The Detroit times., 1909-01-01

that. after his gigantic swindling opcr
atoms On two continents. Frank Mar
lin should first enter prison for the
first crime he ever committed
! Marin is one OF the most remark
able figures In the history OF crime
Unscrupulous. resourceful. courageous
IN wrongdoing. Tor / 5 years he pursued
crime for a livelihood.
He made IL pay. He filched from
the savings OF thousands OF poor per
sons. He managed operations involv
ing millions. In Philadelphia alone
he conducted one OF the most gigantic
swindles or modern times. and IL Is
known that when he fled he and his
confederates carried with them nearly
$500, 900 of the 100000 which they
had taken from their dupes.
For this most daring of his adven
lures il seemed that he would suffer
the penalty. He was convicted In the
federal court sitting in this city ~
October 1907. He appealed. and pend
ing the action Of a higher court was
admitted TO bail And II was while
ct liberty. waiting the decision which
could have only one result, that tho
old crime. committed so long ago. thai
he thought it had been forgotten. rose
up and sent him within prison walls
Betrays Friends Wife
Until Marin duped old Mrs. Caro-
line Barry out or the greater part ol
her estate. he had never done any
thing which made him amenable 20
the law. Marin was the son of a cook
in the Barry family in Brooklyn. As
a boy, he took the fancy OF Mr.. Bar.
ry. When he became older Barry took
an interest in him and paid for his
education.
Cleyer, entertaining. with face
which cdetied the suspicion OF guile,
Marrinc vas well hked-a young man
Cf promise. Those who knew him pre-.
dicted a prosperous future. When Bat
~ died, he asked young Marin his
fosterson. TO care for his widow. and
Marin. II is said. with tears. promis.
ed 10 look after her.
The first crime. while small in com.
parison with the operations which
Marin afterward engineered. illus
trate the daring spirit OF the man. He
needed money. and went 10 the one
woman who trusted him completely TO
get it. Mrs. Barry had money which
she wished TO invest, and Marin IN
dertook TO place II for her.
He told his benefactress that mort.
cages on real estate offered the best
security. 1t is said that he would
take the old woman into the business
section OF New York and point out a
large office building.
He had chance 10 mortgage IL for
a few thousand dollars. he would say.
end advised Mrs. Barry 10 take e.
When she assented he would exc
cute a bogus mortgage, signing the
name OF fictitious person. He also
forged the name OF the reg
lister OF such papers. and in
serted a bogus number OF the
book and page in the county records
in which the mortgage was supposed
to be filed. The mortgage he Noul!
give to Mrs. Barry. with the assur.
ance that she had made a good bar
gain. The money he put in his
rocket
II was easy money for Marin. So
easy that he looked for more. EVEN.
ually, Mrs. Barry became anxious and
enc day sent for him to make her an
accounting. Marin wrote her let
ter that he had been called to Al
pany for few days. Then he took
a steamer for Honduras, a country
from which he could not be extra.
dited
Marin stayed in Honduras several
years. He stirred up revolution and
was forced to fee when the opposing
party put II down. Then he return.d
to this country, settling in Chicago.
where his wife Joined him. He con-
Quoted several swindling operations
there and, when the place became too
warm. went TO San Francisco.
There he worked a blind racing pool
game. He was arrested. but lodged
conviction. Next he was heard OF In
Philadelphia. where, with F. Ewart
Storey. Stanley Francis, Sophie Beck
and others, he blossomed out as the
controlling spirit in the Storey cotton
swindle.
Dupes Pay Dividends.
There was no limit TO his ingenuity
IN crime. In a trip to Washington re
persuaded the postal authorities 10
admit his advertising matter to the
mails. In pamphlets worded in seduc-
tive phrases he told investors that he
had an infallible scheme for making
money by investments in cotton. He
promised and paid large dividends. the
payments being made out of the money
handed to him by his dupes.
Then came the explosion. II was
learned that Judge" Franklin Stone
was the same Frank Marin who had
robbed the widow in Brooklyn 10 years
before. This was the first clue obtain.
ed OF his past, but other high lights
OF his career were uncovered one by
one
Investors in the swindle were warn.
ed. and many Of them needed. and
withdrew their money. When the end
became plain Marin slipped away to
Europe. The Storey Cotton company
had done business aggregating more
than $3,O00,000 during the time il wss
active.
But Marin. born a gambler. took a
cnance. He returned to this country.
He was arrested in Buffalo, and was
taken TO Philadelphia. There he was
tried and convicted.
From the time OF his exposure as
Frank Marin, the New York authori-
ties had sought 10 get hold OF hin,
When he became a prisoner OF the
government, they were baked Sc
long as he remained under bail in