The petty tricks that he pulls off pass unnoticed. If, by any chance, he should find himself within the clutches of the law, his friendship with the police, in most cases, is sufficient to have the case against him dropped. Of course the stool is not known as such among his companions of the underworld. He remains a stool, pulsating with life, only because he is successful in blinding his pals to his hypocrisy. In that class which makes the world its field are found the big men of the profession: the counterfeiter, not the maker of silver coin, but the fellows whose specialties are notes from a hundred up; the keen, quick-witted forger, the well-groomed and affable “con man”; the bank thief, nimble and light of foot; the badger man and woman, heartless and cunning in their scheming. Among the rougher workers are found the yegg, nerveless and cool in the face of danger, the stick-up man, with his stealthy tread and ever-ready “rod,” the “prowler” (burglar), and a host of others. In this class are found the “wanted” men of the profession. By railroad and boat they travel over the face of the earth. Living with their kind, ransacking the world in search of plunder, they live their life. It’s a life of chance, this life in the underworld. The crook plays with it daily, toys with it in his every endeavor. He has anticipated arrest for so many years that the actual culmination of his fears hasn’t the shock in it which it would have otherwise. CHAPTER XI SOME TYPES OF CROOKS The “con man,” the bank sneak, the counterfeiter (of notes) and his allies, the forger, the big dip, and the badger man are what might be called the aristocrats of the underworld because their work requires on their part always a polished exterior. A good “front” (appearance) in their line is essential to success. The morning sun may see the criminal the acme of contentment, money in his pocket, a smile on his face; the evening shadows may fall on him pacing a cell in some detention house. Yet the crook takes the chance. It’s a peculiar characteristic of all crooks, that sooner or later they know they’ll see the inside of a “stir” (prison). They realize that at the end of their road a prison waits for them with open arms. I believe it is this fact which makes the crook so philosophical in defeat. The “con man” is invariably a man of fine appearance, possessed of a better than ordinary education. He must have a personality to attract, a conversational ability to hold attention. They are invariably “good livers,” used to the best, and are attracted only by large money. The big dip, the forger, and the bank thief are all men above the ordinary of the underworld. At the head of all of them I would place the counterfeiter, the man whose mechanical ability and resourcefulness makes him a menace to the government. His work requires a technical training of many years. Cleaner than the average in mechanical skill, his is a profession envied by his lesser fellows.