"They have been pestered almost to death by a gang of young ruffians." (Image by Lewis Hine.)

In a December 24, 1890 article in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, a New York candy store owner has lots of problems with neighborhood toughs, and for some strange reason, the shakedowns, beatdowns, arson and explosions were treated as laughing matters by the police. An excerpt:

“Charles Bauer’s candy store at 35 Second Avenue, New York, was entered by burglars at 1 o’clock this morning. After ransacking the store they fired the place and tried to blow it up with the use of powder and gas. A package of powder was placed by the fire and the plug in the gas pipe was removed, causing the gas to escape.

An explosion occurred but fortunately did little damage. Two policemen who had discovered the burglary and fire narrowly escaped being blinded. The store is on the ground floor of a four story tenement. Bauer, a young German, who with his wife, had saved a little money, and four months ago they bought the place from the former owner. They sell newspapers, tobacco, stationery and candy. Ever since they have had the store they have been pestered almost to death by a gang of young ruffians who hang around the corner on Second Avenue and Second Street. They have made life miserable for Bauer and his wife. He has been robbed a number of times and some of the loafers on one or two occasions have beaten him when he protested against their outrages. He says that they have been in the habit of running into his place when the police drove them from the corners. He got himself a club and when they came into the store again he attempted to put them out. They defied him and beat him.

Bauer says he appealed to the police, but he got no protection. His tormentors would come boldly into the store, steal cigars and cigarettes and get out again. A week after they took that kind of possession of the place it was broken into and robbed. Last night Bauer closed up about 11 o’clock and he and his wife went home. They live across the way.

At 1:20 o’clock the police found the door of the candy store open. There was a fire burning in the back part of the place. Around the store at the end of the counter had been piled a lot of papers, in the center of which was a pile of rags and a package of powder.

The rags were burning. One policeman was badly burned while putting the fire out. Police Captain McCollagh said he was investigating the matter. He didn’t believe there was a gang in his precinct. There are only little boys, 9 or 10 years old, he said. He apparently regarded the burglary and attempt to blow up the building as a joke. However, he said he would look into it.”