Show A FEAST OF THIEVES Londons Banquet to exConvicts and Felons A TALE OF WOE AND DISASTER The Bodies of Two Dead Sailors are Found Lashed to Logs Donors to the Minneapolis Fund Special to THE HERALD Examiner Dtspatch1 LONDON Dec 3B cable to the New YorkHeraM There was an extraordinary festival at Drury Lane last evening Three hundred thieves of London were feasted and otherwise treated like gentlemen by philanthropists of the West End I was a notable spectacle Hundreds of outside starving wretches filled the narrow pavements pave-ments of Little Wild street to see how the exprisoners were treated shining carriages car-riages drove t the entrance of the street leading to St Giles Christian mission with lines of policemen keeping the crowds back while the well dressed inmates were escorted es-corted within The interior of the mission building was gay with flags and mottoes In the vestibule and around the galleries mottoes appeared to bo teaching wise lessons les-sons to thieves and visitors alike Above the long banquet tables where the excrim inals sat were the words Be just and fear no man It should explained that thieves are al lowed by the police to attend these dinners din-ners as it is considered beneficial to their morals and no arrests are ever made and no advantage is taken of the presence of she most hardened criminal on these occasions occa-sions when both unreformed and repentant repent-ant exconvicts assemble But for this understanding with the authorities many a bad one would miss a good meal Thus it was that the managers of St Giles Chris Jan mission gave a banquet in honor of the anniversary of its organization So great was the crush of people to see them that many of the guests were unable to and standing room in the overcrowded hall There were music and flaming mot toes handsome women and men of high station In life but nothing was so interesting as watching the ex prisoners devour the rich cake iittle tarts good old fashioned bread and butter chunks sliced and strips of cheese of every color strength and flavor The celery and cheese were peppered and eaten with mustard while others put sugar on their beef and stowed it away as they shovel in coals under the boiler of a big Atlantic steamer The only qualification for an invitation to the thieves supper is the fact of having been convicted once or moro than once of felony An ordinary offence such as a man giving his wife a black eye or otherwise damaging her is not considered a sufficiently important transgression trans-gression to be called felony and these men are not admitted to the dinner The policemen from Bow street and Mr Poulton usher of the London central criminal court and an exwarden of Cold bath Fields prisonhad all they could do to keep offenders not fully qualified from getting in These officials stood at the door and scrutinized the cards and their holders who almost tore the coats oft each others backs in their anxiety to get in here There were Bill Sykes enough to fill a chamber of horrors and there were Artful uogers and one Fagin who later in he evening led the applause whenever Christ was mentioned |