The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-27
A FAMOUS swINDLER INSANE.
Tom O'Bsien Becomes Denented in
New Caledonia

Tom 0'BEien Becomes Demented in
New Caledonia.
NEW YORK, May z7.-rord comes from
Paris that Tom O'Brien, the American
confidence man, who was sent to the
French penal settlement at New CaIedo-
Ma for life for the murder Of Waddeu. the
golG-DTick operator. in the Care du Nord
five years ago, has gone raving mad and is
so dangerous that he has been trans
feTTed to solitary prison on small
island, where he IS kept in chains IN
der surveillance Of special wardens.
The French police authorities have
always been afraid Of OBrien, who has
twice escaped from their clutches, and
IL token of this fear they sent him on a
passenger vessel to the penal settlement
after his sentence instead Of transporting
him on the convict ship with the other
criminals Although he could not speak
the language. and was unknown to his
feIIoW-CCuVicts. the police were appTeheU-
sive that his desperate genius might bring
about successful mutiny on the way out
to New Caledonia.
One of the most efficient and popular
detectives Of Scotland Yard. Inspector
Frank c F'roest had narrow escape
from death at the hands Of O'Brfen not
long before the murder Of waddell. The
story has Just been made public 1t was
FTOest who originally arrested O'Brien on
his arrival in London, after the swindling
in central New York that made him a fu-
gitive from justice The arrest was eff
fected in Gatti's restaurant in the Strand
where O'Brien was pointed out to the de-
tective by Charles HodsOu, Chief Clerk
Of the American Embassy in London. It
was Frosst who afterward delivered
O'Brien al Queenstown to the detective
who went for him from Albany, and
when the English officer parted with the
prisoner on the steamship the latter swore
that he would live to be revenged.
OBrlens time came after his escape
from the French police at Havre, which
followed the escape from his tailers at
Albany, and it is doubtless due to the
circumstance that Froest lighted a cigar
badly and had to perform the operation
over again that he is alive today, for his
enemy was q dead shot with a pistol
OBTien was arrested at Havre on a tel
egram from the American police on his
arrivel at that port on one of the French
Line steamers. How, after his escape, be
ing absolutely penniless. he managed TO
get to London is a mystery that thus far
remains unsoIved. IN London he was
met by the two men who were present
{
These men were Frank Tarbo and AIonzo
Haines, alias Dutch Alonzo." both of
whom are doing time now
When O'Brien arrived in London he was
told by his friends that the French po-
lice had teIegraphed news OF his escape
to Scotland Yard and that Frank Froest
was again looking for him The three
men went into the cafe of Ferrey's res
I tauraut, at the corner of Hanover and
Regent Streets, q popular resort in per
haps the most crowded and one of the
most fashionable shipping districts in the
West End Of London. It was about
| O'Clock in the afternoon
A window Of the cafe commands the
view down Regent Street, and while the
three were taking a drink at one of the
tables, Froest, by the merest chance, hap
pened to come Up the thoroughfare with
/ a cigar in his mouth, and they caught
/ sight of him OBrien, reaching into his
! hip pocket, sDrang for the door. the first
| intimation his friends had that he re-
membered his threat to have the detec-
/ tive's life. Tarbo and Haines were after
/ him inarnedia teIy, not that they cared any
/ thing for the danger to FrOest, but that
/ neither could afford to be mixed UP in a
/ murder case
I When O'Briea got out Of the door
/ FrOeSt, who according to ordinary laws
! OF time and space should have been pass
( ing at the instant, was nowhere to be
/ seen. The TWO other crooks threw them
/ selves upon the desperate criminal and,
! begging him to consider them, backed
! him into the hallway that leads through
/ the restaurant next to the cafe Just at
/ that moment FrOest appeared again His
/ cigar had gone out, and he had slipped
I into a doorway to reIight it At the very
moment his enemy lost sight of him from
the window. This circumstance probably
/ saved the officers life
: On perceiving FrOest again, 0 Brien
+ made a furious effort to break away from
his friends, but Haines, who is a treneu-
+ dCUsly powerful man, threw him on his
back in the hallway, while Farbo closed
/ the door just IS FTOeSt passed, unCon-
Z sci0us of his danger BY the time O Brien
was allowed TO get his feet Froest had
+ disappeared into the crowd in oxford
/ Street, and the walters in the restaurant
we're informed that the TracaS was mere
! Is skylaTkinE among friends.
Losing sight of his enemy. 'Brien was
( induced TO go into hiding, and ne even
tuaIly escaped to the Argentine Republic,
/ whence he returned TO Paris, soon to com
/ nit the crime for which he is now serving
: =