The San Francisco call., 1906-10-07
THIRTY YEARS CAREER
OF THE MOST NOTED
FRAUDULENT EPIEP-
TIC OF CRIMINAL HIS
TORY RATHER THAN
WORK HE SUCCESS
FULLY FEIGNED THE
SYMPTOMS OF ONE OF
THE MOST FRIGHTFUL
OF HUMAN MALADTES.

80 - 1NA----k% NA-dl - continued TO COM
nit similar thefts.
When he vas Is his father died and
the boy was left to shift for himself.
and his shifting took the form OF pick
ing pockets, and, after periodical fits
or reform following short terms in Jail,
he finally driftsd TO London and be-
came thorough adept in crime When
he arrived there the city was celebrat-
ing the approaching marriage OF the
Prince. Of wales. The streets were
crowded and offered rare opportunities
70 1iie professional pickpocket Clegg
worked hard at the game and made
more than d hundred pounds IN less
tnan z fortnight. All this time he was
working FOR and by himself and in an
smateurish way. bat he was soon TO
be launched by old hands al the busi-
ness. One night when be had success
fully relieved two men OF their watches
as they stood in a crowd CIegg was sc-
costed By thief VINO had seen the
act and denanded his share or the
booty, Thtch Clegg was obliged to turn
over 70 the stranger. This meeting led
70 Clsggs Introduction TO = gang OF
thieves whom he was persuaded to
join and live WITH IN = -padding-kea.
a common resort for criminals.
There was one fellow IN the gang
50 clegg told me when he gave he
history or his life. who was known
as a dummy chucker' His name was
McCarty- IcCsrty would fall down in
pretended ft IN a public place and
his companions woul6 pick the pockets
OF the crowd gathered around him
Clegg confessed that this appealed 70
him and 50 he became a pupil OF Nc
Carly, both or them studying books on
epilepsy and watching cases whenever
they had a chance In a little while
almost as vel as his preceptor- IN
fact. he did e time after time without
being detected. and frequently he was
revived BY physicians. His youth. his
fairly good looks and his remarkable
stimulation or q 1t won him many SYM
pathizers who helped financially,
though unconsciously. 10 aid him.
1T was through his confederate. who
was caught with 4 valuable watch he
had just stolen that Clegg was finally
arrested on the ground OF being an
accompIice- But he got on by chuck
ing a dummy. a beautiful dummy as
Clegg himself expressed II. right IN
court This was done on the advice OF
his lawyer. and the Tuse worked per-
fectIy. A medical officer was sum
moned, and after carefully examining
CIegg the physician pronounced him
q bad case OF epilepsy and the pris-
pa6ding-ken held a Jollifeztion over
his release, which was managed so
cieverly, and Ciegg was promoted to
the position Of head dummy chucker.
No one had ever eoualed him in sheer
audacfty and successful feigniuS. and
his services were at 1ace in great de-
mand The most sizIiIful PROFESSIONAL
thieves and pickDockets in London
sought his aid. and together they
worked the crowds at the fashionable
churches, Clegg going 50 far AZ 10
chuck a dummy IN the church aisle
as the congregation was learing after
seryiee, while his fellow picsEpockets
relieved them Of all that had not gene
into the contribution plate.
at funerals OF persons Of note these
expert criminals gathered a rich har
vest. Clesg admitted TO me that many
a time he chucked a dummy while
looking at the corpse. pretending TO
be overcome By the signt. and during
the excitement following his 1T his
confederates worked through the fats
in The neighborhocd-
by this time he had gained rep
utstfon for greater cieveruess than
Mozart. and so to him fell the work
OF chucking a dummy In his own
words he tells Us Of a trip TO Glasgow
with McCarty. where they planned to
put through a big deal. I have an
account or the incident here and Dr.
Mcdonald read Clegg's story in his
own wordS. We learned that there
was q certain shipbuilder in Greenock
who psid his men every Saturday
SO McCarty and ! engaged
another man to 90 with as and help US
on the Job We were TO meet the mes
senger coming from the bank with
the money and I was to chuck the
dummy right before him on the side
jostle him and McCarty would snatch
the bag and get away 20 Glasgow.
where we were all to meet.
well. you see, we had everything
down as ane as could be and felt sure
we would succeed. SO away We went
down on the first train on Saturday
morning and hung around the place
till we saw cur marker with the bag.
I went IN front OF him and chucked
4 beautiful dummy while he was walk
ing down one OF the principal streets;
McCarty snatched the bag. but did not
get far away with 1t. he was collared
about two blocks from where I lay
in the dummy. OF course. had TO get
out OF sight when 1 heard the people
talking about what had happened, SO
I escaped again and poor McCarty got
four years az Perth
Sent to New Bailey.
''Soon after this Clegg returned to
his naffve town. Manchester. and led
the same sort OF life. but not for long.
His czreef was again interrupted by
the authorities, who arrested him and
sent him 70 prison for term OF twelve
at New Bailey. While there
Clegg stabbed the turnkey three times
during an alteration and the dummy
chucker was indicted for attempt 40
murder. While awaiting trial he had
several fits. which led his counsel to
put UP the defense OF temporary in