Evening journal., 1905-06-19
BIC FRANK NJ COY
ON HIS DEATH-B BED
On Cot in the Bellevue Hos
pital He Tells of Man
haitian Bank ROBBERY
SERVED 10 YEARS At new CASTLE

Frank Mccoy. gentleman burglar" lies
on cot in the Bellevue Hospital. New
York i'm what may be his last illness. He
is 63 years Of age and IN his prime was a
giant in tho intellect as well as height.
1t was ia the year 1873 that Big Frank'
Mccoy FIRST made his debut into Delaware
when he ia company with Jimmy Hope,
who died recently and three other com
panions, Lawior and Hurlbert and one
who escaped, made an unsuccessful at
tempt to rob the Bank of Delaware. Sixth
and Market streets. For this crime the
four named were arrested. tried and con-
victed. their sentence being 40 lashes, one
hour in the pillory and ten years inn
prisonment In the old New Castle jail
az New Castle. The first part Of the sem
tence was carried out as given, but after
remaining in the jail a sufficient length
Of time TO allow their backs TO heal from
the cuts of the lash, the men made their
escape taking along with them life
prisoner named Frazer.
ESCAPED SECOND TIME.
Hope. Hurlbert. Iawler and Frazer
were never reoapturod but big Frank
was caught in New York city and brought
back After remaining In Jail for severa
years he again escaped. One fan morning
during the time that Isaac Grubb WA
sheriff and when Mrs. Grubb was IN tn
dining room Of the shorif's apartments
she heard a familiar voice say, "Goo'
morning. Mrs. Grubb I'm sorry, but
must leave you. Goodbye"
Inef.ra ftr plafffffe tuffa ouffIT rQnutfT
from her surprise "Big Frank" for /
was he who spoke. ran 20 the outer jai
/ door, jumpce into a buggy that wa
awaiting him and drove away before
general alarm could be given.
AGAIN RECAPTURED.
Again was Mccoy arrested in NeV
York city and returned 20 New Castl
, jail but not before he made a vigorou
legal fight At the time Of his recaptur
the term for which he had been sentence
had expired. and Mccoy through an al
torney attempted 10 convince the court
. that inasmuch as he had been sentence
for period beginning on one date an
expiring on another and that as on n
, latter date he was az large he was el
titled to immunity from arrest The plC
:. was not entertained. however. and Nj
:. Coy was returned TO jail and served h
, time out
|, For a greater part Of the time that "B
! Frank" was IN jail he refused TO allo
!, anyone TO see him. having a curtal
drawn across his cell door. He was
= man Of intellect and a constant reader
/. the papers. He had an undying hatre
! for Inspector Byrnes OF the New Yoi
10 police. whom he said was unscrupulol
as well as hard-hearted.
"Glve Byrncs a case 10 work up" I
was wont TO say, "and he will land som
one II he can't find the real orimin
! he'll fasten his nets about some poor de,
= and railroad him to jail in spite of
Ia protests Of innocence"
It was said at the time that Mccoy W,
W in New Castle jail he had n wife an
n, boy living in New York. The wife,
"a was alleged. knew OF her husband
4 whereabouts but the son was kept in q
m norance. and was led to believe his faith
h, was abroad
MANHATTAN BANK ROBBERY.
n. on Saturday night In the hospital McC,
rs told OF the days when he and Jimn
ir Hope together rsked imprisonment an
ir death while breaking into banks. McC'
w told n straight story Of the famous Ma
er haitian Bank burglary.
II took no actual part in the burgla
nr itself said Mccoy, "but I helped 20 pli
at It and received part Of the bonds TAX
nd from the vaults. never realized a ce
OF from those bonds
w "In 1872 Hope and broke into the Ben
fetal Savings Bank Of Philadelphia. al
got away with $4,000. The Institute
was a Catholic one and the deposito
were mostly poor persons Several proi
inent Catholics appealed TO us to ma
restitution for the sake Of the poor q
v posltors who had lost their all, and Ho
and returned most Of the plumber
''The narrowest escape 1 ever had frC
death was IN 1877. when. with several OF
"a ers, I attempted to enter a bank at ST
folk. Va. II was on election day. eai
in the morning, and we were discover
at work. There was hot chase after
and capture meant instant death by har
ing but we all got away.
Il guess most Of the old pals are GO
on now, and even if 1 get away from h'
Is alive 1 can't have much longer to llv
III
PRIZES FOR ESSAYS