The Washington times., 1911-02-12
FAMOUS THIEF SAYS
! he is Prosecuted
Asserts He Has Reformed
and Police Hound Him for,
Political Reasons.

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 12.-Believing
himself the victim of politics in the
police department of Baltimore. which
charges him with larceny, Skid" Wal
ker. once a thief whose record was
known all over the country, but now
reformed, finds himself, through re-
peated arrests, deprived of home and
family and denied a chance to earn an
honest living.
Skid Walker is slxty-seven years
DID and broken in health. He declares
that he is innocent of the crime with
which, he is charged in Baltimore, and
has produced his family physician and
the druggist who filled his prescriptions
TO testify that, he was sick on Decem-
ber .S, when the alleged crime was
committed.~.
The local police, at the request of tho
Baltimore criminal authorities, have re-
peatedly arrested Walker. This has re-
suited in driving away his wife and
daughter. The latter is a beautiful
Young woman, who does not know her
father was ever thief
Skid" Walker was arrested last Feb
Iuary in Baltimore for picking pocket; 4;
was tried, and found guilty. The judge
was merciful, because of his failing
months in Jail. He fell dangerously i'll
in the prison and his life was despatTed
Of. Congressmen, prominent clergy
men, and attorneys who knew skid
in his better days presented his case
before the board of pardonS.
His sentence was commuted, and he
was discharged on May ::
He declares he has lived straight
since then.
Sick When Crime Was Committed.
While skid" Walker was lying dan
gerously Ill at his home in this city, on
December Is, an elderly thief went to
the home of Mrs. Mccain in Baltimore
and stated that he wanted to rent her
store. He also wished to find board,
and after talking TO. Mrs. McCann and
her daughter Mamie for awhile took
the address of Mrs. Pearce, few
squares away, and engaged board there.
That evening the elderly man took a
coat and S73 in cash from the Pearce
home.
The police department in Baltimore
had been in an uproar at the beginning
nf May, when skid Walker was dls-
charged from prison.
Pumphrey, the retiring chief of detec-
iives, has been suspected of graft
One of the prominent police authori-
lies came to skid several times during
his term in Jail and pumped him In
regard to relations with Pumphrey.
Skid Walker believes the Baltimore
ihere 10 try to force him to confess
something about the Pumphrey matter,
OF which he declares he knows nothing.
on Wednesday. January II. he had
50 far recovered from his illness that
be went out for a walk. He was ar
rested by q city hall detective. The
next morning he was given hearing
and. released.
He was rearrcsted again as he left
the city hall. and kept until Friday
l. III
charged. He was arrested again and
brought up for a hearing on Saturday
morning.
Wife and Daughter Gone.
Bv this time the Baltimore police
and a witness. Magistrate Scott dis
cha reed Walker on Saturday. He
found the house closed, and his wife
and daughter gone. Since then he has
not heard from either.
There is an order in Baltimore issued
10 the police to arrest skid Walker
and TO bring him in whenever he is
found
on going down to Baltimore and con-
fronting the witness who had seen the
elderly thief who robbed the Pearce
home,
Mrs. NcCann and her daughter
man they had directed to the Pearce
home.
Two newspaper men visited the Pearce
homie and secured from William Pearce,
who had come to Philadelphia, an ex-
act description OF thefthief. 1t was that
he had light white hair, was slightly
bald, and had a rosy complexion and
was about sixty years old, a description
that would fit almost any elderly man.
Skid Walker has been much more
than thief He was never a profess
sional thief he claims, but has been a
gambler and at one time owned his
own string of horses. AtHthat time he
was affiuent, and endowed two beds in
2 hospital For that act of generosity
I've became known as the "philanthropic
thief,' and the term has clung TO him
throughout life.