"THE GUN LAW."

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10434, 13 April 1912, Page 1

"THE GUN LAW."

DISARMING NEW YORK. ENDING- A EEIfIN OF TERROR IN T2E SrSSHTS OF TEE MBT&O^LJS. (By CHARLES E. VAN LOAN, in " Muiucy'e Magazine.''') The State of New York, squarely backed by a new and hard-hitting law, is waging a war of extermination upon the carrying of pistols. Concealed weapons of all'forts fell under tho baa at the same time, but it was really the pistol which the Albany law-makers had in mind. It was the pistol which they sought to legislate out of its evi{ popularity at the cost of a penitentiary sentence. And so, though knives, stilettos) razors, slung-shots and other murderous contrivances were named in the general indictment, tho new law is always spoken of as "the gun law." It is the guns that New York is after —the guns and the men who carry them.

Every State in the Union provides a punishment, for the man who is found with ;i deadly weapon concealed upon his person, but in most cases the penalty is so light as to be almost insignificant—a scowl from a police judge, a fine of a few dollars, end confiscation of the weaponhardly more, in fact, than a slap on the wrist and a warning not to do it again. New York, face"to face with nil increasingly serious situation, legislated the offence out of the misdemeanour column, and made it a felony punishable by a penitentiary sentence. There are now young men in Sing Sing prison who will have until 1916 to reflect upon the efficacy of the new " gun law," and if these men ore not. furnished with company it will not bo the fault cf the police • department of the city .of New York. There is quite a difference between a five-dollar* fine and a five-year sentence. The remedy wns a severe one, but the case required heroic treatment.

New York City was, and still is. confronting a condition of affairs unique in civic government. The greatest municipality in America, hard on the heels of London as the second city in the world, and claiming to rank as the most modern and enlightened of all centres—New York had entered upon a reign of terror brought about by the reckless and habitual use of firearms. In the history of the old frontier, where every man bounced a six pistol upon his hip. we hava no parallel case. Dodge City. Abilene and Tombstone were lively in their day. but New York, two years ago, could have given pointers to any cow town in the South-west- and emerged an easv winner so far as lawlessness is concerned. A REIGN OF TERROR IN NEW YORK.

Said one of New York's coroners, in October, 1910: "This city is like a wild Western town. The gun men rule." This radical statement was provoked by a shooting affray in the peaceful precincts of flarlcm, a portion of New York Citv onco sacred to the goat but now occupied by flat-dwellers and department stores. A vouth, close pressed by a foe, drew his revolver and opened fire upon a crowded street. The target flipped away unharmed, but a twelve-year-old boy, loitering near, was Instantly killed. A snort time before, two East Side gangs clashed in, the street, and a little girl was shot and killed. No wonder the coroner was moved to remark upon the wiidness of the town.

Though right in one respect, he was wrong iu another. If there is one distinguishing hall mark by which to identify the New York gangster, it is his bad marksmanship. If these young men could hit what they shoot at, their affairs would long ago have been settled out of court. The. old Western gunfighters were quick to burn powder, but they burned it to some purpose. They were expert marksmen, or they soon ocased to trouble tho land. The cemeteries received all the bad shots in those days.

The New York gangster, with r.o more regard for human life, and probably not as much respect for the law, pulls trigger blindly for general results. As he has a habit of shooting in the public his average, while not particularly high, is scattering. To give an example—early in 1911 two rival gangs met upon Tiiird Avenue after midnight. In the unnWasantness which ensued, the police estimated that two hundred shots were fired. All the warriors escaped unhurt, but a perfect stranger on a street car, a block away, was shot through the neck. These gangsters were at the root of the gun trouble in New York City, and it was for the city that the State made the law in question.

GANGS AND GANG FIGHTS IN NEW YORK. There is nothing new in gangs or gang fights. New York has been acquainted with both ever since the oldest inhabitant can remember. It is only of late years, however, that the evil spread and became a serious epidemic. It can be traced to the tmuendous growth of tho city's population and. the overcrowding of the tenement districts. Twenty years ago gangs were comparatively few, but those which did exist were well organised and powerful. Their leaders levied tribute throughout their respective districts, and collected that tribute by force. Revolvers were plentiful, also, but the habit of using them upon slight provocation had not yet taken hold upon the gun-carrying fraternity. In timo the gang leaders of that day passed away. Some of them went "up the river" with steel cuffs on their wrists. Sonic died suddenly, taking a happier way of closing their account with society. At least one celebrated chieftain reformed.

With the passing of these leaders there came about the inevitable scramble for vacant shoes. Dissensions split tho ranks; now organisations were formed ; gang districts were redivided; gangs appeared over-night like mushrooms.

Where did these younger recruits come from ? From the streets where they grew. Without the curb of parental discipline, lacking the safeguard ot the nght sort of home influence, regarding life from a street-corner, the keen-eyed youngsters of ten or fifteen years ago have become the gangsters of to-day. Youthful admiration unquestionably played its part in thatrecruiting, for the- gang leader of the nineties was a hero of a certain sordid sort, just as B;lly the Kid of red memory was once a firebrand to tho young imagination. How. then, to become a gangster? The first thing was to get a gun. That was easy enough, to bo sure. Every pawnbroker carried a largo supply, at prices ranging from two to twenty-five dollars.

When the respectable citizen who works for his living falls upon hard times, he carries his luxuries to the pawnbroker. First will go his musical instrument, if he happens to own one, and then his revolver. To the gangster, the pistol was not a luxury but a stern necessity, a badge of membership, a symbol of authority. Armed from the pawnshops, the younger generation of gangsters inaugurated upon the East Side the period of gang rule—the rule of the revolver, the cheapest a.nd meanest form of brigandage ever devised. Tli*. gangster does not care to work, but he must live, and he wishes to live well, according to his own dim lights in tho matter of living. He wants flashy clothes and cheap jewellery, and he is fond of gambling in any form. Someono must pay the bill, so tho gangster becomes a petty brigand, a cheaj> extortionist with no argument, but bis revolver, and no power behind him but the evil name of his gang. And in the portion of the metropolis which suffered most from such human coyotes these weapons were sufficiently dangerous.

SELLING "CHANCES IN A RAFFLE." In time, certain of the gang leaders added frills to tlie petty larceny idea which lormed the base ol all their operations. Some years ago a bright youth, casting about for a new means of enforcing "collections," hit upon a system which immediately became popular throughout the length ana breadth or gong dominion. It was a risky undertaking to walk into a baloon or a small store, and to empty the till or cash-register at the point of a revolver. It sometimes led to serious complications. So the youthful pathfinder armed himself with *a stock of tickets, each bearing a number and the announcement that the holder was entitled to a "chance in a raffle." That there was nothing to be raffled was one of the best points in tho scheme.

Mr Lazarowsky, let us say, three years in this country, a timid dealer in cheap cigars, notions and stationery, is about to close his place of business for the night. Several young men appear, and ono of them tosses a bunch of tickets upon the showcase. Mr Lazarowsky, recognising his visitors, shakes in his shoes. It is part of a gangster's success that the worst about him shall bo known to everyone but the police. "Hey!" says the spokesman. "We want you to buy five dollars' worth of ehauces in a raffle. Abio here is going to raffle his diamond."

Mr Lazarowsky wriggles in anguish of spirit. He cares almost as much for iivo dollars as for his right eye, and Abie's diamond does not tempt him in the least. He oxplains that lie is no gambler, and then his tongue dries in his mouth and words fail him. For M,r Lazarowsky is a business man; he understands the question of profit and loss. Ho knows that if he refuses to buy the tickets, the same young men will drop into his placo some night when there is no policeman within four blocks, break his showcases, toss his stock off the shelves, and leave his establishment a nun. There might also bo a little shooting. Mr Lazarowsky thinks fast. Should ho carry his story to the police, whom he does not trust, the result will be the same, with the certainty of assault and battery thrown in as a lesson for the other Lazaro'vskys of the neighbourhood. A policeman cannot always be within call, and gangsters are patient as Indians in the matter of taking their revenge. Payment may be delayed for a time, but the debt bears a heavy rate of interest. Tho result is that Mr Lazarowsky invests in tho raffle. Except fighting, it is the only thing he can do, and gangsters are careful to pick the Lazarowskys when they go collectum. Of late years, tho gangsters have amended the original scheme somewhat. The idea of rafiling something which did not exist developed occasional drawbacks, so the brigands began to promote neighbourhood dances, for which they sold tickets ol admission. If the chosen Lazarowsky declined to invest, the dance was promoted immediately—to quick music. THE STORY OF A FAMGZ" GANGSTER.

But not all the gang leaders had petty larceny ideas. There was Mas Zweifach, for instance, who for a matter of five years scourged a certain district upon the East Side, making a nano for" himself as the boldest and H"- -5 ;.UnH?

first came to light after a certain noted chieftain had " "one away " for a lonji term of years, leaving an open field behind hini. Zweifach was verv young, of Hebrew origin, and possessed was when Kid Twist was nineteen;

none of the distinguishing earmarks of tho born leader. He was slender and brown-eyed, and his large ears stood away from his head as if in alarm, but he had ambition, inventive genius, a fine idea of co-operation, and he was fearless. The only thing about his face which might have served as a warning signal was the mouth, which had a cruel, sneering twist; and the name under which Max Zweifach chose to make his bid for leadership was Kid Twist.

In the_ summer of 1903, Twist began to exhibit qualifications. There was a fight in the back room of a cigarstore on Goerck Street, and the police got there in time to see John Bayard die. He had been shot twice at close range, and" tho walls were scarred with bullet-marks. Of course, when tho policemen arrived, the back room was empty of witnesses, but the gangsters knew that Kid *Twist was down a side street with a warm revolver in his coat pocket. A few days later learning that the police were searching for him, Zweifach coolly surrendered. Without witnesses a conviction was impossible, and thehomicide charge was dismissed. This The killing of Bayard established Kid Twist's reputation, and he was not slow to take advantage of the fact. He organised a gang, and trained its members carefully. Under his rule, petty brigandage was systematised. His word was law, and ho hacked .t with a thirtv-eight-calibre revolver. Not only did lie exact the usual tribute from stores and saloons, but he demanded a tithe from the independent criminals as well. If a pickpocket residing in Kid's district made a haul, the Kid knew about it before the police had heard the wail of the loser. He had a remarkable nose for information of that sort, and his underground bureau of was assisted by outsiders who were willing to tell him things in order to " stand in." The first thing the successful pickpocket knew Ivid Twist would arrive to congratulate him. "I. understand you did well." he would sny, with a smile. "Where's mv bit ? Send it in !''

if tho thief argued or denied, the Kid nudged him with the business end of the thirty-eight, and that ended the argument. Small shopkeepers lived in terror cf Twist and his gang. Saloon-keepers opening up new places in the neighbourhood found that the Kid had a habit of dropping in late at night to discuss business matters. It was cheaper to pay tithe than to have a shooting affray in the place, for that sort of thing drives av.'o.y trade; and the victim knew that in case ho complained to the police, vengeince would be taken by the remaining members of the gang. By these means the Kid prospered and built up a formidable organisation. Rumour credits him with six killings, but there are men on the East Side who say that eight is nearer the truth. These are probably exaggerations, but there never was any question about Kid Twist's willingness to shoot with or without provocation. The only prison sentence he ever received was on a charge of receiving stolen goods—two months in the workhouse—and he was welcomed home a hero and a martyr. * But if one law failed to reach Kid Twist, another had a longer arm—tho old law which decrees that those who take the sword shall die by the sword.

THE FINISH OF KID TWIST. On tho night of May 14, 1908, the Bowery at Coney Island was startled by the rapid cracking of a revolver. One mau staggered out of a dancehouse and fell dying under a floral horse-shoe, set up in the entrance as a symbol of good luck. Another mart was found in the doorway with a bullet wound behind his ear.

The second man was Kid Twist, and that death took him unawares wa3 ! proved by the fact that pistol wa3 i still in Ins jjocket. : There remains of Kid Twist's great- ' ness as a gang-leader and organiser of ! crime, a yollov.' sliir attached to his ' "record" at police headquarters. It is ! laconic enough, and reads as follows: ■ " Kid Twist and Cyclone Lewis shot ! and killed by Louis Poggi, -May 14, i-1903, on the Bowcrv at Coney Island."

Kid Twist died, but the gang spirit lived. During 1909 and 1910 the trade in revolvers increased, and conditions on the East Side grew steadily worse. New gangs were springing up and overlapping the borders of the older organisations. This, of course, led to violence, which usually took the form of pitched battles in the streets. According to gang law, territory once seized must be held at any cost, and the jumping of a previous claim means bloodshed.

Convictions were few and far between, for tho gangster, whatever his faults, is no informer. He takes his medicine, if he must, but he will toll the poiico nothing. After one skirmish upon tha East' Side, when two gangs clashed in row street, the first policeroair tfp'on the spot ionud two boys' lying upon the sidewalk. Both were desperately wounded, and the officer turned in an ambulance call.

"You're in a bad way," said a detective to one of the gangstersi ' *" Better tell me who shot you." " Or. the level," said the youth to the surgeon, ignoring the detective, "am I going to croak?" "You are," said the surgeon. " All right.!" said the gangster, with a string of profanity. " That's what you say. I might beat it yet. If I do, I can take care o' me own business, understand? If I croak, mo friends'll square it for me!" And not another word would he say. The same thing has happened dozens of times.

These fellows are just like Chinese highbinders," said Inspector Edward P. Hughes, the head of the Detective Bureau. "We can never get anything out of them. About the only point of honour they have is not to squeal to the police, and they stick to that right down to the last breath. They'll die cursing an officer for trying to make them tell who shot them. It is next to impossible to secure convictions, for the reason that one gangster will not testify against another gangster in court. He might fight him outside in. the corridor, if he had a chance, hut he wouldn't help the police to convict his worst enemy. More than that, they perjure themselves without the slightest hesitation. They want to fight their own battles their own way."

THE NEW YORK GUN LAW. This, then, was t';ie condition of affairs when tbo New York Legislature met in 1911. The gun. situation in the metropolis had got beyond police control and beyond the power of the courts. Tho legislators passed a Bill making the carrying of concealed weapons a felony instead of a misdemeanour. Here, somewhat abbreviated, is tho paragraph of the new law which drew tho cynical interest of tho gun men : " Any person over the age of sixteen years who shall hav« or carry concealed upon his person in any city, village, or town in this State any pistol, revolver, Pi; o+hsr writ's cut j. written li-

cense therefore . . . shall be guilty of a felony." " And for a felony," said the gangsters, "you might get five years. They'd never dare to do it!" In order to cut at the real root of the question, which is the sale of dangerous weapons, another paragraph was aimed at the dealer, gunsmith, or pawnbroker. The new law provides that the dealer must require the purchaser to show a permit to carry a weapon before the sale can be made. No permit, no gun! Of course the law provoked an outcry in certain quarters. Some lawabiding citizens denounced it on the ground that the gangster, the thug and the hold-up man would not lay aside their weapons, while the reputable citizen, carrying a revolver solely for selfprotection, would be stripped of his defence.

The gangsters, thugs and highwaymen also examined the law, and decided that the first thing the police must do would be to catch the rabbit, as the saying gees. Leave their " rods " at homo ? Certainly not!

In previous years the police had been cbliged to wait for a man to do something with his concealed weapon before arresting him. They were invested with no power to make a wholesale search for contraband hardware. Even under this system, the statistics are amazing. In the four years from IUO7 to 1910, the police of Greater New York seized, or came into the possession of, ten thousand five hundred and sixtyseven revolvers, in average of more than seven a day. With the exception of a few raids upon Chinatown and the searching of the "tong men" for revolvers and knives, there had never been any persistent effort to gather in the bearers of concealed weapons. The gangsters did not believe that one would ever be made. Police Commissioner Waldo, however, announced' that the gun law would be enforced. " Bunk!" said the gangsters. How is he going to enforce it?" THE WORK OF THE " STRONG ARM SQUAD." The Commissioner, when an officer in the Philippines, had made a speciality of collecting insurgent firearms. He knew that there was only one way to get such things, and that was to go after them. Accordingly, he loosed the "strong arm squad" upon the East Side. " Get the guns!" he said.

Lieutenant Charles Becker commands the rather unique organisation known to New York police circles by this title. Becker's men work upon the theory that the pnly argument a thug or hoodlum can appreciate is physical violence. When the squad was formed, the members were picked with that point in view. Lean and hard, handy with their fists and feet, prepared for any emergency, the " strong arms " were sent out to get the guns. "There is only one way to do it," announced Becker. take the joints as they come, and search every man we find."

One night, the young men who patronised. certain ealoons and coffee-houseß on the lower East Side were amazed and pained by a sudden irruption of policemen in plain clothes. A big man stood at the door, and in a loud voice stated the case briefly. " We're after the gun's!" he said. " Stand still everybody I ' Then; systematically, and with the deftness which comes of long practice, the strong arms went to work. Every man in the house was searched. The first time that Becker made a raid on the East Side, ho secured a few revolvers. The offenders were hurried away to gaol. &nd the Courts, realising the need for speed in setting an example, imposed lour, sentences. For the first time the gangsters realised that the police intended to enforce the gun law even to tbe point of personal search. Upon a few occasions, belligerent individuals attempted to fight their way out past the raiders. Tliis did not happen more than once ill any one locality, for the strong arms made good their reputations with a vengeance. As tho squad continued to search throughout the early part of the winter, the "gun supply fell away to zero.

I was present on one occasion when at' least one hundred saloons, coffeehouses and billiard parlours were " held up" by Becker while his men searched the inmates. At a conservative estimate, three thousand men were examined. The net result was one stiletto and three rdzors. "A bad haul!" said Becker. If wo had searched the same places a year ago, we should have needed a dray to carry away the guns p-lone. But it will give you an idea of the way tile new law is working." " FIVE YEARS IN SING SING !"

It is the'fear of the long penitentiary sentence which has struck home to the lawless element. The judges promptly put their weight behind the new law. Judge Foster, in the Court of General Sessions, looked down one morning upon John Moran and James Smith, young men with criminal They were charged 'with committing highway robItery and violating the gun law. They pleaded guilty to the latter charge. Said Judge Foster: ."It is foolish to carry revolvers, and the man whatrarries one is bound to get into more trouble than the man he assaults. „In riaw of your bad records, I ■■shall imp.ose heavy sentences upon both of you. Fivo years in Sing Sing! The robbery charges still hang over your heads, but when you get out of prison they may not be pressed." Do not hurry away with the idea that New York is now a gunless town. The gangsters are still busy, the crack of the pistol resounds at intervals through the night, and there are still pitched battles upon the highway. There are ways of evading every law. One day last September, Inspector Hughes received word that trouble might be expected at the opening of a new cafe up town. Detectives isited the place, and found there a respect in tho person of a youth with a had record. Ho was seated at a table close to the door, and was accompanied by a young woman. '" We'll just search you to make sure," said the officers. They did search him, very thoroughly, while the youth protested bitterly—the more so, perhaps, because no weapon of anv sort was found on him. " T won't stand for this!" he whined. " I'll go down to the Mayor to-morrow morning, and find out if you hulls can walk into a private place and frisk a man when he ain't breaking no law!" The woman added her complaint. She said that it was an outrage. The officers, having given the place a thorough overhauling, went t"heir ways, but the young man did not visit the Mayor next morning. He went to another city official instead—the morguekeeper. The principal reason for his change of schedule was that when the trouble started it took him too long to get his revolver out of tho young woman's hand-bag.

The habit of carrying revolvers is not confined to New York. It is a curse from which every State suffers, a curse which writes its figures large in the homicide column. New York State is the pioneer in a movement to make the pistol a dangerous thing to have in one's pocket. The result of this campaign will begin to appear when tho coroner makes up his statistics for 1912, and the result will be worth watcluuft.