The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-15
HICKEY CASE IS
JEKYL AND HYDE
IN ACTUAL LIFE
When Drinking, Mild-Man-
nered Man Has Insane De-
sire to Kill Children
SOBER, HE CANNOT
FORGET CRIMES
Writes Post Cards Telling OF
Misdeeds and These Lead
to His Arrest in
Sanatorium


markable case Of dual personality will
! be revealed in the criminal branch OF
the Supreme court here on Monday ;
when J. Frank Hickey, confessed
| slayer OF children. enters the pris-
oner's pen 10 answer the charge OF
| numbering and maltreatiug little
| sesen year-old Joseph Josephs, OF
Lackaw~nna, N. Y. on october IL.
| 1911.
| Hickey. FREQ from the influences OF
alcohol, that changed him from
mild hammered and inoffensive man
| to a maniac with perverted tenden.
| cics, has been incarcerated IN local.
| fall since his extradition from Toms
! River, N. j., where he was located
! at the Renwick colony for inebriates
| Seemingly his attitude toward his
coming trial is that of a man who
/ has inadvertently committed crime
while insane. but h%ving regained his
senses has determined to make game
| fight for his life
! Upon his arrangement before jus
| tice Charles II. Brown IN special
terms OF the Supreme court on De-
| cember I'd, Hickey was unperturbeo
and calm. He entered technical plea
OF moi guilty u Tie Ciidl sc NbaAiA@N
him and in quiet and well modu-
lated voice requested Justice Brown
to assign him counsel.
Dual Personality.
The evidence which led to the ar
! rest Of the confessed slayer of the lit
tie Josephs boy was a remarkable
series OF postal cards addressed to
police officials and to the little fell
lows father. On these cards were
- Nc raVnIt-
ing details OF the Josephs' crime, with
directions for the recovery of the
boys body. The cards, according TO
Hickey's confession. were written by
the dual personality engendered by
drink In other words Hickey sober
was haunted by his crimes and was
overtaken by a frenzy OF repentance.
but Hickey drunk revealed in his de-
baucheries, mingling wild exultation
with a senile sent.mentality that led
him to commit his confession to the
mails.
For instance, while under the in
fluence Of liquor In Boston on Sep
temher II. 1912. Hickey wrote Chief
of Police Michael Regain. OF Buffalo.
as follows:
Il am sick of trying to fool my
self. l am homicidai maniac.
killed joey Josephs. of Lackawanna.
N. Y. I strangled his as l did others
Please advertise the fact"
On the same day Chief of Police
Roy ellison, of Lackawanna, ". T.,
received a postal card from Hickey.
also postmarked Boston. 1t said
, "If you only knew the remorse in
my heart on account Of the murders
/ have committed as result OF my
homicidai mania. even you and George
Josephs would pity me. / arm writ
r ing this Just getting over another
: drunk to try to forget the ones
killed, but, like Banquo's ghost. 1t
won't down / am fast going to
pieces mentally and physically"
These postal cards were followed
by others addressed to George Jose phs,
! the murdered boys father and to
s Chief Gibson, OF Lackawanna police.
These cards for the most part were
signed with fictitious names. The
writing. however. was found to tally
! with that of J. Frank Hickey.
] who had been employed in the I4acka-
/ wanna Iron and Steel company's plant
I at I4ackawanna, and who had written
his employers letter.
Man OF Education.
I Hickey was construction expert,
= a man of some education and appar-
ent refinement. who was accustomed
to those luxuries of life which were
a available to the master of rather
, large salary. In a conversation with
reporters following his confession he
stated that the accidental killing of
a man twenty years ago. while he was
. 81 drug clerk in Lowell, Mass, was the
, cause of his downfall. Hickey said
that he gave g. drunkard by the name
OF Ed. Norey a slight dose OF lauda-
mum in draught OF whiskey, the
man had begged from him and that
a the iaudanum caused the mans death
H This death haunted him. said Hickey.
4 and he took to whiskey to drown the
/ memory OF his crime,
\ At the time he was arrested in
/ Toms River, N. j., on November
4 18th, Hickey denied his guilt. On the
\ following day. however, he broke down
\ completely when told that he had been
h indicted for murder IN the first de-
H gree, and on Novem, er 18th he is
\ alleged to have made a complete con-
\ fession to the Buffalo authorities
\ This confession was a remarkable
4 history OF perversion. In 1t ne con-
n fessed TO the murder OF tho Josephs
/ boy and to the murder of Michael
| Kruck, a New York newsboy. found
/ dead In Central Park in 1902. Be-
side this he disclosed a long list of
1 attacks on boys. the last attack being
committed in Lowell. Mass. on All
| gust 9Th.
| Stays When Drinking.
He repeatedly averred that all these
crimes were committed when he was
drunk Sober. thought OF crime never
| entered his head, he said, but drunk
there came over him an Unsuitable
desire TO kin small boys.
| The Jesephs boy was enttced into 2
| house near his home. strangIed and
his body thrown into cesspool.
| George Josephs. the boys father. In
sisted from the start that the child
had been kidnapped and a country
wide search was started The case
| at the time attracted national in
terest because the father, from time
tina xncaix,ad lettnrr xx,ar I.ix,<E hfx,