Evening star., 1902-09-02
do TIME" BY PROXY
SOME WHO HAVE GONE TO JAIL
FOR A LIVING.
Schemes by Which the Real Criminals
Escape Punishment by the
Use Of Money.
From TIT Bits.

From TIT Bits.
There are few things one man is not pre-
pared to do for another, said a prison Off
ciaI to the writer, and going 10 prison for
him is certainly not among those at which
he draws line.
Why, 1t is not many days since, as you
would read in the papers after a man had
been sentenced at London police court
to six months Imprisonment fo- brutal
assault, his brother begged the magistrate,
with tears in his eyes, TO be allowed to
serve the sentence, an appeal which was, OF
course refused. In this case the man VINO
proposed to be his brothers proxy as a
iail bird was probably actuated by the
highest motives, although / am bound 10
admit that most Of these prison substitutes
have nothing mere noble :haD money 10 Ill
spire their self-saCrIfce.
Tired cf Jail.
In another recent case 2 man VINO had
been arrested on his own confession on
charge Of househreaktns received quite a
nominal sentence. as 1t was his trst onense
and ne professed penitenCe and determl-
nation to reform. Before he had served a
week Of his sentence, hoWeVer, re Iound
prison life so little 20 his taste that ne
sought an Interview with tie governor ana
self but pal Of his.
II appeared that the latter, finding that
the police were uncomfcrtahIy hot on his
track offered the prisoner certain sum OF
money ff he would take his place and con-
fess his guilt. He knew well that IL ne
himself were caught, with his long IIst o.
previous convIcttcns, ne Wouio hot GET on
with less than seven CT fourteen strelcn,
whereas his substitute, who had no con-
yiction recorded against him, WouIu DC
much more lenienly treated
There are many cases, TOO, N WLlch one one
convict personates another and gets ms
freedom long before he is entitled TO IT.
Only few weeks ago l noticed among me
prisoners VINO were about 10 be hbefaten
on the expiry Of their sentences a man
whose term thought was far from having
expired / detained him so that the metter
could be investigated, and the convict,
finding the game was Up, Confessed that
he had changed places with another prls-
oner remarkably like him in appearance,
who had consented 20 serve the balance OF
his sentence on certain terms.
OF course, this amiable arrangement could
not be permitted, and my artfal- fTIenc is
still doing time, while his proxy is tast-
ing the sweets of freedom.
Found a Double.
II is not an uncommon thing for a man
out On bail to escape punishment in This
| wav Last year a cashier who was
/ charged with ernbezzlement was released on
| heavy bail. He used his freedom TO such
! advantage that he procured a substitute sc
! like himself in appearance that even his
friends might have found II oiffcuIt 10 ols-
tinguish one from the other, ana, amer IN
| stallng him III his rooms and coaching mn
| in all the IA cts OF the case, he disappeared
| The proxy was duly tired and SENTENCED
| to a long term Of penal serVitude-much' h'
| doubt, to his aInazement; and IL was Only
day Of IT, AS luck would have 1t, the rea
! criminal who was all the time lying low II
| Whftechapel was run over ana was tahel
| to a hospital III a dying conotlon t1ere
| probably overcome by -eHorse, ne con
| fessee his identity ana his guilt, and be
| fore his death left q sworn statement oe
| ciaring the entire Innocence OF the mai
| who had taken his pace.
| In another case the artifce tailed II
work. A certain well-known criminal wal
/ suspected Of having committed series O
| burglaries in a western suburb OF bohuon
and he was on the point OF pelng run Il
| earth when, to the establishment OF The de
| tectiyes engaged in the pursuit, he Volun
| tarily gave himself into custody. Their
| seemed to be no DOUBT that ne was IN
very man they were IN searen o.. %. on
fed and decided TO continue the search ol
his own account,
The result was that The real burglar
thinking himself safe ana beins n,, on "a
early one morning in mis- bed room, and
any doubt Of his identity had remained y
his captors mind il weuld have been dissi
mai ed bv finding some Of the ''swag Of tn
bursled houses under the bed on which h
was lying.
1 4 Successful Case.
But the most remarkable case know o
was that OF q convict who successfully per
sonated another man who was very mue
t"wauted by the police" and actually serve
| a sentence Of FIVE years penal servitude !
| his place Just as his sentence was on tb
point Of expiring he received news that
legacy Of fb,00O had been left TO him by
| weli-known bookmaher OF q shady reputa
tion. and before he was released he cor
| fessed to me that the man who hao LEI
him the legacy was the real committer {
1.-THE crime for which he had suffered an
that the H 600 was the exact sum &c
; which he ha6 consented to sc TO prison 9
J his proxy.