Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-04-21
HIS RECREATION.

history for five years of Frederick D.
Davis, whom the police of New Haven
have run to earth after a long search.
Davis is a lover of art. He filled his
home with beautiful objects; he adorned
his wife with jewels: he had no interests
away from his own fireside: he is one Of
the most accomplished robbers of whom
there is any recent record. There are
twenty-four charges of burglary against
him.
His transformation from Jekyn to
Hyde would come with the regularity OF
night following day. At the close of his
work, after an hour or W OF tender
companionship with his wife and two
children, he would sally forth with four
articles in his pockets-a rubber mask, a
loaded revolver, an electric lantern n
a sectional Jimmy"
Next morning, some hundreds OF dol
lars richer, he would be at work on his
car, gayly chatting with policemen or
detectives as he might meet on their
failure to catch the burglar whose raids
on the business premises Of the city
were squirting the authorities to frantic
energy. Captured at last, he confessed
his crimes.
Davis was visited in prison last week.
He talked about himself willingly and
with every appearance of ~frankness.
There was no bravado in his I'M
His eyes looked straight into those of
his interlocutor. Cool, without being
c~allous, he conveyed the impression of
a man susceptible even above the av-
erage to the pro!nptings of affection.
"The gam is up" he said. cit was a
wild one while it lasted, but there has
to be an end. Now i must pay for the
fascination crime had for me-"
Davis accent is that of an educated
man. He was formerly a draughtsman
in the employ of the Winchester Arms
mr. ,,Yap wv + Sc, ~~~Sl Al,-A H. --.u
a conductor only for the purpose OF
screening the pursuit to which he dedi-
Gated all his intelligence.
He was told that his wife had told all
about his burglaries.
mo, no." he exclaimed. II don't be-
lieve it. Ida would never do that. She
is a good little woman. l used to take
her into my confidence after committing
a burglary, but never before.
Quarrel? Oh, Nhen we were first
married we quarreled a little, but that
was of no Importance. We were very
united. Yes, it is true that I fooled with
a revolver one day when / had been
not true that ! threatened to kill her and
the children"
"The police" remarked the visitor,
looked upon you as a dangerous crim-
inal, who would not be taken alive"
That is just as silly" he retorted.
as the story that I talked of numbering
thirteen persons in New Haven before
/ died.
There was nc occasion for the police
to be afraid of me. l would never have
used thai pistol. The thought of killing
a human being is readf to me. I
carried the weapon only to be able to
scare people in case ! was cornered.'
His face flushed slightly as he contin-
ued warmly: II did not think l was
SlIch q h2d man 11nVnd c,yy V,sfo orl
family, and spent my every dollar on
them. We had the happiest of little
homes. To think that I have covered
them with disgrace is a torture to me.
Can they ever forgive me? Oh, this is a
%frightful %lesson!"
glar?"
II don't know as I can explain" he
said. 1T was simply an overpowering
inclination. Burglary became a habit.
and it grew on me.
Il found a fascination in pitting my
intelligence against that of the police
department. 1t was a secret Joy which
l flowed to take possession of my whole
life.
h was a time when I had a con-
science about such things, but once that
was gone l gave way completely to the
charm of the thing-the mystery, the
spice of danger, and the sensation of be-
ing hunted by men not as clever as my
self"
Was he paving the way for defense of
uncomfortable impulse" or kleptoma-
mia? h reporter suggested that he
was not responsible for his actions.
"Oh, yes ami" he replied earnestly.
II am no kleptomaniac. There's no ex-
cuse of that kind for me. I'm just like
| everybody else"
AS to the disposal of his plumber Da-
J Wis said: "What money I took I paid
out for bills we owed. l never spent a
| cent on any other woman than my wife.
| / never ~squandered any money. I bought
| handsome household furniture and a
| fine piano and paid for it out of the re-
| ceipts of the robberies.
II am willing to take the consequences
+, and confess every burglary I commit