Wilson began crime shortly after he was twenty years of age; his first sentence was less than a year on the Island for the robbery of a diamond pin; he claims to have “done time” on this occasion innocently; he had taken the blame for Nellie’s sake, his common law wife, who afterwards went back on him. Away back in the early nineties he stole a trunk of clothing from Hazel Thorne, the actress. For this he was sent to Sing Sing for four years.
For several years past he has spent his summers at the races at Gravesend and Saratoga. While in the latter village he nearly got away with a bag of jewelry valued at $1,500.00, but as he returned the “stuff” the lady refused to prosecute him.
How many more times this man has been in prison under old and new aliases we have no means of knowing at the present moment, but that he has been in prison a number of times we have no doubt whatever. During all these years he seems to have had an intense dislike to honest labor. Like most other “gentlemen” of the crooked profession, he preferred to live like a “dude” on his ill-gotten gains rather than be a man and work like other men.
As soon as Wilson had secured his freedom after serving his first sentence he made up his mind to be a man and do the right thing. He says:
“I accepted employment with a man uptown for five dollars a week and board. I was willing to do anything to outlive my past life—if that could be done.
“One day some of my old companions who had known me in the Penitentiary came to me while at work and threatened to expose me unless I gave them ten dollars. I refused at first and was willing to fight them to the bitter end. I would not be blackmailed. As they kept it up for several days, I gave them money rather than lose my job. Then they came again, and told others who made the same demand on me. After this I refused every appeal and told them to go and do their worst; as a result I lost my job. I searched the city for honest work for weeks, but could find none. Then I became a gambler. I went to the races all around New York, where I made money easy. I confess as a gambler I have had a checkered career, and even now do not wish to tell all the escapades through which I passed. But they were not of the best quality and many of them were deeds of darkness.