THE BURGLARS' BENEVOLENCE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 154, 20 June 1908, Page 3

THE BURGLARS' BENEVOLENCE

SOCIETIES WILLIAM SYKKS FINDS rsKKt'L. The mystery of the somewhat freHUent e-eapes from thut dread French convict settlement.. Devil's Mand, has at Inst been solved. It appears that k,r a considerable jK'riod an assiniation lias existed in Paris for the purpo>c uf assisting pcr*>ns transported io Cau-niiv ami New (.nlvdoniu with nieain to escape from the convict colonie>. |t, was run on strict business principles by an old lawbreaker, who, during his enforced riMdciiee on uude>irab!e island-*, devoted his leisure to the study of their geography and the tidal currents that prevail, with the result that, on his release, he opened a convicts' escape agency, and undertook to procure anyone's release for the reasonable sum of JilU 18 s! All the friends of ihe convict had t » do was to plunk down C2O. for which he provided the convict, through an agent in Cayenne, with a eanoe, a mouth's provisions for three men, some ready money, arms and ammunition, and a map and chart, giving minute instructions «s to how to escape, and reach Par«mnuil*>, in Dutch Guiana. Should the prisoner be captured, or die through the many perils ol his adventurous journey, no further charge was made; but, m the event of his safe arrival at Paraniaril»o, the remainder of the sum was Jo be at once paid, otherwise it was understood that a regrettable incident, in the shaj>e of rearrest, would happen to the escaped Qiao. Numerous criminal aid societies nourish in England, but they direct their energies to aid the commission of crime, and facilitate escape from its detection, ntther than of gaol-breaking. It is pfrarticallv impossible to escape from an English convict prison. At attempt, however, was made to rescue a prisoner in Manchester which resulted in three men lieing hanged for murder. In this instance, however, large sums of money were .spent by a powerful organisation: and, with this exception, all attempts by friends of criminals to bribe warders to permit their charges to escape have proved futile. A fraternity exists, however, in Ijondon, which renders great aid to highclass criminals, and gives a vast deal of trouble to Scotland Yard. It was organised by that prince of receivers of stolen property. the late John Carr. who died recently, worth £60,000 in hard cash and several streets of houses. *' Fences" object to hawdealings with criminal* who have Iwen imprisoned two or three times, as they become- so well known to the police that they are under constant espionage They prefer to "put up'* jobs to smart young "crook*** who have never done time. and. in con-equence, "too old atforty is a burning grievance amongst the burglarious fraternity. The 1 Malevolent Mr. t an. however, conceived the happy idea of employing thc*e elderly criminals to spy upon detectives. and give information concern ing tlwir movements and presence to those on the active list. These men are remunerated by a weekly wage. for by crimiuaU and *• fences.** and their piTsen v account* for so many undiscovered jewel rolrfjeries. Seeing them hanging about, the police naturally suspect them, buL are unaware of the identity of the new hand*, who commit the actual thefts. Several solicitors who have been struck off the Hulls for breaches of the law run legal aid societies for the iNMwfit of criminals.

A miinlwr of forgers, pickpocket*, and lmrglnrs pay tke«.e gentry so much each jK»r and so form a fund which, in th<» event of one of thein being arretted. U devoted to his defence. All kinds of device* to avoid the penalty of their misdeed* are introduced by these nnx-nipulous ex-lawyers, and the problem of detecting and punishing crime i* dailv rendered more dillicnlt through die existence of these nefarious organisations.