Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1912-12-15
HICKEY MAY EVADE
ELECTRIC CHAIR
SUPREME COURT TO RENEW
UNPARALLELED CASE
MONDAY
MURDERED MANY BOYS
REMARKABLE CASE OF DUAL
PERSONALITL RIVALS "DR.
JEkYLL AND MIR.
HYDE"

BUFFALO, n. Y. Dec. li.-Not
for many years has any criminal case
aroused 80 much countrywide Inter
est among all classes or people as
the case OF J. Frank Hickey, the
self-confessed murderer OF boys,
whose trial upon the charge OF hav-
ing murdered the seven-year-old Jo-
seph Josephs at Lackawanna, y. Y.
on October ~, 1911, will come up
before the Supreme Court in this
city on Monday. For many reasons
this case Is one OF the most unusu-
al and interesting in the crimanl an
nails OF this state, n not of the whole
country.
Pronounced cases of a dual per-
sonality are not common and the
psychological problem which they
present makes them intensely inter
esting 10 every student OF human ma
ture in its abnormal state. II has
long since been recognized that when
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote his
famous book "Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde" he did not present psychol-
ogical impossibilty. but that he gave
a mastery presentation OF clear
out and typical case OF dual person.
aiity. entirely within the limits or
possibility. though perhaps a trifle
more extreme and sensational than
most OF the cases which occasionally
come TO public notice.
The life history OF ]. Frank Hickey
and the circumstances connected
with his arrest and indictment pres
ent many peculiar features. Hickey
is A man OF middle age, OF good ad-
dress and from his appearance nobo-
dv woulr suspect him or being n
man OF abnormal or criminal char
acter. He received q good education,
became pharmacist and then an ex-
pert chemist and filled various re-
ton of his employers. In his nor
nal condition a man OF culture. kind
and pleasant in his ways. he became
a fiend filled with the mst OF mur-
der when the poison o. alcohol be
numbed his better self and released
from it's lal,ent state the sinister
part Of his personality.
when under the control OF his
evil ego Hickey became filled with
the insane impulse TO Kill boys, an
impulse which he could not resist.
According 10 his own confession
Hickey tried TO commit murder II
times. but ONLY twice did he succeed.
One Of his victims was little Joseph
Josephs. for whose murder he Is 70
no tried next week. the other was
Michael r. Kruck p newshoy In New
York CITY. when he lured 10 an un-
freGuontcd part OF Central Park
whore ho stranded him.
IN both cases n was believed that
tho hovs mad been kidnapped The
body of Michael r. Kruck was found
after while in Central Park and
Hickey was arrested on suspicion
After his arrest in Buffalo he made
confession. but repudiated his
statements after he had recovered
from his intoxlcation As there
were no proofs against him he wa'
ralaaqad t, tho nolica
Jo-aph J0sophs WAS the son OF
wealthy merchant of Lackawann;
and after his disappearance his faith
or. believing that the boy had beer
kidnapped. instituted a country
wide search. The boys dismemberet
and decomposed body was not foun,
until after the police OF Lackawann:
had received a postal card from
Mickey. mailed from Boston. and in
forming them that the writer ha'
strangled the boy and thrown hi
dismembered body into cesspoo
back of a saloon IN Lackawanna
II was his mania for writing pos
tai cards 20 the police authorities o
different cities. confessing 10 crime
and giving information as 10 wher
the bodies OF the victims would b.
found which led TO the capture o
Hickey Facsimilies OF the card
were reproduced In the newspaper
and some persons who recognize
the similarity OF the writing wit
Hiokey's chlroraphy informed an
Instituted and II was found that Hio
ey had been under arrest FOR N
murder of the Mruck boy. and ate
some further search Hickory wa
found in an ins''tuf'0n for inebri1
tes at whiting. y. !. arrested an
CHARGED with the murder OF the JC
sephs boy