The Washington herald., 1910-05-29

New York. May s. settled look OF
disgust and annoyance was observable
on the face Of Frank Mathusek. Of Chi
cago. who is known 10 the police Of the
West as Milwaukee Dutch" when. at
tended with solicitous care by Detectives
Shea and Halligan. Of St. Louis, he dis
embarked from the steamship Carmania
and prepared 10 20 10 jefferson. there TO
serve twelve years in States prison
I amt sore about serving my bit in
Missouri" -" he said, in response 70 query
a. TO the cause Of his irritation. I'm
glad 10 20 back there and do the time,
and when I get out I viii give up this
crooked work and be honest. But what
gets my goat and makes me mad is the
way I was treated over in the jails in
Berlin and London Why. sir. you would
think I wasn't a human being the way
they handed the rough stuff out to me
His Berlin SOjOurn.
NO. sir; you couldn't coax me to 20
over there again and turn off Job. Those
boys that run that Berlin coop are sure
the goods. I got little matter Of I'VE
years for easing a guy OF 1000 marks,
and for three years was in a cell with a
black mask on. Can you beat that?
And then the grub was positively
fierce. There was nothing but soup. II
was Ike the dessert card at the jay hotel
pie, apple pie, and pie Soup for break
fast, dinner, and supper. and thin soup.
too. Meat? Meat2" and here Mr.. Ma
thusek grew purple with indignant recol-
lection. Believe me, there was meat in
that soup four times a year. I had four
pounds Of meat in five years. As I amt
no vegetarian, I tell you it was tough.
But listen 10 this: I asks for some
bread with my soup one day. Just like
this Oliver Twist kid in Dickens. Did I
get the bread2 1 did. But It was served
with water in a dark cell for five days.
That IS what I got for being fresh and
asking for bread with my soup.
Then one day wanted to read 7 am
fond Of novels. and I asked for a book in
the American language Why. they were
wild and chucked me in a cell with bread
and water for ten days more Isn't that
kind Of treatment enough 10 discourage
a man who wants 10 make a success in
his profession
Seeing London.
Then I got into trouble in London. and
g was pretty nearly as bad there Why.
they made me sleep on the floor without
nothing but a blanket over me. and there
was nothing TO eat but black bread and
Cruel. But 7 viii say this for them: I got
only nine months over there for Job
that would have landed ne here for NJ
teen years.
I tried hard 70 be honest in England,
and married a nice Irish girl in Liverpool
but I fell for temptation and was pinched.
But 1 never viii so hack there. and as
soon as I get through with my Jefferson
engagement I viii settle down and be a
farmer or something like that" and Mr..
NathuseE smiled hopefully as he was led
away.
Mathusek was trailed by the Missouri
police and was identified by finger prints
American detectives were waiting for
him when he was released from an Eng
lish prison
The crime for which he was sentenced
20 twelve years in jefferson City prison
was the robbery Of a depositor of the
Merchants National Bank Of St. Louis
OF $500 I'm November. 1900 MathuseIz
and confederate named Mcdowell were
convicted and sentenced in 1901. but on
the way to prison jumped through the
window Of car which was being drawn
at the rate OF forty miles an hour. Il
was In tunnel, and both men escaped
death and got away, though Mcdowell
was later recaptured. Mathusek came 10
New York. and after a conference with
Steve Brodie then in the flesh, sailed for
Europe He never served time in an
American Jail