The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-06-13
NAMES OF CRIMINALS.
They Frequently Assume One Similar
to Their Own.
MAKING A DEAD GIVE AWAY,
some Noted Crooks and Their Familiar
Aliases Law Breakers are Often De-
tected by Their Assumed Names-
Points from . st. Louis Detective.

this country said Chief OF Detoot-
ives William Desmond to st. Louis
Globe Democrat reporter who ques-
toned him recently, sometimes
finds It convenient to travel under an
assumed name or alias. The result Is
that we have to be familiar with one
or moro extra names for each criminal
that we have upon the list.
"There are some curious things
connected with the way Q crook
chooses an alias, and he often uncon-
sciously blunders on to one that is
just as much a dead give away as
il he should walk up to an officer and
hand him his card.
There is the case Of Bert Slye. the
Glendale express robber. When
Pinkerton spoke to him and called
him Mr.. Slye,' he said: why,
you're mistaken. My name Is AL
bert Denton Yes, said Pinkerton.
Albert Denton Slye. and you're the
man we want
Nov, anybody would think that
a man who had turned trick like
that would have better sense than to
choose an alias that bore the faintest
resemblance to his own name. Yet,
In the majority OF cases, the opposite
Is true, and the alias is either based
upon the real name, or Is SO connected
with the life and doings OF the crim-
inal that the officers know 1t by heart
as soon as they hear 1t.
Louis Bulling, who was hanged
at Savannah, No., not long ago for
killing his wife. is another illustra-
tion. He escaped from jail last year
and went to Chicago. There he sailed
under the name OF Paul May, which
is the name Of his little son-Paul
May Bulling. When the Chicago
people heard that name 1t was worth
q dozen photographs for purposes OF
Identification. They knew they had
their man.
"These men were not so foolish as
one might think at a glance" con-
tinued the chief. "The criminal
knows well he Is liable to be spoken
to by an officer or arrested on suspi-
cion at any minute. So he carefully
prepares himself for that emergency.
Besides altering his appearance as
much as possible, he decides upon an
alias, which, coolly and quietly given,
may throw the officer of his guard.
but the crook knows that he may
be addressed from behind or In an
unguarded moment, and he chooses
q name which he cannot forget, even
under the most trying circumstances.
- = toNo hA Al
chooses that OF some relative or friend,
or of some one connected with q
startling or unusual event in his life
which he can instantly recall. Then,
when he is questioned, the name
comes glibly to the tongue without
any suspicious hesitation.
Sometimes they reverse their names
and Charles Edwards, bank thief,
will go down on the records as Ed.
ward Charles, though he is known to
New York crooks as Broken Nose
Tully.' Occasionally they are salts
fed with simply altering their true
names slightly. Here's Albert w.
Washburn. q widely known crook
and fiim-flam man, who calls himself
Albert w. Blackburn. Frank Watson,
a daring bank thief, varies a little
and calls himself Frank Wilson-only
changing three letters, but getting a
very different name, which can be
easily recalled.
Charles Myers, one OF the greatest
pickpockets In New York, has a ten
dency to rhyme. and calls himself
Byers, while w. L. Graham, bogus
express man, Is satisfied with Gray.
Bunco- -steerer Thomas Talcott pre-.
fers the name Talmutt, and Martin
all-around crook, varied
his to Mark Stanton, but didn't es-
cape the pen.
Sometimes, however. the criminal
boldly branches out, and in the choice
OF name displays an audacity which
is startling and sometimes amusing.
Thus Emma Meade, a wrinkled and
haggard old pickpocket, insists on
being known as Mary Anderson.
She is so called by the inmates OF the
ST. Louis Jail, where she is now doing
time.
mason p. Helmbold, the plug
hat forger.' published q volume Of
poems entitled 'Thisbe's Lament
Then, In order to pay the adventur-
Gus publishers, he forged check on
Drexel, Morgan e. Co., and went
through Europe under the name OF
the senior member OF that firm.
Charles Wallace launched forth as
Andrew Jackson Grant, and with his
burden Of presidential nomenclature
succeeded In defrauding numerous
confiding women out OF 500, 900 at
Long Branch and Cape May in tho
GUNNER OF 1888.
Father Becker, n young Belgian
priest, who is an incorrigible thiei
and forger, took the name OF CASTOR
de Rohan, and represented himself as
member OF the oldest French aristo.
cracy. He persuaded the Archbishop
Of 81. Louis to oappoint him to a church.
In five weeks he forged the arch.
bishops name, and did time In the
pcnitentiary at jefferson City in con-
sequence.
There are other criminals who
seem TO scorn TO adopt an alias, and
tr.x.~I xActx .~A1lol ,or.~x. ..,tl, !.