People's Pilot, Volume 2, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 June 1893 — DRIVING OUT THE CROOkS. [ARTICLE]

DRIVING OUT THE CROOkS.

The Secret Service Scaring the Bad Men Away tfotti the Fair. The very small number of arrests of crooks at the.fair has been frequently commented on, and some people have wondered whether Chief Bonfield’s force of astute detectives Ijas been earning its pay. The truth of the matter is, the crooks are keeping away from Jackson park. Now and then one more bold than the rest enters the fair gates and is soon discovered by Bonfield’s men. As a result, no corn* plaints of persons being robbed at the fair are being made. Talking of crooks in general and the possible figure they may cut at the world’s fair, Chief Bonfleld said: “So far as the fair grounds are concerned we have seen very few professionals around, and those whom our men have spotted are usually men who have served time for their offenses and against whom there is nothing except suspicion on account of previous records. We have men who have had opportunities to become familiar with nearly all the prominent crooks of the country, and when any of these crooks come around the grounds they find they are recognized at once and usually do not stay long. -Even if they had any idea tof going into the crooked business again they would not be likely to carry on operations at the grounds, as they are shrewd enough to know that they would be the first upon whom suspicion would fall. “There was a man in the grounds the other day who five years ago had an international reputation as a cfook, but he has served time for his offense and now claims to have reformed and to be engaged in legitimate business. It would, of course, be an injustice to such a man to order him off the grounds or even to give his name to the press. All we can do under the circumstances is to let such men understand that they are known, and that precautionary interest is being taken in their behalf. This usually has the desired effect of getting rid of them if they come with the intent of doing mischief. “My men outside the grounds advise me that they have noticed a good many foreign crooks about the city—confidence and bunko men—but as yet we have had no intimation that they have commenced operation. They are being shadowed, and if they make any moves in the wrong direction they will quickly be taken in. “Most of the complaints which have reached us so far are of the loss of tools and other articles belonging to the workmen about the grounds, and in the majority of cases these losses have turned out to be cases of misplacing the articles in question, and they have generally been recovered. It is rather early, anyhow, to expect much trouble irom professional, crooks inside the grounds.”

—Wife—“See, my dear, this style of dress is the very latest fashion.” Husband (with a deep sigh)—“How glad I would be if it would continue to he the latest fashion.”— Schalk.

At Pittsburgh the skin of frogs was used to graft new skin upon a human being. Now the physicians who performed the operation are anxiously waiting to see if their patient “croaks.”—Norristown Herald.