Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-01

leans at bound from Chicago
to Capetown and whose GRIM
tn., bi,torv is a part of the police ar
chiyes of New York, Chicago LONDON
PARIS Vienna and Berlin. Beginning as
O nrototvne of the artful dodger. he has
gone from pocket picking to bunco steer
ING and then ru., the entire gamut OF
crime. stopping only-providentlaliy, per-
haps-at murder
Frank Macy, the doubtful hero of this
queer story was born at Freepor'' III
There are many old residents In that
nIsce who still recall him a precoclous
baby. smart boy and clever youth
Freeport soon proved TO be too small 10
satisfy his bullying genius, but even pe1ore
he left his birthplace he made Mite eN
cursions from the paths OF virluIe VIII In
I'm the boy are so often prophetic OF the
mans career When he reached man
estate he was tall and as straight as au
Indian He had coal-hlack halr anu d
sallow complexion, when nSn.su t ~
brightly whenever he was In humor 10
he affable with his fellow-man
1t was in Chicago that FRANK MAC!
first distinguished himself in crime. A
little more than dozen years ago dii
advertisement appeared in Me Chicago
naners stating that wealthy widow.
about to take a long trip ABROAD, was
willing to sell her favorite horse Doo.
bin. 1t was with extreme regret, OF
course that she took this step, put
necessity knows no law. and hence this
magnificent animal was to be sacflnceu
at a private sale. The animal was de-
scribed as being sound in every pai l .i.
lar gentle, and yet with record las'
enough to satisfy the most sportsman
1;ke driver There were several nibbleS
at this inviting bait. One gentleman
who had suddenly acquired riches re-
solved to acquire Dobbln at any price
LIT /,
If inexperienced eye. and was given the
privilege of driving the amman alohs
the lake front and boulevard AS re,
suit of this he parted with 500 sood
American dollars. and In, return re-
ceived the much-loved Dobbln
After the money had been paid. and
within twenty-four hours, Dobbn began
to undergo a most curious transforma-
ton. What had been a magnificent specl-
men of horsefiesh began to show strange
signs of decrepitude. He shrlveled up.
as it were; it seems almost Impossible 10
.properly describe this marvellous trans
formation in mere words. 1t was neceS-
sary to be seen to be fully appreciated
ANY one who has seen the TAN, erect
form of DR.. Jekyl gradually SINKING INTO
the personality of the shapelesS and mis-
cradle Mr. Hyde can get some faint gllm-
when the noble Dobbin became spaV-
ined. knock-kneed and degenerate nag
that would have made an old street-car
horse blush for very shame. The instance
of the first Dobbin was dupl1cated, not
once. but a dozen times, and after many
of the wealthiest men of chicago hao
been victimiZed the police began 10 IN
vestigate. They were stimulated ana as
sisted in their work by John E. Wilkie
who. at that time. was in charge OF the
criminal department of one OF the lead
ing papers in Chicago. After a short
time it was discovered that the 'gyp
game as it was called. was being worked
nv gang of confidence men, headed by
frank Macy. A warrant for his arrest
was issued, but before it could be served
he had fed from the jurisdiction of the
local court.
Lows Exchange in Trafalgar square,
london wilkie at that time was the Lon
don correspondent of an American paper,
and while standing in the corrldor OF TINS
hostelry he was surprised to see MS o!o-
time ..gyp'' friend Frank Macy, enter
and Mace his name on the hotel register.
Macy looked prosperous. He was dressed
in swagger style, wore long coat, car
riei a heavy cane and had SunDurst Oh
blood-red cravat-in fact. he looked too
yallgarly rich to be true. Wilkle con-
suited the hotel register and round tnat
his erstwhile criminal friend had regis
tire and the assumed name were sus-
picious and the American lost no time in
going to the telephone and calling up
Frank Froest, one of the brlghtest oe
tectives in Scotland Yard. Nilk1e toio
Froest that it might be worth his Whlle
to come up to Lows and have look at
the latest addition to the American lnVa-
sion of London.
al 20
and took several looks at Lacy. He had
him Swallowed day and night. and after
a weeks work in possession of his
history He found among other things.
that Lacy had become card sharp OF the
first water He had Travelled across the
Atlantic ocean in luxurious style and had
made his expenses and comfortable sum
besides by the cleverness with which he
played the noble game of poker with his
fellow passengers. On arriving In Lon
don he established gambling house In
the West End. where he met with remark
able success.
Not long after the meeting in Low s
Exchange all London became excited over
what was called the "cutlass mystery.
IT began when a well-dressed. elderly gen.
tleman OF considerable wealth was found
on the sidewalk with his head badly cut
and the blood flowing from several saber
wounds. He said he had no recollection
OF how he came to be in SUCH plight.
and resolutely declined to give the police
any information upon the subject Two
days later another man was found SINH
larly wounded and in the same condition.
He was not cloSe-mouthed as the nrst
individual, and went so far as to say that
his misfortune was the result OF a card
party in which he had participated the
previous night. He was unable. however,
TO give the locality f'the house, having
been taken there by Obliging cabby
whom he had sought with a request to be
conveyed TO some place where he could
satisfy his desires to daily with the god
dess of chance. In less than twenty-four
hours from this time still another man
was found with two saher cuts about his
head, and then the "cutlass mystery be-
came the reigning sensation of London.
In the meantime Frank Froest had been
hard at work. and. although the results
were not very promising. he knew that he
. be a question of time when he would
solve the problem. The cabman was To-
Gated and he remembered taking the first
victim TO the house in the West End.
Other threads We're bound together and
finally all the evidences pointed to the
house operated by Frank Lacy. 1t SEEM
ed that. in each instance, the victim,
after losing his money at cards. got in a
row with one of the players. Lacy had
his room ornamented with trophies OF
various kinds. Among these was a
large Saber, such as Is used in the Turk