The New York Tombs Inside and Out by John Josiah Munro PDF
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The Project Gutenberg eBook, The New York Tombs Inside and Out!, by John Josiah Munro This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. Title: The New York Tombs Inside and Out! Scenes and Reminiscences Coming Down to the Present. A Story Stranger Than Fiction, with an Historic Account of America's Most Famous Prison. Author: John Josiah Munro Release Date: November 5, 2020 [eBook #63641] Language: English Character set encoding: UTF-8 ***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE NEW YORK TOMBS INSIDE AND OUT!*** E-text prepared by the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) Note: Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See https://archive.org/details/cu31924080788643 The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain. John J. Munro Ex-chaplain of the Tombs. ───────── THE ───────── New York Tombs Inside and Out! Scenes and Reminiscences Coming Down to the Present.—A Story Stranger Than Fiction, With an Historic Account of America’s Most Famous Prison. By JOHN JOSIAH MUNRO, Ex-Chaplain of the Tombs. (Illustrated) BROOKLYN, N. Y. Printed and Published by the Author, at 186 Ainslie Street. PRICE, $1.50. Copyrighted, 1909, by John J. Munro, Brooklyn, N. Y. Thomas J. Blain, printer, PORT CHESTER, NEW YORK. INTRODUCTION. By Rev. Madison C. Peters, D. D. I have known the author of this book for many years. He was once associated with me in my ministerial work. I know all about his work as Chaplain of the Tombs, and have often spoken with him about the conditions prevailing in that institution, and have again and again urged him to tell the public all he knows about its inside workings. I have every reason to believe from what I know of the author, that he has written a true story, one which every citizen of Greater New York should read, and which ought to arouse the red-hot blood of every lover of his kind. The book ought to be in the hands of every clergyman, lawyer, physician, and of every good citizen. It will furnish material for sermons and addresses, and give impulse and impetus to all the workers for social betterment, and bring to us the blessings of Him who said: “I was in prison and ye visited Me.” THANKS. In the preparation of this work, I feel I am under lasting obligations for discriminating advice and kindly suggestions tendered me at different times by many friends. But I am under special debt to Mr. George H. Sandison, Managing Editor, and J. A. Belford, Art Editor of the Christian Herald, for valuable suggestions. I also express my sincere thanks to the Rev. Madison C. Peters, D. D., whose clarion voice against wrongs and abuses of various kinds has been heard all over Greater New York, for many helpful suggestions. I am also thankful to many of the New York magazines and papers for kind words and much interest in articles of mine on Prison Work that have appeared from time to time. These magazines and papers include Harper’s Weekly, Success, Van Norden, Intelligencer, Christian Advocate, Examiner, Press, Presbyterian, Witness and many others. I extend my thanks also to Messrs. Harper & Bro., for the use of a cut, and to the Evening Journal for the loan of photographs. The Author. ILLUSTRATIONS. The Author, Rev. John J. Munro Children’s Court General Sessions Judges Criminal Branch of Supreme Court Ex-Police Commissioner Theodore A. Bingham Police Commissioner Baker at His Desk New Tombs Prison Corridor of Women’s Prison Old Tombs Entrance on Leonard Street Davis, Who Pardoned Himself Out of Prison Sing Sing Prison Entrance Sing Sing Chapel The Death Chamber at Sing Sing New Police Headquarters Sunday Morning Service in the Old Tombs Old Police Headquarters Justice Blanchard of Supreme Court Justice Goff of the Supreme Court The Bridge of Sighs Hon C. V. Collins, Superintendent of Prisons Hon. John F. McIntyre, Criminal Lawyer Scene in the Tenderloin Station House Mrs. John A. Foster, the Tombs Angel Putting a Crook Through the “Third Degree” at Police Headquarters Roll Call in a Station House at Midnight Men’s Prison Women’s Prison CONTENTS. FOREWORD PERSONAL EXPERIENCES The strange circumstances of a visit to the Tombs on an errand of mercy. —Early impressions more than thirty years ago.—Recollections— Humane Overseers. Page 11 CHAPTER I. WHAT I KNOW ABOUT THE TOMBS A modern Prison Barracks—Personal Experiences—Amazing stories of corruption—Ruth Howard’s bomb—Charges pigeon-holed— Commissioner Hynes’ Administration—Bissert in clover—Drunken prisoners—The gamblers’ paradise—Lawyers and clients—Privileges for the few—Abusing the unfortunate—The food—Tammany Politics— City Prisons in charge of State authorities. Page 17 CHAPTER II. AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF AMERICA’S MOST FAMOUS PRISON The Collect Pond of three generations ago—King William’s Experience —Agitation to fill up—How it came to be called the Tombs—Size of the old Tombs—Retrospect—The New Tombs—When Opened—The semiofficial characters. Page 29 CHAPTER III MODERN EXCUSES FOR CRIME Criminal instincts—Moral defectives—Inducing men to commit crime— Examples—The fair sex as tempters—The irresistible impulse—Drawing the line. Page 38 CHAPTER IV. HOW CRIMINALS ARE MADE Increase in crime—Fierce modern temptations—Strong drink as a crime maker—Immigration—Gladstone’s dictum—Finding the causes—Is there a remedy? Page 45 CHAPTER V. THE SCIENTIFIC CRIMINAL The criminal product of the 20th century—A crook’s outfit—Criminal character—Beating the law—Anthropology—Lombroso as an authority on crime—Crime and the Nation—Repressive measures. Page 50 CHAPTER VI. SOME FAMOUS TOMBS PRISONERS The irony of fate—The innocent and guilty—Monroe Edwards— Murderers’ Row—Scannel, Croker, Erastus Wyman, Ferdinand Ward, Buchanan, Carlyle Harris, Patrick and Thaw. Page 57 CHAPTER VII THE DANGEROUS EDUCATED CROOK The fallacy that education cures crime—Moral training necessary—John Howard and education—Industry and crime—Elmira’s experience— Where the educated crook is dangerous—Examples. Page 62 CHAPTER VIII. LEAVES FROM THE HISTORY OF A CHECKERED CAREER The remarkable confessions of one of the brightest, brainiest and smartest crooks of his day. How He Pardoned Himself Out of Prison Admits total depravity—His prayer—Serving time in a Coal Mine— Impersonating a clergyman—Feigning to be deaf and dumb—Bemoaning His sad condition. Page 67 CHAPTER IX. THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A CROOK How a Young Life Was Wrecked A New England ancestry—An indulgent mother—Idleness and bad company—The feelings of a guilty conscience—Work or crime, which? —State prison—Liberty—Again arrested—A new career in crime— Many burglaries. Page 75 CHAPTER X WANDERING STARS AND BUZZARDS OF THE TOMBS Thrilling Experiences The study of human nature—Deception of the looks—Chronic liars—A deserter from Russia—Chump of Harlem—Many dark records—Four years for telling a lie—Capt. Jack—Crooked Kahn—The Panel Crooks —Wilson’s career—The dress slasher—Amazing cheek. Page 81 CHAPTER XI. BRILLIANT FORGERY CROOKS Forgery as a fine art—A skilled crime—Forgery experts—Becker, the King of Forgers—His career—Three of a kind. Page 100 CHAPTER XII. CHANGING THE GRAND JURY INTO A BOARD OF CRIMINAL EXPERTS A New Classification of Criminals Popular demand to abolish the Grand Jury—Judges ask for legal indictments—Too rapid work in Grand Jury room—The weakness of the system—Rich men on the Grand Jury—Under the control of District- Attorney—Board of Criminal Experts—Save the county millions of dollars—Cases—An original classification. Page 108 CHAPTER XIII SCHOOLS OF CRIME How Young Crooks are Educated Crime both infectious and contagious—Importing crooks—New York prisons, crime breeders—Modern Fagins—Breaking up Faginism—Best remedy morality in the public schools. Page 120 CHAPTER XIV. YOUTHFUL DELINQUENTS AND THE CHILDREN’S COURT The cause of temptations—Reasons for children in crime—Evil resorts— Conversations with child criminals—The German boy—The Children’s Court—Its origin—Crime among poor children the result of social conditions—Incorrigibles—The good work of the Children’s Aid Society—Foolish “coddling” of lawless children. Page 126 CHAPTER XV. THE ROD AS A REFORMATIVE AGENT IN THE EDUCATION OF YOUTHFUL LAWBREAKERS A recent ruling on corporal punishment—Favored by best prison reformers—Horace Mann—School Principals and teachers—Supt. Brockway—What they do in England and Germany—Rights of parents —Lawless homes—Crime more demoralizing than pain—An experienced probation officer—What others say. Page 133 CHAPTER XVI CRIME AMONG WOMEN (1) The Social Evil. (2) Felonies. (3) The Shoplifter. Causes of crime among women—Reasons for moral leprosy—The Cadet system—How carried on—Examples—The celestials of Chinatown—Women of the Tombs—Mother Mandelbaum—Queen Bertha—A belle from old Kentucky—Others—The modern shoplifter— Examples. Page 139 CHAPTER XVII. THE STEAL OR STARVE UNFORTUNATES A great omission—Poverty and social conditions the cause of crime— The unemployed—Hungry children—Poverty homes and crime—What ex-convicts say—Hungry men commit crime to be sent to prison—Want food. Page 151 CHAPTER XVIII. HOW YOUNG MEN BREAK INTO PRISON Startling facts—Save young men—The way of the transgressor—How young men go down—Example—Percentage of young men—Opinion of Supt. Brockway—Generators of crime—Fast living—Examples—Bad associates—Need of agencies. Page 157 CHAPTER XIX
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