The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-30
ST RANGE CAREER
OF Newspaper Reporter Who Became
King James |. of Trinidad.

Washington Cor. Chicago Record Herald
At the postage stamp exhibition at
Royal Agricultural hall, London. last
summer, I heard some interesting stories
about forgeries and fakes. One of them
involves an old friend who served as a
reporter for short time In Chicago
many years ago, and will be remembered
as reckless, generous, companionable,
versatile fellow, an Irishman named
James Harden Hickey There was al
ways mystery about him, which he en-
, eouraged and an audacious spirit of ad-
venture that seemed capable of any risk
lie never gave any account of himself
lie never even told where he came from
but could talk French like a native, and
was familiar with every nook and corner
of Paris. But he knew London. Dublin
and ether cities just as well, and was a
typical Bohemian adventurer. At one
time he was the editor of a newspaper in
Paris think ii was during the Com
nnne and the paper was called the Tri.
color or something like that
jim Hickey vanished from Chicago
as mysteriously as he came and a few
years after old friends identified him I'm
the person Of Baron Hickey" the hus-
pahd or the daughter of u Standard Oil
plutocrat, living on an income of slOO 900
a year In brownstone mansion on Fifth
I avenue lie fioated around among tn.
-FOUR hundred with as much ease and
popularity as attended his brief but bril-
llant career among the all-night saloons
ana restaurants Of Chicago and he told
me mat he had finally come into me
own. When I asked him about hia
ttie of Baron" he winked slyly and re-
marked that he had picked It up some
Where In Europe, either In Paris or Rome.
ne mad forgotten which. and he showed
me dazzling insignia of the order of ST
James OF Trinidad, or something like
mat whlch ne said he WAS comforting
upon his loyal frineds.
In some way or other. never Lnau,
now, Jim Hickey became stranded n,
the llttle island Of Trinidad, about hftv
hllIes Off the coast of Brazil where there
are 100 or 400 negroes and half-caste
portuguese fishermen. Having nothing
else TO do, he amused himself by organIz-
ing a miniature monarchy. He set n,
a throne among the sea gulls on tho
rocks and proclaimed himself King
James l. of Trinidad" While he was
perfectly harmless, and was only having
a Hlle innocent amusement the Brazil
nan government became alarmed and
Jim Hickey suddenly assumed the nro-
portions of an international Issue. 1T an
pears that many years ago Great Britt
ain claimed the island of Trinidad ana
relinqulshed 1t reluctantly Brazil SIM
posed that the fantastic performances of
an Irish adventurer were a serious at
tempt on the part of Great Britain to
recover the island. There was Some
sharp diplomatic correspondence and an
appeal to the government of the United
States before Jim was released and tina
Brazilians were satisfied
In tho meantime Baron" Hickey had
been separated from his wife. His habits
ana behavlor were intolerable and the
STANDARD OIL magnate declined to fur
nish dlsreputable son-ln-law money In
waste in the wine rooms and gambling
houses OF the tenderloin So Jim went
over to Paris which is an asylum for
dethroned and diseredlted monarehs. and.
amazing as It may seem. attracted con-
siderable sympathy by asserting his
claims to the throne of Trinidad To
sustain his pretentlons he produced.
among other. evidence, many sheets OF
postage stamps which he claimed had
been issued during his reign. They were
handsomely engraved and OF artistic de-
sisn-a mountainous island. with a 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 dol
lars worth. Then critical dealers discoy
cred that the stamps had never been used
Tor postage. and had not even been print
ca until several years after Hickey's ex-
pulsion from his Kingdom" which. Of
course, made them worthless. You can
find them in many collections, however
and because of his romantic story thew
have special interest to collectors Of
counterfeits.
Having exhausted the designations OF
Paris and the credulity of his acquaint-
ances. Baron" Hickey returned TO the
United States and attempted TO resume
relations with his Standard Oil wife Rut
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