New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-20
NEW JERSEY ARREST IN
BOY STRANCL|NG CASE
J. Frank Hickey Admits He Was
in Cities Where Postcards
Were Mailed.
lNEBRIATE HOME PATIENT
Authorities Declare They Have
Strong Evidence Against
Him-Will Fight Extra
dition to Buffalo.
rBy Telegraph to The Tribune J

fBy Telegraph to The Tribunel
Toms River. n. j., Nov. 19.-In the
arrest at Writings to-day Of man
who said he was j. Frank Hickey,
Sheriff Tilton. Of Ocean County, be-
Iieves he has the man wanted BY Chief
Of Police Regain Of Buffalo as the slayer
of Joseph Josephs, the seven-year-o!d
boy of Lackawanna, a suburb OF Bur
| falo.
Hickey was arrested at the Keswick
| Colony Of Mercy, a retreat for inebri-
ates, near Writings, after Sheriff Til
ton had received telegram from Chief
Regain telling him Hickey was probably
! In the Keswick Colony. The man took
his arrest with the utmost GOODNESS, and
calmly denied knowing anything about
| the murder Of the boy. In fact, when
the Sheriff first told him he was under
arrest on a charge Of being implicated
| In q murder Hickey asked whether he
was supposed to have killed a man or
woman. He at first consented will
, lipgly to waive extradition, but later,
after having co..sulted a lawyer in
| formed the Sheriff that he would not
| be extradited without a bitter legal
| fight.
! The prisoner was then taken to the
| county court house here, where he was
placed in the sheriff's office, pending
the arrival of Chief Regain and other
| officials from Buffalo. After being
placed in custody Hickey showed
traces of nervousness and kept relter-
ating that his arrest was an outrage.
He said he would soon prove his inno-
cence Of the charge against him.
According to Sheriff Tilton, Hickey
| admitted having been in Buffalo, Bos-
ton and Writings within the last year.
Postcard Leads TO Arrest.
John Hoskyn chief milwright Of the
| American Chemical Agricultural
Works, of Buffalo, is the man directly
| responsible for the arrest of Hickey.
| He received a postcard from the man
J arrested to-day in February, 1912.
Inebriates' Home in Writings. He kept
the card and did not think Of II again
| until recently, when he saw reproduc-
| tons Of the postcards written TO Chief
Regain by a man who confessed he had
murdered young Josephs. Hoskyn was
at once struck by the similarity In the
| handwriting of Hickey and that Of the
| man who wrote the cards TO Regain.
| He communicated with Chief Regain
and the hunt for Hickey was at once
begun.
Seeing that the postcard TO Hoskyn
was postmarked at Writings. Regan
sent inquiries to that place and Sheriff
Tilton began an investigation. He found
Hickey had arrived at the Keswick
home last Wednesday, and he had
talked with Mrs. Dora Rauss, who con-
ducts the place. She pointed out
Hickey to the Sheriff, who then placed
him under arrest.
| Hickey is said TO be a man of I'M
usual intelligence and education. and
|
tending the construction of a cement
bridge on the Keswick Colony grounds.
The colony Is a semi charitable institu-
| ton, and those inmates who have not
the necessary money 10 pay for their
treatment are permitted TO work off
| their Indebtedness by doing odd Jobs
about the place.
| Hickey showed his iron nerve when
arrested. He did not attempt any vio-
lence when Sheriff Tilton drew him
aside and told him he was wanted on
serious charge. When told he was
wanted in connection with the muir
der Of Josephs, Hickey said:
That's a serious charge to make
against me. know nothing about the
boy. was IN Buffalo. / admit / was
employed there by the Roberts IRON
Company. | was also in Lackawanna,
but that does not prove that | know
anything about the death Of the boy"
Cannot Waive Extradition.
After Hickey had said he would will
lingly accompany the Buffalo officials
to that city Tilton took his prisoner to
his office and wired Chief Regan of the
arrest. Detectives at once started from
Buffalo To bring Hickey back to that
city.
Under the crimes act of 1893, laws OF
New Jersey, however, Hickey will not
be allowed to waive extradition. w.
Howard Jeffrey. young lawyer of this
place, arrived at the Sheriff's office a
short while after Hickey had been ar
rested and announced that he had been
retained by the prisoner to look after
his interests. Jeffrey said his client
would fight extradition to the limits Of
the law. Under these circumstances,
therefore, 1t Is probable that 1t will be
several days before Hickey will leave
the state.
Postmaster Christofson. OF Writings
remembers J. Frank Hickey. The pris-
oner has been a visitor to the Keswick
! Colony on three occasions before his
present residence there. Postmaster
Christofson said tonight that he re-
membered Hickey because OF the mans
apparent craze for writing postal cards
and letters, and that when a visitor at