The Philipsburg mail., 1899-05-12
WOMEN HIS lux Id
MS WAY OF GETTING
MONEY.
Advertises That He Wants n Travelling
Companion for II Trip to Europe, and
Many Women Respond - Life in
Prison.

"Worried about my arrest? Well, l
guess not, for have already spent
more than half ny life in the peniten-
tiary ard q LITTLE thing like this doesn't
bother me. The police have no case
against me this time ad it will not be
long before l am out again
+. A. Punshon. alias Frank Robin
son." who admits that since 20 years
old he has made it business to swim
die women, chatted pleasantly to those
who visited him at his cell at the Fif-
tieth street police station, Chicago.
To all he said he was III no way per-
turbed at having again fallen into the
hands of the law Punshon was ar
rested as he was leaving the house
at 40l5 Indiana avenue where, it is
said, his actions had been suspicious.
AT the time Punshon attempted TO es-
cape, but several shots from the pO
licemans revolver caused him to sur
render. Punshon is 40 years old, and
according to his own assertion he has
served twenty nine years in the pen
itentiary On the installment plan.
Punshon inserted an "ad' in a news
paper offering $50 a month and travel
ing expenses on trip to Europe for
suitable governess. He received an
swers from 2,999 women who were
willing to go and until his arrest had
been corresponding with some of them
and calling on others, and engaging
the comeliest Of the applicants. His
method was to have women put up
security that they would go abroad,
and then skip with the said security.
BY getting many applicants to put
up security in this manner it was
sometimes a paying business.
Punshon's appearance indicates that
he had just been released from prison.
His blonde hair is cut short and his
complexion indicates that ne has been
in confinement for some time His
face is marked by a deep scar on the
right side of his nose, and a promi
nent mole under the lower lip.
They were all ladies, too" said the
prisoner, putting at a cigar and speak
ing Of his last lot of victims. IT'S
surprising what a lot of fools there
are in The world. They We're young
girls of 1G years and old ladies of TO-
] never so to see them, for I wouldn't
cheat a young girl or an old woman,
not for the world. You see, they al
ways put up stakes to hold the trip
and l borrowed some more of them
now and again to keep me going. Did
| ever get out of the United States?
Well, | guess not, never since | came
in from England at the age of IA. l
was jeweler then and it took me just
year to get to making shoes for the
state of Wisconsin. | served that
state off and on for fourteen years be-
fore l struck Illinois,"
Punshon says he is from Green Bay,
Wis. The police say they have an old
charge against the prisoner, he being
charged with working the same game
in Chicago about a year ago. Punshon
denies this. He says he was in the
Joliet penitentiary at the time. The
police of GAINESVILLE, Wis, say that
Punshon was arrested in 1884 and
lodged in Rock county Jail in James
Vile charged with the murder of Au-
gusta Lucknow a domestic. The evi-
dence was not sufficient to convict, but
the prisoner was sent August 70, 1884
to states prison for two years and
nine months.
Punshon appeared in GAINESVILLE in
the spring of that year and secured
work as a painter. He soon formed
70 n n Of 70 ,,ly
and was with her great deal, al
though he had wife in town. In May
both Miss Lucknow and Punshon dis
appeared suddenly. After diligent
search her body was found in Rocl
river at the city limits. Punshon was
traced to Elgin and arrested. He was