The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-23
he WAS KNOWN As CHICK
THE SCRIBBLING MANIA
Sent Obscene Natter Through the Mall
In OBTAINING the Character Of .
Frisud-eoms sidsliehts on
HIS Crooked Career.

on the Saitcr VI u SomstOck
Cuckoo" the Evening Report of vir-
ginia City. New. publishes an account
of the career Of John Dwyer. who is
wanted by the postal authorities for
sending dynamite through the mails to
George A. Hall. Turkish consul at San
Francisco. Dwyer was born in vir-
ginia City and the early years OF his
eccentric life were spent there. The
article begins with the publication Of
a press dispatch sent out from Butte
on the 18th, relative to Dryers re-
cent operations n the search made
for him by the authorities. and then
says:
THE above dispatch refers to John.
better known as Chick Dwyer. who
left here about seven years ago for
Butte City. While here he lived at
the corner OF A n Carson streets. and
was the son OF John Dwyer. an old
time Comstock miner. who was at one
time foreman OF the Norcross mine.
Through his fathers influence he
secured the lease Of a pretty good claim
In or near Butte City, and was fairly
prosperous. The money he made by
leasing he invested in printing. From
an early age he had been bit by The
scribbling mania and had turned out
ream upon ream OF incomprehensible
doggerel, the most prominent features
OF which were a plentitude OF big
words and lack Of conference. But.
firing OF writing stories n poems.
which no one would read. he tried his
hand at a new n more c%ongenial task
the defamation of the character OF
an old friend. He had printed about
a thousand postal cards announcing
the candidacy of a certain young man
OF this city for the g~overnorship OF
Nevada. This card was couched in
language the most scurrilous, p~rofane
and libelous that could occur to the
diseased Imagination of a depraved per-
vert. About 800 of these cards had
conn through the mail to various peo-
pie of this city, when Mr.. Lou War
die. a friend of the abused young man.
took a hand I'm the case and had Judge
Whitcher, then United States district
attorney, complain TO the ~postofice de-
partment at Washington that obscene
matter was being sent through the
mail from Butte City. An inspector
was sent out to investigate the AFFAIR
and he did not have much difficulty in
locating the criminals, for Dwyer had
a partner in his iniquitous work, an
other Virginia City boy.
These events occurred in the winter
OF 1892 and ,Dwyer and. his associate
were then about 10 years OF age. The
inspector took the young men n a
private room of the Butte postoffice
and demonstrated with them upon the
wickedness n folly upon their actions
n warning them for their own sakes
to desist In future, let them go, be-
cause, al he said, he did not like to
punish such youngsters.
IF Dwyer were a normal being. he
would have felt at least some spark of
gratitude at being thus set free. But
in all his actions he has revealed not
only the cunning. but at the same time
all the malignity of a maniac. The in
spector who had been sent to look for
Dwyer. e or to Helena, took pneu-
monia and died. Dwyer exhibited his
grief over the death of the man who
had been so unexpected and so sudden
ly kind to him-the man OF whose
death he was, indirectly at least, the
cause-in a characteristic n He
sent a message to the then postmaster
general. couched in these words:
A" John Wanamaker: You old -
-; we have killed one of your in
spectors: now send on another
Satisfied with his performances in
this respect, Dwyer next turned his at
tention to another congenial occupa-
ton. that OF anarchist. This was pref
cradle to his former pursuit In that IL
afforded him greater notorfety, an
Unsuitable thirst for which IL the rul-
ing passion in Dryers warped men,
tality. For months he flooded the mails
with incediary pamphlets and such
was h reputation as an apostle OF
blood that he achieved through this
means that when he visited New York
city, in 1898. Inspector Byrnes a a
small force of detectives on the look
out for him, but he eluded detection.
He returned to Butte City. claiming he
had visited the high priests of anarchy
at Paris and Berlin, but as braggadocio
Is n of the essential elements OF his
character. IL is safe to say he never
passed through Hell Gate. After his
return he quoted down somewhat. on
ly bursting forth now and then with
some of his supernatural literary rro-
auctions to excite the amusement or
derision of those who might read. His
father and the remainder Of the family
removed TO West Australia and thither
followed the hopeful son. The father.
who was a good miner, had charge of
a group of mines. but he did not live
long. Dwyer. jr.. claimed to have sue
ceeded his ather's place. but this
claim, like others, such as that he
fought under Garcia in Cuba, is doubt
less untrue.
And now he Is back In Butte again,
engaged in his Did occupation OF send
ing threatening matter through the
mails. only the threat instead of travel
ing on a sheet of paper. has assumed
the somewhat more menacing form of
a stick OF dynamite. 1t remains 10 be
seen whether the postofice authorities
will be as lenient with him now as they
were six years ago. 1t certainly does
seem that he is a dangerous person to
be at large. and whittier his prouer
sphere is the lunatic asylum or the
p~enitentisry Is a question that the
proper authorities should lose no time
in determining."