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Show THE-APACHES 1 OF NEW YORK ZJi' ALFRED HENRY LEWIS ' mm Fur six week The Ilottler and Iahl set-tled set-tled up fifty and tirty, with the dose of earn stuss duy. Then came a fresh surprise. Duhl piesentcd his friend, the "Nailer," to The Bottler with this terse remark: "Hoi tier, you can beut It. The Nailer i goin" to be me piiriner now. Which let you out, see?" The Km tier was at buy. lie owned no kioniM.cn for battle, but the sentiment of desperation des-peration which the announcement of Dahl provoked pro-voked drove hi in to make a stand. To lose one-half had been bad. To lose all to be wholly wiped out In the annals of Suffolk street stuss was more than even hi meekness meek-ness mlKht bear. No, The Hottler did not dream of going to the police. That would have been to "squeal;" and even hi friend of the Five I'olnl had only face of flint for such tactic of disgrace. The harassed Hottler barred hi door against Duhl. He would defend hi castle and ft W TTB wa born somewhere on tho bunk of the Danube and p and t ame steerage wise to this country about ten year ! ago. In what circle he affected he wa culled "The I 1 Hottler." He may have hud another name In Austria; but I since he Is now dead and down under the grass root. 1L Jbl "Tire Hottler," as a phruse of Identification, should serve well enough. V" The Hottler was round, inoffensive, well-dressed, af fuble. He was also generous, as the Fast side employ the term. For be it known that Th Hottler was a money maker and had Suffolk street position as among its richest capitalists. capi-talists. What bridge whist is to Fifth avenue so Is stuss to the Fust side. No one buvo the dealer wins at stuss, and yet the device possesses au alluring feature. When the victim gets up from the table the "bank" under the descriptive of "vlggreeh" returns his one tenth of his losings. No one ever leave a stuss gamo broke and that final ray of sure sunshine forms Indubitably the strong attrac tlon. Stuss licks up as with a tongue of fire a round full fifth of all the Fast side earns, and to "vlggresh" should be given the black glory thereof. The Hottler owned talents to make money. Morally careless, liking the easy way, with over all that bent for speculation which sets some folk to dealing In stocks and others to dealing cards, those money-making talent found expression In stuss. Not that the Hottler was so weak minded as to "buck" the game. Wise, prudent, solvent, be went the other way about and dealt it, hi theater of operation being 135 Suffolk street. There are two great gang on the Kast side. These are the "Five Points" and the "Monk Kast mans." There are smaller gangs, but each owes allegiance to either the one or the other of the two great gangs, and fights round its standard In event of general gang war. There Is danger in belonging to either of these gangs. Hut there Is still greater danger In not belonging to one of them. I speak of folk of The Hottler's ways and walks. The Five Points acd Monk Fast mans are at feud with one another and the fire of their warfare are never permitted to die out. Membership In one gang mean that, to the extent of it power. It will buckle you against the other while you live and avenge you should you fall. Membership In neither, however, means that you will be raided and robbed by both. The Hottler's stuss house wa like every other of It kind a Castle Dangerous. To the end that the peril of his days and nights be reduced to a minimum, he united himself with the Five Points. True, be could not be counted upon as a "shtocker" or at rung-arm; but he had money and would part with It, and gang war like all war demands treasure. Bond must be given, fine paid, and The Hottler would have his uses. Wherefore the Five Points opened their rank to receive him. The Monk Eastmans had suffered a disorganizing setback when the chief who gave the sept his name went up the river for ten years. On the heel of that sorrowful retirement It became a case of York and Lancaster; two rival claimants for the throne tood forth. These were Ritchie Fttzpatrlck and Kid Twist, both valorous, both with reputations of having killed, both with clouds of follower at their back, t Twist, In whom abode the rudiments of a savage diplomacy, proposed a conference. Fltzpatrlck at that conference was shot - - to death and Kid Duhl, a near friend of Twist, "stood for the col lar." rip nt75T NADr POCCJ tWiP out or V- mvwtY J& V, v i A tj V 0 Having adjusted details. IxmjIs, Twist and Dahl conv pared watches. WatchesT Certainly. Louis, Twist and Dahl were all most fashionably attired and as became members of a gang nobility singularly full and accurate In the Important element of a "front." vldelieot, that list of personal adornments which Includes scarf pin, ring and watch. Louis, Dahl and Twist saw to it that their timepieces time-pieces agreed. This was so that Dahl and Twist might successfully arrange their alibis. It was the next evening. At 8:f5 o'clock Twist was obtrusively In the Delaucey street police station, wrangling with the desk sergeant over the release of a follower who had carefully brought about his own arrest. "Come," quoth Twist to the sergeant, "It's next to nine o'clock now. Fix up the bond; I've got a date over In Kast Broadway at nine-thirty." While Twist stood thus enforcing his whereabouts upon the attention of the desk sergeant Dahl was eating a beefsteak In a Houston street restaurant. "What time have you got?" demanded Dahl of the German who kept the place. "Five minutes to nine," returned the German, glancing up at the clock. "Oh, 'taln't no such time as that" retorted Dahl peevishly. peev-ishly. "That clock's drunk! Call up the telephone people aud find out for sure." "The 'phone people say It's nine o'clock," reported the German, hanging up the receiver. "Hully Gee! I didn't think It was more'n half past eight!" and Dahl looked virtuously corrected. While these fragments of talk were taking place The Bottler was attending to his stuss Interests. He looked pale and frightened and his hunted eyes roved here and there. Five minutes went by. Tbe clock pointed to nine. A slouch-hat stranger entered. As the clock struck the bour he placed the muzzle of a pistol against The Bottler's Bot-tler's breast and fired twice. Both bullets pierced the heart and The Hottler fell forward on his face dead without a word. There were twenty people In the room. When the police arrived they found only the dead Bottler. Thq police recalled those trade differences which had culminated cul-minated In the charge of "disturbance" and arrested Dahl. "You ain't got me right." scoffed Dnhl to the police. There came the inquest and Dahl was set free. The Bottler was burled and Twist and Duhl sent flowers and rode to tbe grave. The law slept, a bat-eyed constabulary went Its way, but the gangs knew. Distinguished among the chivalry of the Five Points was an Individual known as Kid Pioggl. Only a paucity of years he was under eighteen withheld Pioggl from topmost honors. The winter's snow melted Into spring, spring lapsed into early summer. It was a brilliant evening and Pioggl was disporting himself at Coney Island. Also Twist and Louis, following fol-lowing some plan of relaxation, were themselves at Coney Island. Pioggl had seated himself at a beer table In the house of call of one "Ding Dong." Twist and Louis came In. Pioggl, being of the Five Points, wus recognized as a foe by Twist, who lost no time In mentioning the fact. Being in a facetious mood, and by way of expressing his contempt for that gentleman, Tlst made Pioggl Jump out of the window. Louis and Twist sat down at the table In Ding Dong from which Pioggl had been driven and demanded refreshment In the guise or wine. Pioggl, rage-swollen as to heart, busied himself him-self at a nearby telephone. Calling up a resort on the Bowery affected by the Five Points, Pioggl got the ear of a Higher Influence Influ-ence of the clan. He told of his abrupt dismissal from Dine Dong's and the then presence of Louis and Twist. The Higher Influence Instructed Pioggl to keep the two In sight. The very flower of the Five Points should be at Coney Island as fast as cable cars could carry them. Pioggl pitched upon one whose nme and face were unknown un-known to Twist and Louis. The unknown would be the bearer of a blind message it purported to come from a dancer in one of the cheap theaters of the piuce calculated to bring forth Twist and Louis. "Stall 'em up this Way," said Pioggl, Indicating a spot within touching distance of that coupe. "It's here we'll put "em over the Jump." Ploggl's messenger did well his work and Twist and Louis moved tr.agnificently albeit unsteadily Into the open. They were sweeping the walk clear of lesser mortals, when the voice of Pioggl arrested thetr attention. "Oh. there. Twist; look here!" The voice came from the rear and to the right; Ploggl's position was one calculated to place the enemy at a double disadvantage. dis-advantage. Twist turned bis heed. There was a flash and a roar; a bullet bul-let struck Twist above the eye. He staggered. The lead now came In a storm. Twist went down; Louis fell across him There were twelve bullets In Twtst and eight In Louis. While the crackling roar of that cannonading still alarmed the ear of men every gangster vanished. Only the dead Twist and the dead Louis remained. Pioggl went Into hiding In Greenwich, where the Five Points had a 'hold out." There were pulllngs and haullngs and whisperings whis-perings In dark political comers. When conditions had been whispered and hauled and pulled Into satisfactory condition Pioggl ent word to a favorite officer to come and arrest him Hoggl explained to tbe court that hi life had been thread ened; be had shot only that he himself iclght live. His age wa seventeen. Likewise there bad been no public loss- the going of Twist and Louis had but raised the average of all respectability. The court pondered the business and decided that Justice wculd be fulfilled by sentencing Pioggl to the Elmlra reformatory. get word to the Five Points. The Bottler's door timing been barred, Duhl for hi side at once Instituted Insti-tuted a siege, despatching the Nailer meanwhile to the nearest knot of Kastmans to bring reinforcements. reinforce-ments. At this crisis a central office detective strolled into the equation. He himself was hunting a "loft worker' of more than customary Industry and had no thought of either The Hottler or Dahl. Happening, Hap-pening, however, upon a situation whereof the striking strik-ing features were Dahl outside with a gun and The Hottler Inside with a gun, he so far recalled bis oath of ofiice as to interfere. With the sure Instinct of his Mulberry street caste, he of the central ofiice opened negotiations with Dnhl. He knew the latter to be the dangerous angle and began bv plating the muzzle of his own pistol against that marauder's buck. "Make a move." observed the central offlce man, "and I'll shoot you In two." The sophisticated Dahl, realizing fate, moved not, and with that the central office man collected his armament. Next The Hottler was ordered to come forth. The Bottler obeyed In a sweat and a tremble. He surrendered sur-rendered his plBtol at word of the law and the central cen-tral office man led both captives off to Jail. The two were charged with "disturbance." In the station sta-tion house, us on the way, Dahl ceased not to threaten The Bottler's life. "1 his pinchil cost a fine of $5." said Dahl, glaring glar-ing round the central office man at the shaking Bottler. "HI pay It. an' then I'll get square wit" youse. Once we're footloose you won't lust as long ss n drink of whiskey!" The Judge yawulngly listened, while the central office man told his tale of that "disturbance." "Five an' cokIs!" quoth the judge, and called the The police, the gangs and the politicians are not without a sinister wisdom. When life has been taken and to punish the slayer would be an Inconvenience, some one who didn't do the killing submits to arrest This covers the retreat of the guilty. Also, the public Is appeased. Later, when the public's memory sleeps, the srrested one for lack of evidence Is set at liberty. Thus when Fltzpatrlck was killed, to make clear the path to gang leadership to the aspiring feet of Twist, the police took Dahl. who all but volunteered for the sacrifice. Dahl went smilingly smil-ingly to Jail, while the real murderer of Fltzpatrlck attended that dead gentleman's wake and later appeared at tbe funeral. This last however, by the nicer tastes of the Kast side, wss complained of as trenching upon vulgarity. Fltzpatrlck was burled with a lily In his hand and Twist hailed chief of the Kastmans. Dahl remained In the Tombs a reasonable nurr.ber of weeks and then resumed bis position In Kast side society. It was but natural and to the glory of stumbling stum-bling human nature that Dahl should dwell warmly In the grateful grate-ful regards of Twist Twist, now chief of the Kastmans, cast about to establish Dahl. There was The Bottler, with his stuss Golconda in Suffolk Suf-folk street Were not his affiliations with the Five Points! Was be not therefor the enemy? The Bottler was an Kgyp-tfan Kgyp-tfan and Twist resolved to spoil him la the Interest of Dahl. Twist with Dahl. waited upon Th Bottler. Argument was Short snd to the point Said Twist: "Bottler, the Kid' Indicating the expectant Dahl "Is In if your stnss graft from now on. It's to be an even break." The news almost checked the beating of The Bottler heart riot that he wa atonlshed. What th puissant Twist proposed was a commonest step In Kast side commerce the Kast side, where the Scotch proverb of "Tske what you msy, keep what you can." retains a former Highland force. Tbe Bottler bowed to tbe ln!Mbl and accepted DahL next case. The Bottler relumed to Suffolk street. Dahl sought Twist while the central office man again took the trail of the loft worker. Dahl talked things over with Twist. There was but one way: The Bottler must die. Anything short of blood would unsettle popular respect lor Twist snd without that his leadership of the Kastmans was a farce. I The Bottler's killing, however, must be managed with a decent care for the conventionalities. For either Twist or Dahl to walk In upon that offender and shoot him to death, while feasible, would be foolish. Twist sent to Williamsburg for his friend and ally. Cyclone Louis. The latter w ss a bull necked, highly muscled personage, who wa a professional strong man so far as he was professionally profes-sionally anything and earned occasionally side-show money at Coney Island by bending Iron bar about his neck atd twisting pokers Into corkscrew about hi brawny arm. Louis. Twist and Dahl went Into council over mutual beer and Twist explained the Imperative call for The Bottler's extermination. ex-termination. Also, he laid bare the delicate position of both himself and Dahl. j Louis did not hesitate, but placed himself at the disposal of Twtst and Dahl. The Bottler should die; he. Louis, would see to thst "But when?" Twist, replying, felt that the thing should be do i at once, and mentioned the following evening, nine o'clock. The place would be The Bottler's establishment In Suffolk street. Louis, of whom The Bottler was unafraid and Ignorant weald experience experi-ence no difficulty In approaching bis man. There would be others present; but. practiced In gang moralities, slaves to gang etiquette, no one would open his mouth. Or. if be did. It would be only to pour forth perjuries and say tl t be saw nothing, beard nothing. |