The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-06-07
FREED A GREAT CRIMINAL.
Singular Incident in the Career of
Pat Sheedy, the Noted Gambler.

Singular Incident in the Career of
Pat Sheedy, the Noted Gambler.
From the Washington Post.
The boldest and best known profess
sional sporting man in the world sat
in the lobby of the Arlington last even
ing, a big, pleasant-looking man, with
an air about him of quiet dignity and
force of character. The big man was
none other than Pat Sheedy, Irish
born, American-reared, and if ever the
narrative of his life is written in full
it will be of rare interest, for he has
been in many lands and many curious
episodes have developed under his eyes.
I'm $780," said Mr.. Sheedy, Il was
playing against faro bank in Chi
cago. Luck was running against me
hard, and l was just getting ready TO
leave, after having parted with $4,000.
l acknowledged myself broke, where
upon an ordinary-looking fellow, to-
tai stranger and under the influence
somewhat of the ardent, who had been
playing with a drunken mans luck,
threw me over $1,000 in big bills, tell
ing me to go on, and If / lost that l
could come to him for more. l told
him 1 didn't want his money that
did not accept help from people
didn't know. He said that was all
right, and begged that, as favor, L
should play half of it for him. So
persistent was he that 1 finally took
the money and began again. You know
what happens to a man when he is up
against an adverse streak. To cut 1t
short, / lost the $4,000, and, declining
peremptorily to go further, went out,
accompanied by the stranger.
1--WE went and had a bite to eat. 1
owe you $1,000 said I to the man,
whereupon he laughed. Rest easy
about that he said. You will have
these days you may do something Tor
me- He gave me no address and LETT
me wondering greatly as to his iden-
tity. Certainly he was a singular indi-
vidual.
I'm 1898, just eighteen years after
that incident, I was operating place
in Constantinople, where gentlemen Oh
sporting proclivities, mostly well-hxed
English and American tourists, could
get diversion at baccarat or the wheel.
One day a Turk in my employ told
me that a countryman of mine, who
claimed to know me, was lying in pris-
on for some sharp trick and might call
on me for aid. The next day the man
brought me card on which were
scrubbed the words: Chicago. 1880,
faro, $1,000 There was no signature.
but knew in a second who the felloW
was. Sure enough, it was my turn
to do the friendly act.
well, I saw the prisoner and recog-
nized him as my creditor. 1t took more
than $1,000 to square the authorities
but never mind about that. The man
was the personification of gratitude. u
would be too long a story to tell in all
the details, but before 1 got him out
of the country / knew his entire record.
The man was Adam Worth, the great
est criminal i'm his line the century, and
who had during a career of rascality
covering a period so years stolen not
less than $2,000,0O0, or probably twice
that.
Here comes the next extraordinary
part Of the affair. Worth confessed
TO me that Il was ne who had stolen
the famous Duchess of Devonshire por-
trait from the Agnew gallery IN Lon
don Twenty-Five years before. How, ~
association with the Pinkertons, ] got
him TO restore Il 90 the son Of me
owner would take too long TO tell, ana
besides that IL another story"