a day; Colonel Mapleson, «Signor Campanari, fcd record," Cadell went on. "Her place was Emma Juch, Lillian Lehman, Caroline ,-Grau («a favorite haunt of Jerry McAuley, after and Clementine de Veré. Some company! «rd «s a reformed character in charge of "I was on duty at the Brighton onc^night He a when 5_e McAuley Mil-ion. headed gang of John L. Sullivan was given a rousing f-yer pirate»«;. reception by an enthusiastic company ot«ínr¿o "3IcAuley's men robbed tramp steamships folk. John entered unannounced with "^«pr.y" Harbor and the Moore. Guests at the table.«, rose and .. jxew York river, breaking cheered ¿¡rgo into barges or tugs and hauling away the Boston lad. It was John's first appearance «¿tir loot while the ship's officers lay drugged in New York City as an actor in klonest. and the anchor watch aboard was Hearts and Willing Hands.' The big "ffcllow jghore was all and gagged in a locked cabin. broken up.didn't know what to do. ¡^nd John Drew made a little -The members of this gang, aside speech and demanded principal one from John. Sullivan tried to run McAuley, were 'Big Ned' Ryan, out, but .rom 'Snag' was headed off a Cunningham, Ed and by mob of »stage women and Csoper, Roy O'Laughlin compelled to respond. He delivered theKaame .fiai Naylor. O'Laughlin was once a trusted later made him of the Ward Line Steamship Com¬ speech by hundreds of"Simes «aployee nehiixi the footlights. All he said was 'Your« pany. truly, John L. Sullivan. I thank one and these fellows worked was to you "The way make all.' After that there was more with officers of and enter¬ chÜÄring friends tramp ships and the wine flowed more a»«-hore. One of the favorite resorts freely. tain them "New York hoteks u»sed to be fruitful bf po¬ Ih Hugh Ellis'a restaurant in Roosevelt lice in the late 80's and 90's. Rob¬ the While and jobs early Street near Bowery. McAuley beries coromitt»-«d in hotels or framed in them wined and dined the some of the gang officers and carried out elsewhere were freenjeffi. It entertained the crew at their associates was a common thing in those days to see noted 'Mother' Olson's. Before midnight the whole bank robbers like 'Shang' Draper, Tom Curie"**; ship's company except the anchor watch that and 'Midget' Tracey sitting in hotel lobbies, ittasined aboard would be unconscious from but they were bona fide guests. The -really ¿rag!. The pirates would steam alongside the dangerous men were bunco steerers like Harold ship, overpower the watch, break out as much Crosby and Harry Moran, or the still more cargo as they could dispose of handily and be Lewis collected his fifteen notorious Silas T. Blaze. That fellew was-grad- before an alarm could be raised. per cent of uated .way When his hands twinkled as ¡He served from Harvard. He served as age*n»t for "A successful raid like that would set the takings when the beggars reported two gambling one on drinks Dan*s star was houses, Broadway, always river pirates on Easy Street for months. One shining bright referred to as '818,' and the Vesper Chib, an reason why they escaped capture so long was East Side resort. land had been on the methods of Mc¬ that they timed their operations to coincide posted "I remember a curious case In which"Blaze. Auley. He left an armed in¬ way back to New York one night she was in¬ with when long police watchfulness guard aboard, was mixed up. It had to do with periods structing men shore leave to jured in a surface car accident. She recovered Jess^-Car"*". to a perfunctory patrol. given feign a you»g who clerked in a store when I had given place drunkenness, but to their wits about $10,000 damages. This sum, she said, was a chap "Just when everything seemed safe and keep first knew him. He ran through a fortune them. When the pirates swarmed aboard the mere fleabite. With it Mrs. Smith and her there would be another pirate raid, left him by nis father, Thomas Ward a orderly Nordland were met determined sea¬ husband the saloon which became Carr, still another period of futile po¬ they by opened wholesale grocer. Young Carr had been ¡chum¬ followed by men, who fought them off, 'Car¬ known as 'The P'leabag.' It was never what lie* McAuley confessed at one time wounding ming around with William P. McNally, a-confi- activity. rots' Colby. The latter fell into the and you might call a resort, but, to more than worth of bay popular owing dence man, better known as 'the Cherub.* that $10,000,000 goods was drowned. Nilsson and his crew aboard its it held a on tho stolen from in the harbor peculiar name, long place McNally, by the way, was an for had been ships by a police boat arrived too late to capture the lists of underworld understudy and associated gangs of pirates. guides. Blaze, but not realTy in that class. Blaze nia gang, but a description of the tug led to the "Another was 'The Hat," "The Swedish tramp ship Nordland was tough joint Plug charmed his victims. McNally -was merely a capture by Inspector Henry V. Steers of the at 10 Bowery. This place was operated in tho fearless boarded one night by McAuley's men after thug. Blaze retained the confidence of 2d District and Captain Alexander Williams 80's Dan Kelly, a well known character. his all the officers and eleven men of the crew had by "victims after he robbed them. McNäIIvs of the 4th Precinct station of McAuley, Ryan, His were touts. been and to bed. The pirates following mostly horseracing complained to the police, drugged put Cooper, Cunningham and O'Laughlin. All was an of " that the usual anchor watch was Kelly imaginative fellow, possessed After Carr had been cleaned out b-fr this figured only were convicted. omens. a absolute faith in signs and Originally gang he dropped gambling, worked for a being maintained on board, but surprise "River so §15 piracy had proved profitable that his Baloon was known as 'By the Way.' Busi¬ week, saved every cent he could until he» had awaited them. Captain Nilsson of tho Nord- other tried to gangs emulate McAuley, but ness fell off and seemed to be getting worse all a $2ß0 stake, visited '818' one night and-won these fellows were not in the same class for the time until one night Kelly attended a $40,000 in two hours. He went to OklTojjoma, and skill i»nd soon daring they dispersed. Tammany meeting, got in a fight and had his bought a hotel, got hold of some oil land and "McAuley enjoyed powerful friendships. plug hat smashed. I forgot to mention that he is now a millionaire." On several occasions he escaped punishment. THIS HERE BEIN' always wore a tall hat and frock coat with When Jerry found himself landed in the braid round the edges. Tombs he had no trouble in arranging so that "When Dan returned after the Tammany A GOOD FELLA he and his men could enjoy liberty. There Cherry Street, where river pirates had their headquarters at the Sailors' Rest. fracas there had been a fight in the Baloon. A 4 were queer doings at the Tombs when 'Fatty' THE CALIPH^ transom over the front door had been broken. Walsh was warden there. While the Mc«Auley He plugged the hole with his battered tile and gang awaited trial Tombs discipline became runs each Lewis used to sit in a "Lewis lived in a handsome on By Robert B. Peck night. dilapi¬ apartment changed the name of the place to 'The Plug HY-LAN considerably relaxed. table. an dated armchair at the head of a long Central Park West. His wife, attractive Hat.' Later be told me that name "As soon as darkness fell old Buck¬ entirely to me this is comin* to Jerry Sometimes there would be as many as fifty blonde, was known about town as Mrs. Lewis ___*¦*«.* EEMS country that stood where changed his fortune. The saloon did a thriv¬ be the international boob, the easy ley's seagoing hack, always beggars in the room at one time.