In 1870 in New York City, the Police were helpless against the wave of crime that spread about the waterfronts of New York Harbour. On a dark, cold night in the Bowry - the haven for criminals, drunkards and stranded sailors - street lamps fluttered in the thick fog as an elderly sea captain walked down the deserted street toward the Bowry mission. Huddled in a dingy doorway, two ragged figures watched, then as the captain came abreast, the pickpockets sprang, knives flashing!