The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-09-18
HALF OF LIFE N JAIL
BIG BILL" MASON. NOTED GRIM
NAL, AGAIN sEissND BARS.
Nas Well knosn IN chiesss Gambling
cireiss-Arresfe1 IN Wiseonsin.
senf to Waupgn. BIT
Made Hs Escape


diana state prison have opened again
to one o. the most noted criminals In
the country. His real name Is Richard
Keegan, but he is best known as Big
Bill" Mason
Mason as W. T. Wright vas sent
Up under the old La 10 serve seven
years. After about three years ne
escaped and Eas finally located at
Cherry Hi. Pa He was given no pos
sible chance after and went out only
al the expiration Of MS term.
Big Bill" Mason IL particularly
well known In Chicago. where vas the
scene Of many Of his exploits Around
Nike McDOnald's and George Han
kins' gambling houses he vas known
as the high roller Of faro"
He has pursued all the branches Of
crime, and while he has been success
ful IN them all he has spent nearly 3
years In prison. So that in the bal
ance he strikes in his afty-hfth year
the account is heavily against him
In the Mortified bank raid. In which
he participated with the Younger and
James boys, he was -the kid In all
OF Mason's arrests he, was veil pro-
vided with bail money and was able
to get the best Of criminal talent AZ
the bar 10 fight his cases. Il was his
boast that he never pleaded guilty
After a wild spectacular career Ma
son appeared in Chicago 2ad nssde his
headquarters al Dave Thornton ;
House Of David IN Clark street He
vas always well provided with money
and ostensibly his business vas 10
make a show Of Il BY buying drinks
for anybody and everybody.
Meanwhile he was playing faro In
McDonald's place, and occasionally In
Hankins' place across the street He
was generally a winner and was accus-
toned TO leave a sum Of money In
Thornton's to the credit Of fellows who
were down and out. Usually il was.
he said. 10 per cent OF his winnings.
II he lost he put a $40 bill there any
way for the same purpose. saying that
the Lord and the gambler alike loved
cheerful giver and he wouldn't have
luck if he were not ready TO divide.
Mason at this time was about 25 or
&c years old. In appearance he was
a striking ngure six feet tall. straight
as a dart. broad shoulders and with
the easy movement and grace OF a
panther. But his face was against
him. II was hard and cruel OF ex-
preston.
Before he left Chicago. however. he
determined to make one big play. and
he broke Hankins' bank. A short time
before that the house OF II. F. Whit
con. president Of the Wisconsin Cen
tral railroad. in Milwaukee. had been
entered and robbed The spoil was
traced TO a fence" in Chicago about
the time Mason made his big play a.
Hankins' faro bank.
The fence gave Mason away.
While the Milwaukee police we're ar
ranging to arrest him az Thorntons
place the hangers On at the gambling
house planned 10 rob him. -Four of
them attacked him. but he beat them
all and escaped TO the street just as
the police came up and took him He
was taken TO Milwaukee and there in
duced two detectives to enter his cell
on the pretense Of giving up He
seized them both and threw them vio-
lently against the rear wall OF the cell
In moment he was ont In the corri-
dor and running toward the main en-
trance. One OF the detectives shot
him. but he got away. A few nights
afterward a badly wounded man
dragged himself TO the door Of the
house OF j. l. Case. in Racine. owner
OF Jay-Eye-See. the trotting horse. He
was delivered up to the police and
sent to Waupun state prison for eight
years.
Waupun is regarded as one OF the
safe prisons Of the United States. but
Mason sawed his cell door. sawed the
bars from a window out OF the cell
house. a task that under the circum-
stances must have taken some weeks.
scaled a wall and was free. The prison
authorities had previously learned
that big Bill" had escaped from the
Los Angeles prison and kept a close
watch on him. Early one morning IN
1898 there was a police fight In New
York which ended in Mason. Thomas
Reilly and James Coifey being cap
tured. That battle is a tradition OF
real glory to the New York police
force. Since then Mason has spent
nearly all his time in prison.