The Stool Pigeon
An important link between the police and the criminal is found in the stool pigeon. The old saying that “It takes a thief to catch a thief” was never truer than in its application to what the ward detective calls “the stool.” When a uniformed or plain clothes policeman is assigned to a precinct the first and foremost thing he does is to find out “What he is up against.” In other words, he sets himself to study carefully the situation; he finds out who are the thieves, pickpockets and all round crooks in his bailiwick. Then he seeks out some one of this class he can trust, and forthwith makes a confidant of him. Indeed, he enters into a regular agreement with the “stool” of the district or ward that in return for “inside information” on crookedness he will give him full protection and even immunity from arrest. The work of the stool pigeon is to associate with criminals as a sort of spy, so as to find out all that is worth knowing and even assist them in crime, then report to the ward detective.
When a burglary has been committed that baffles the police, one or more stool pigeons are put on the case and are paid for their services. If they cannot locate the crooks or the gang, perhaps they can tell where “the goods” may be found and by their help the police are able to recover wagon loads of “loot,” the accumulation of many robberies. Some time back in the seventies of last century Thurlow Weed, who exerted a commanding influence in the counsels of the Republican party second to none in his day, was riding in a Broadway ‘bus and had his gold watch stolen. Mr. Weed deeply deplored the loss of his time piece which had been given to him as a present by some friends. He communicated his loss to the police. The pawn shops were searched, but it could not be found. A score of stool pigeons were implored to find it without delay. Then one of them found the man that stole it and requested him to return it at once to the police, which he did, after which the police were highly commended for their smartness.
Some time ago a noted forger and counterfeiter was sent up the River for five years. He had been doing “crooked” work for some years in this city and would doubtless never have been detected had it not been for a “stool pigeon” with whom he had been in prison in former years, whom he had befriended not long before by giving him meals and lodging when out of employment. The stool pigeon reported everything to the police and the old man was caught “red-handed.”
As a rule there is no honor among thieves. One old criminal who is also a well known “stool pigeon” is in great demand by the police when out of prison, but he is hardly out before he is back again. He knows the criminal classes well and is able to furnish the police with first class information on crookdom. And they in turn see that he is not sent to State Prison but to the penitentiary for short terms. He has sent so many men to “do time” by the information with which he has furnished the police that if they found him in State Prison they would kill him. A traitor, a spy and a spotter are always detested by criminals. It is true, stool-pigeon ethics is not of a high order, but what else can the police do? In resorting to such expedients they simply fight the Devil with the Devil’s own weapons. Without this a large number of the crimes that are committed would never be detected.
Ex-Policeman Bissert who had been sent to Sing Sing by Recorder Goff in November, 1901, was detested by scores of crooks whom he had been instrumental in sending there. After reaching Sing Sing Bissert became a marked man. Many of the old time crooks knew him well. When the Appellate Division decided that he should have a new trial and had returned him to the Tombs, he made the remark to one of the desk keepers, that he would rather go to hell than go back to Sing Sing again, as his life was made miserable all the time he was there. One who was then serving a sentence afterwards informed me that whenever Bissert showed himself in the shops, the dining room, or in the yard his associates took a delight in “jeering” at him and calling him all kinds of profane names!
The Newest, Most Modern and best equipped Police Headquarters in the World. Centre Street, New York City.
CHAPTER XXI
THE ROGUES GALLERY AND THE THIRD DEGREE
One of the most interesting departments of the Detective Bureau is the Rogues’ Gallery. This branch contains the records of nearly a hundred thousand criminals. It is only within recent years that the police have begun to realize the importance of this department of the service. Not only do they photograph and take measurements of all criminals, but since the time of Sergeant Thomas Adams they preserve clippings from all the newspapers which in any way throw light upon the career of a criminal. These clippings are kept in large envelopes, fastened together by rubber bands.
The Clipping Bureau at Headquarters has for some years been in charge of two well known lieutenants, Sheridan and Allen, who seem to have a special talent for this kind of labor. They seem to be walking cyclopedias of criminal information as far as the newspapers are concerned.
One or the other of these specialists is on hand every hour of the day, assisting the men of the department in giving clues, as well as collecting records of beginners in crime. Frequently these records are loaned to the Judges of Criminal Courts before sentence is passed on old offenders. This branch of the Bureau is over thirty years old, and is of immense importance to the department.
Whenever any of the two or three hundred officers of the Detective Bureau make an arrest, in or out of the city, the prisoner is forthwith taken to Police Headquarters, where his measurements and picture are taken for the Rogues’ Gallery. And all this is done before they have found out whether he is innocent or guilty. Indeed, it frequently occurs that the pictures of innocent men remain in the Gallery for years. Once there, they are not removed, unless by order of the Supreme Court. But if an appeal is made to the Commissioner of the Police, he will remove an offending picture if you can show that you were innocent of the crime charged against you, and were never arrested for a crime previously.
Up to the first of January, 1909, the total number of pictures in the Rogues’ Gallery was as follows:
New York, 82,363; Brooklyn, 13,264; total, 95,627.
This besides over 7,000 finger marks taken from August, 1906, till same date.
According to the best judicial authorities, the police have no right to take the picture of a man accused of crime and place it in the Rogues’ Gallery till after his conviction. For “mugging” Banker Jenkins, in defiance of Justice Burr’s order, Captain Kuhne, of the Brooklyn Detective Bureau, was sentenced to thirty days in Raymond street Jail, and fined $500 besides. The case was submitted to the highest court in the State, and last June the Court of Appeals decided that the sentence passed on the Police Captain was just. After a time, “mugging” contrary to law may become an unprofitable business.
The question as to the number of criminals in New York city is one of the most difficult to answer. The best that can be said is to offer an unofficial conjecture. We went to Police Headquarters and presented it to different men, but nearly all refused to volunteer an answer. One officer said: “If you mean by criminals those persons who have been in jail all the way from one to ten times, but who now enjoy their liberty, then there must be at least seventy-five thousand of such people in this city.” But then this is only a conjecture. We have no means of knowing to an absolute certainty the number of criminals in New York.
During the fall and winter, when there are great social gatherings in the city, thousands of crooks invade Manhattan, and live at the best hotels. When they leave, they usually take with them enough money and valuables to last for years.
The curiosities of crime which may be seen in the museum of the Rogues’ Gallery are worthy of careful inspection. These consist of dark lanterns, jimmies galore, sectional jimmies, and ancient and modern jimmies, knives, dirks, razors, pistols, guns, gold bricks, burglary tools, skeleton keys and several hundred other things used by criminals, all too numerous to mention. Many of these things are kept in glass cases, and cannot be touched, but they show the ingenuity of the criminal mind in trying to overcome the modern barriers for protecting banks, counting houses, stores and Fifth avenue homes.