| Abstract | Drawn from transcripts of tape-recorded reminiscences taken over a six-year period. "Arthur Harding, born in 1886, is probably the last man alive to have been brought up in the 'Jago', the most famous criminal slum of late-Victorian London. He grew up to become a familiar figure in the East End underworld... Graduating from pickpocketing and 'shoot-flying' in his early days to leading the local 'terrors', he offered protection to the market stall holders and street bookies and took part in racecourse wars and struggles for territorial supremacy." |