Another criminal of the Buzzard species was Chump of Harlem. He was only twenty-six years of age, the son of a sergeant of police. He is so indolent that he prefers to beg or steal rather than earn an honest living. Those that know him best call him “a gin-mill sucker,” as he spends most of his time there for the “drinks” he can pick up for nothing. He was arrested in midwinter for stealing a forty-dollar chair from a furniture store in the upper part of the city. Like most of his kind, Chump said he was innocent and that it was the first time he was ever arrested. As he gave a fictitious name and wrong address it was impossible to trace his record. Under the impression that he was a first offender, he was allowed a plea of petit larceny. When he came up before Recorder Goff he found his match. Some person must have given the Court an “inkling” of Chump’s record. When he stood at the bar of General Sessions the Recorder had him sworn on the Bible so that he might tell the truth. Then the tug of war began. “Chump,” said the Recorder, “Tell the truth, were you ever convicted before?” Chump hesitated. There was a painful silence in the room. “Now tell me,” said Judge Goff, “How many times were you sent away in your life? Were you ever in the penitentiary?” said the Recorder. “Yes,” said Chump, “once.” “Is that all,” said the Recorder; “Now tell the truth.” “No,” said he, “Twice.” “Any other times?” He hesitated again. It seems that this young vagabond had no less than six convictions standing against him prior to this time. While he was under the Recorder’s scrutiny he must have suffered torture of conscience. But his real character was brought out which showed him to be an A1 degenerate and a notorious liar. Before he started for the penitentiary I asked him why he had lied by saying that he had never been up before. He coolly replied, “Well, you know if I had told the truth nobody would have done anything for me.” Dark Records In the following sketch I have selected crooks of maturer years. They are types of modern brainy criminals. I have said nothing of Orrin Skinner, the well read Illinois lawyer who became a jailbird in early life and afterwards died in Auburn prison, nor of Rue Ralley, the scholarly criminal who was master of several languages; nor of other well known crooks who got away with millions of dollars from several New York banks. I have said nothing of “Jimmie” Hope, who robbed the Bleecker Street Bank of three million dollars, and was called the Prince of Safe Crackers and who at one time was said to be worth a big fortune, the “pickings” of several bank burglaries; nor of the young crook who went boldly to a Broadway Bank at the noon hour and with only an empty soap box under his feet, leaned over the cashier’s cage and got away with $10,000. But the city is full of such bold crooks who simply wait their chances.