George Appo

A Pickpocket's Tale: The Underworld of Nineteenth Century New York (2006)

by Timothy J. Gilfoyle

This is the biography of George Appo, pickpocket and swindler.

More shameful chapters in American history.

The book documents "the environmental roots of crime, the horrors of prison life, the widespread corruption and criminal activity of public officials and the absence of genuine alternatives for criminals hoping to reform their behavior."

And in spite of it all, George Appo eventually did reform himself.

"No honor among thieves' did not apply to George Appo, who considered himself "a good fellow."