The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-04-06


door of Eddie Fay's cell in the
Tombs prison, and see the fierce
seowl on the face of this, 1.-THE
most dangerous criminal in the
world" who is at last behind walls
that hold him fast.
Edie Fay is undone and knows
it. The robbery of the Richmond
Va, postoffice of $4,000 in
stamps and cash will be the motor
ious yeggman's final job.
He is like Gagged tiger now, his
anger flashing him into furious
tempests of passion. Desperately,
hatefully, crashing his teeth, he
shakes the stout steel door. His
guards are to him what the train
er is to wild Gagged beasts. Madly
would he tear them to bits If OPP
portunity offered an escape.
But wthal, one can hardly re-
strain a sense of pity for this fallen
bad man. In his record there is
audacious villainy, contempt of all
laws of God and man, a thirst for
easy money that who make the
man strike dead anyone who in
terposed; and yet, seeing him in
his Tombs cell, you feel that in
his terribly mistaken, vicious way
he was superior sort of creature.
He was the most successful
underworld crook of modern
times, and used skill in his work
which indicated large thinking
capacity. 1t is estimated that his
various roberies brought him at
least 100000, some of which
he invested like a good business
man in Chicago real estate, and
some of which he spent recklessly
living the life of a sporting gen.
tleman. His string of race horses
did not net him any profit, and he
was desperate gambler. But
the value of his property today is
estimated at 100000.
The spirit which animated the
criminal career of Fay seems much
like that of the Jesse James gang
though Jesse and the Younger
brothers were crude in their me.
thods as compared with Fay. Nc
wild west war-whooping tactics fol
him. His way was to dress well
pose as London banker, associate
with race track followers and onl,
shot when he was cornered. But
then he would shoot to kill. The
police of Chicago say there are
four murders traceable to Fay
The least valuable thing in the
world to him was human life.
Twice he has escaped from jail
both times after pistol duels with
officers and guards. Once or
board a swiftly moving train, he
held up his guards and leaped t.
liberty. He made postoffices his
specially, and when the New York
police and government secret
service men TRAPPED him and
dragged him, fighting, kicking and
cursing to the Tombs, the other
day, they found in his trunks $685.
600 worth of 1 and cent stamps,
with a complete and beautifully
polished set of burglar tools and
diagrams, descriptions and other
data Of postoffices and banks in
at least 40 cities.
Some of Fay's known Jobs were
the robbery of the Chicago post
office of $4,000, the United
States revenue office at Peoria,
ILL.,, of $4,000 worth of revenue
stamps, the Japanese7American
bank at Los Angeles of $4,000
cash, the San Diego postoffice OF
$10,73S in stamps and $4,000 in
gold, a bank at Superior, Wis, OF
$4,000, and the recent Richmond
job, which was his Waterloo.
His methods are best explained
by an examination of the Rich
mond robbery. Fay, accompanied
by a pal named Chester, who was
also caught here, took quarters
at hotel near the postoffice, pos
ing as commercial travelling men,
On Saturday nigh they gained
entrance to the postoffice, using
skeleton keys. Within 10 feet
of the street, where people were
constantly passing, they applied
what the eggmen call the "plunge
and squeeze" 1t means that nc
explosive is used to open the safe,
but that the doors were first
drilled and then pried open. Fay
and his pal turned the trick by
boring a little hole and inserting
the point of small instrument
made like a top, but with heavy
handle, into the bore at the crack
of the safe door. The top-like end
has a thread running about IL.
and screwing the handle results in
terrific pressure upon the door.
When a sufficient opening had
thus been silently made, it was
no trick at all to make the heavy
door yield to the pressure of a
crowbar.
But think of Fay's nerve