The Morgue Lady loves the term "yegg." She wishes it was still in general use instead of such common terms as "thief" and "burglar." She supposes police no longer refer to interrogations as "grillings" either.
The young yegg in question in this article professed that once he left "the stir," he would continue his life of crime because it is all he knew how to do, despite the fact that his crimes lacked "finesse" according to officials.
From the Arizona Daily Star, Jan. 31, 1918:
YOUTHFUL YEGG SOLE OEPRATOR (sic) IN 'CRIME WAVE'
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Twenty-four Year Old Allen Roberts, Criminal By Preference and Training, Did Three Congress St. "Jobs"—Precocious But Lacks Finesse.
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Within three days after a yeggman had made a clean-up of three Congress street stores, he was captured, yesterday, and forced to confess. The goods were recovered and the man is now awaiting arraignment. He confessed to being a professional yeggman with a career of crime extending from his boyhood.
"And when I do my bit in the stir for this," said Allen H. Roberts, 26 years old, the confessed yegg, yesterday afternoon, "I am going at it again, for that is all I have ever known. I have never worked a day in my life and I don't know how it is done." (Morgue Lady's note: the headline says he is 24 years old, but the article is being reproduced with its mistakes)
Fine Police Work
The credit for the arrest of Roberts rests with the whole organization of the police force. If the yegg had not cut his finger and if a vigilant policeman had not taken charge of another man on the street and if Desk Sergeant Nugent had not gotten suspicious and caused the yegg's arrest, and if the two men had not then started quarreling, the yegg might not have been arrested and might not have been subjected to a grilling from Chief of Police Bailey and two detectives. As the result of the elimination of the "ifs," Roberts made a clean breast of it.
Got Job as Waiter
Two weeks ago Roberts came to Tucson to see what could be stolen. He went to work at the San Xavier hotel as a waiter. Before reaching the city he had spent one year, from October, 1916, to October, 1917, in San Quentin prison, California. From 1913 to 1916 he had spend in Folsom penitentiary. Previously he had been in various reform schools throughout the United States from the time he was a small boy, starting with the Illinois reformatory.
After inspecting various places in the city, Roberts decided to get busy last Sunday. It was "lightless night" and the time was ripe.
Details Burglaries
He confessed that he first entered the tailor shops of G. K. Smith on Congress street. There he selected two suits of cloths and put them on. He picked up a few trifling trinkets, some stamps, and an Elk tooth and left.
The Criterion Shoe store was the next place on his list. He worked the combination of the safe with expert fingers, having been a safe burglar at various times in his career.
He took the safe deposit box out and chiseled it open with tools he found there and removed $165. Then he took one pair of shoes and went to a room he had rented at the San Augustine hotel.
In the room, he hid the money for future use.
Burglar Cuts His Finger
Monday passed without the police appearing in his vicinity and he decided to rob the Boston store. Tuesday night he entered the Boston store, but after searching for cash, found there was nothing he wanted and left. Incidentally, he cut his forefinger getting through a rear window and went to the San Xavier hotel for assistance. There he met a fellow waiter who was getting off duty, who tied the finger up for him.
Together they bought some denatured alcohol and started into celebrate. He learned that his companion, known as Kid Lee, had a $20 gold piece and he decided to take it from him.
Accordingly, after getting something to eat at the Cabinet, the pair started for the San Augustine hotel, Roberts intending to beat up his companion and take the money from him.
He attacked the man when he got him in the room at the hotel and succeeded in getting him down and taking the money from him.
Lee Reports Attack
About 1:30 a. m. Kid Lee wandered out into the street and met Patrolman Simpson. Lee was badly beaten about the head and was drunk. He told a story of the attack on him, and Simpson took him to the station. There Lee muttered that he was going to "squeal." Desk Sergeant Nugent got suspicious and told Simpson to go to the hotel and get the other man.
Roberts was brought in by Simpson and was nervous and wanted to get away. He also was half drunk.
Down in the jail the men began to quarrel and finally stripped to the waist, preparatory to fighting it out in regulation style.
The burglary at the Boston store by a thief with a cut finger was reported at 7:30 yesterday morning, and on the arrival of Chief Bailey, Roberts was brought up and questioned. He was cool and collected and refused to make any statement, beyond admitting his criminal record.
Money Found Under Floor
With two new plain detectives, Bailey visited the room at the San Augustine hotel and searched until they found a board in the floor of the room that was protruding slightly and yanked it up. Underneath they found the $165 stolen from the Criterion shoe store and the $20 gold piece stolen from Kid Lee.
When Roberts was confronted with this evidence he broke down and confessed.
Lee Held as Witness
Kid Lee is still held in the city jail as a witness for the state.
"I have always been a crook," Roberts said, concluding his confession, "and I am always going to be a crook if I have to spend the rest of my life in jail for it. It is the only thing I know how to do well."
Trunk Held More Loot
Further investigation at the San Xavier hotel in the engine furnace room resulted in the discovery of Roberts' trunk, from which was taken an electric iron and an electric stove owned by Manager Bradley, and all of the clothing and the pair of shoes stolen from the criterion were recovered.
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The Morgue Lady was amused by the revelation that "The burglary at the Boston store by a thief with a cut finger was reported." Just how did anyone know at the scene of the burglary that it was done by a man who cut his finger? Yes, there may have been blood, but how did anyone know it was from a finger?
Justice was swift in those days. The Star ran the news of his sentence the very next day. He turned down the offer of a lawyer, plead guilty and was sentenced to not less than seven and not more than 10 years, a sentence he accepted with indifference. He was taken to the penitentiary the same day.
It is probably just as well the Roberts got such a long sentence. After all, he did forewarn officials that he would continue his life of crime.
