Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-16
POSTAGE STAMP FAKES
Details of Some Interesting I'm
p0stures.
CAREER OF BARON HICKEY
Paris Dazzled by Pretenders To
Royalty.
SUCCESS OF KING OF SEDANG
Many Collectors Duped-Issues by
Private Firms-The Clipperton
Island Prints
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald
At the postage stamp exhibition at Royal
Agricultural Hall, London, last summer,
l heard some interesting stories about for
geres and fakes. One of them involves
an old friend who served a reporter for
short time in Chicago many years ago
and will be remembered reckless, gen.
erous, companionable versatile fellow, an
1rishman named James Harden Hickey.
There was always a mystery about him,
which he encouraged, and an audac:ous
spirit of adventure that seemed capable
of any risk He never gave any account of
himself He never even told where he
came from, but could talk French like a
native, was familiar with every nook and
corner of Paris, and with the leading poll
ticians and men of affairs in France But
he knew London, Dublin and other cities
just as well and was typical Bohemian
adventurer. At one time he was the ed-
tor OF newspaper in Paris. think it
was during the commune and the paper
was called the Tricolor or something like
that. -. =, -.
Jim Hickey vanished from Chicago as
mysterlousiy as he came, and 4 few years
after old friends identified him in the
person of Baron Hickey the husband of
the daughter of Standard Oil plutocrat,
living on an income of hundred thousand
dollars year in brown-stone mansion
on 9th avenue. He floated around among
the -four hundred" with as much ease
and popularity as attended his brief but
brllllant career among the all-nght saloons
and restaurants of Chicago, and he told me
that he had finally come into me own"
When | asked him about his title of
baron he winked slyly andremarked that
ne mad picked 1t up somewhere In Europe,
either IN Paris or Rome, he had forgotten
which, and he showed me a dazzling in
sigma OF the order of st. James of Trini-
dad, or something like that. which, he said,
he was cQnferring upon his loyal friends.
In some way or another, l never knew
how Jim Hickey became stranded on a
little island of Trinidad, about fifty miles
off the coast OF Brazil, where are three or
fQlr- -Anndred-negr and half-caste Por-
tuguese fishermen Having nothing else to do
he amused himself by organizing NINA
ture monarchy. He set up throne among
the sea gulls on the rocks and proclaimed
himself king James 1 of Trinidad" While
Ire was perfectly harmless and was only
having a little innocent amusement, the
Brazilian government became alarmed and
Jim Hickey Immediately suddenly assumed
the proportions of an international issue
IL appears that many years ago Great
Britain claimed the island of Trinidad and
relinquished it reluctantly Brazil supposed
that the fantastic performances of an Irish
adVenturer were serious attempt on the
There was some sharp diplomatic cores
pondence and an appeal to the government
of the United States before Jim was re-
leased and the Brazilans were satisfied.
In the meantime Baron" Hickey had
been separated from his wife, His habits
and behavior were intolerable and the
Standard Oil magnate declined to furnish
a disreputable son-in-law money to waste
in the wine rooms and gambling houses OF
the tenderloin. So Jim went over to Paris
which is an asylum Of dethroned and dis
credited monarchS, and, amazing as it may
seem, attracted considerable sympathy by
asserting his claims to the throne of Trini-
dad. To sustain his pretensions he pre-
duced, among other evidences, many sheets
OF postage stamps, which, he claimed, had
been issued during his reign. They were
sigma mountainous island, with yacht
under full sail in the foreground At first
the collectors went wild over them, and
the fraud was not exposed until Hickey had
sold many thousands of dollars worth
Then critical dealers discovered that the
stamps had never been used for postage
and had not even been printed until several
years after Hickey's expulsion from his
kingdom, which, of course, made them
worthless. You can find them in many COL
lections, however, and because of his ro-
mantle story they have a special interest
to collectors of counterfeits.
Having exhausted the designations of
Paris and the credulity of his aeauaint-
ances, Baron Hickey returned TO the
United States and attempted to resume re-
lations- with his Standard Oil WIFE But
she would not recognize him, and he went
to Texas, where he was connected with two
or three newspapers for while and finally
committed suicide in Ell Paso.
Another newspaper reporter, whose name
l have forgotten, set himself up as a king
in one of the South Sea islands and exer-
ciseG authority for several years, but so
far as / am aware, he never issued any
postage stamps. He came to the world 8
Chicago canacftV
moter trying to float some grand scheme
fer the development of his island, but did
not succeed.
Mysterious Potentate's Success.
In 1889, during the exposition at Pan IS
a dusky potentate of some mysterious
country appeared in Paris with a dazzling
retinue and took apartments at fashion,
able hotel His gorgeous raiment and fam
tastic suite attracted everybodys atten-
ton, and everything he said and did was
reported in the newspapers. The servants
of the hotel were questioned by inquisitive
people, and among other interesting facts
disclosed was the existence of some odd
looking postage starss. When the dealers
in that sort of merchandise and the col
lectors learned of this they took a great
daal OF trouble to make the acquaintance
ard cultivate the goodwill of his majesty's
secretary ard interpreter who betrayed his
royal master and disposed of large quanti-
ties of these stamps at many times their
face value Several prominent dealers
bought large stocks Of them with the stipu-
lation tina. they should not be placed on
sale until after his majesty had finished
his visit to the exposition and returned 10
his XII. sdom. 1t afterward turned out that
the whole business was a conspiracy on the
part OF an ingenious postage stamp dealer
in Belgium to humbug and swindle the
tr1dc.
A the same exposition the Bolivian COM
missit Ter engaged in similar transaction.
Being continually annoyed by people cali
stamps, he concluded that it would be
good speculation to provide himself with
supply. He prepared a Design of his own
for several denominations, and had them
engraved and printed at one of the regular
establishments. Then he sold them. singly
or in quantity to people who applied at his
booth. When the dealers became aware of
this new issue they purchased large quanti-
ties, so that the commissioner made profit