Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-08
Is HE A FRAUD !?
A Theory That Thief Dawson
Fooled Everybody.
He Had Plenty of Sense Before
His Arrest.
Possibly He Has Played the Officers
and Doctors.
The Subject of TyndalIs HypnOtism May
Be Very Smooth Operator-Of-
ficer Goodman's Experience
With Him.

| Considerable interest was recentl,
manifested here and elsewhere in the
case of Thomas Wilde, alias Bill Daw
son, the sneak-thief who was arrested
by Officer Goodman about two week.
ago. Wilde, ever since his arrest, has
been to all appearances insane, and has
now been committed to the lunati(
asylum. after having been thoroughly
examined by competent authorities. II
looks, therefore, as if the prisoner
really is non compos mentis, and only
few people here refrain from accept
ing this view of the case. Among
these few is Officer Goodman, who made
the arrest, and who recovered enough
stolen goods to make dozen good cases
against the prisoner. Goodman looks
upon Wilde as clever fakir, who, like
whilom Nellie Bly, in Wards island
asylum, New York, is successfully feign-
ing insanity. There are others who
even go so far as to hold that Wilde,
alias Dawson, only feigned sensitive
ness to Tyndall's hypnotic influence.
Wilde has been an inmate of asylums
before. and, it is said, under exactly the
same circumstances. He was last in
asylum at Salem, Oregon, and escaped
from there. 1t is of course easier to get
away from lunatic asylum than from
penitentiary, the care is much better,
and there is chance of being dismissed
as cured" The best experts on lunacy
have been fooled by clever impostors, as
the exploits of Nellie Bly, at Wards
island, and OF another reporter, who
ieigned insanity and got into Blooming
dale asylum in order to obtain informae
ton about the treatment of patients,
show.
In view of such peculiar circumstances
the story of Wilde's arrest must be of
interest, and any reasonable person
must acknowledge that it affords plenty
OF argument for doubling the reality of
Wilde's insanity.
A dozen or more thefts had been re-
ported to the police department. The
articles stolen included half a dozen
overcoats, diamond cluster pin, a
large gold neck-chain, fine ruby ring.
a pair of prescription scales, copy OF
Webster's International dictionary,
number of books and paintings, and
$50 guitar, with number of counties to
hear from. All these thefts were COM
mitted with the greatest ingenuity by
an individual who went to work with
method. Only one article, or at most
two, were stolen from each place, the
thief's preference appearing to be the
working OF Offices of professional men
during lunch time.
Officer Goodman went on still hunt
after come of the lost goods, and found
them in pawn shops and second hand
stores, and from the proprietors of these
places obtained description of the man
who had sold the articles.
In day or two, Goodman got on the
trail of the thief. The latter had tried
to sell a guitar stolen from Prof.
Arevalo's studio, at Solomon's, ON Upper
Main street. Failing to dispose of the
instrument, Wilde had left it at res
taurant near Solomon's, and had gone
out to look up a customer. This was
Goodman's opportunity, and he laid low
ior the return of his man. On the even
ing on which the arrest occurred, Wilde
showed up. Goodman approached the
thief and explained that Solomon had
told him of the guitar. Wilde seemed
pleased, and got the instrument, which
was taken into Solomon's.
"Can you play the guitar" asked
Goodman.
"Yes," replied Wilde, and, taking the
instrument out of the box, he twanged
the strings for moment, and then,
with laugh. put the guitar back into
its case, saying at the same time: 81
was only joshing. can't play it,"
Goodman said he wanted to buy the
instrument for his daughter, and sug-
gested that he and Wilde had better
take it up to the house and let the
young lady try it. Wilde said he
would take $40 for the guitar, which, be
declared, had cost $40. The thief did
not wish to accompany Goodman, how
ever, but said:
Just take it with you, and let your
daughter try it. If she likes it you can
leave the money at Solomon's for me.
l'll trust you."
The officer objected on the ground
that he did not want to do business that
way. Eventually, Wilde yielded. and
the two men started down town. Wilde
wanted the officer to carry the box con-
tanning the guitar, but Goodman refused
to do 30. AS the two men walked down
Spring street together they conversed
about the weather as we'll as the pros
poets of Los Angeles. Wilde also asked
Goodman, who has rather prominent
nose, whether he was a Hebrew, The
officer replied in the affirmative, and
said he was in the clothing business.
Arriving at the corner of Second and