This collection is a kind of illustration for the essay “Geography of Evil” from the book-research “Daily Life of the St. Petersburg Detective Police.” The book was written by three famous authors of historical detective stories Nikolai Svechin, Valery Vvedensky and Ivan Pogonin. Its framework did not allow us to depict the capital’s “bottom” in detail. And readers had a shortage of sensations about how the pariahs of brilliant St. Petersburg lived and survived back then... Fortunately, sketches from life remained, talented and reliable. They were made at one time by N. Zhivotov, N. Sveshnikov, N. Karabchevsky, A. Bakhtiarov and Vs. Krestovsky. We bring to your attention these forgotten texts. Karabchevsky is a famous lawyer, Sveshnikov is an equally famous drunkard and thief. Vsevolod Krestovsky still needs no introduction. The rest are journalists and writers of everyday life. After reading their sketches, you will begin to better understand the realities of the detectives of that time and the masurians of that time...