THOS MATTHEWS

Alias: TOMMY MATTHEWS

Specialties: PICKPOCKET

No: 156 Last Displayed: 6/17/2019

Description:

Forty-seven years old in 1886. Born in United States. Married. Cooper by trade. Medium build. Height, 5 feet 5 inches. Weight, 133 pounds. Hair gray, eyes gray, nose a little fiat, ruddy complexion. Generally wears a full. dark beard and mustache, turning very gray.

Record:

TOMMY MATTHEWS is an old and expert thief. He has been on the road for at least twenty years, and has served terms, in a dozen prisons throughout the United States. He is known in all the large cities from Maine to Colorado, and although getting old, is quite clever yet. He generally associates with the best local talent, and is a very careful worker of late, preferring to lose a " trick" than to take any chances of going to State prison.Matthews was arrested in New York City, on January 1 I, 1879, in company of Tim Oats (136), charged with robbing a man named Michael Jobin of $200, on a Third Avenue horse-car. Both were committed in $5,000 bail for trial. They pleaded guilty, and were sentenced to two years each in the penitentiary on February 6, 1879, by Judge Gildersleeve, in the Court of General Sessions. In this case he gave the name of James Moran.Matthews was arrested again in New York City, under the name of Morgan, for picking pockets. He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to two years and six months in State prison at Sing Sing, on October 29, 1885, by Recorder Smyth. (See records of Nos. 136, 161.)Matthews' picture is a pretty good one, taken in January, 1879.