City Crimes; Or, Life in New York and BostonThompson, George
General
City Crimes; Or, Life in New York and Boston
Thompson, George
Boston (Mass.) -- Fiction; Crime -- Fiction; New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction
In the apartment which adjoined the chamber he discovered little 'Jack
the Prig,' fast asleep in bed. In the restlessness of slumber, the boy
had partially thrown off the bed-clothes, and he exhibited upon his
naked breast the picture of a gallows, and a man hanging! This appalling
scene had been drawn with India ink, and pricked into the flesh with
needles, so that it never could be effaced. It was the work of the boy's
hideous father, who, not contented with training up his son to a life of
crime, was anxious that he should also carry upon his person, through
life, that fearful representation of a criminal's doom.
'Would it not be a deed of mercy,' thought our hero--'to take the poor
boy from his unnatural parents, and train him up to a life of honesty
and virtue? If I ever get the father in my power, I will look after the
welfare of this unfortunate lad.'
Frank left the room, and descending the stairs, began to explore the
lower apartments of the house. In one, he found a large collection of
tools, comprising every implement used by the villains in their
depredations. There were dark lanterns, crowbars, augers, London
_jimmies_, and skeleton keys, for burglary; also, spades, pickaxes, and
shovels, which were probably used in robbing graves, a crime which at
that period was very common in New York. A large quantity of clothing of
all kinds hung upon the walls, from the broadcloth suit of the gentleman
down to the squalid rags of the beggar; these garments Frank conjectured
to be _disguises_, a supposition which was confirmed by the masks, false
whiskers, wigs and other articles for altering the person, which were
scattered about.
In a small closet which communicated with this room, our hero found dies
for coining, and a press for printing counterfeit bank-notes; and a
table drawer, which he opened containing a quantity of false coin,
several bank-note plates, and a package of counterfeit bills, which had
not yet been signed.
Having sufficiently examined these interesting objects, Frank passed
into the next room, which was of considerable extent. It was almost
completely filled with goods of various kinds, evidently the proceeds of
robberies. There were overcoats, buffalo robes, ladies' cloaks and furs,
silk dresses, shawls, boxes of boots and shoes, cases of dry goods, and
a miscellaneous assortment of articles sufficient to furnish out a large
store. The goods in that room were worth several thousands of dollars.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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