The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-14

studying his countenance one may
pick out the incidents of a very re-
markable criminal career.
If, for instance. those full lips should
smile they would disclose no natural
teeth at ALL but only an imitation in
cleaning ridges of gold. That is be-
cause while two deputies held him
helpless an Alabama Sheriff venge-
IuiIy beat in ali his trout teeth after
which he kicked the insensible body
till he was tired and ordered ii flung
into a bullpen TIL the man should die;
and this because Lucky had previ-
ously worsted that Sheriff in single
combat.
Again turning to his physiognOmy
we cannot fail to observe great
slaShng scar across the eyes. That
came one day when four harness
bulls" were bent ON taking Lucky to
jail. lie went, but unconscious Of his
going.
If You We're to look at the back of
the mans head instead Of the front
spot ike a bullseye, as large and
as bald as a golf ball, would stare
us unrannily out of countenance. In
some melee or other, in some place
or other from New York to san
Francisco. az some time or other be-
tween thes years Of II and 81, this
occlpirl knob was dcnuded of hair,
foluCle and root, Clipped to the very
bone. and Lucky by no means pre-
tends to remember where or when or
from whom he received that tonsure-
like brand.
If, now, we had skiagraph, one of
those shadow pictures produced by
the Rocntgen rays, we might discern
that some of LuCky's ribs are thick
ened and gnarled like the exposed
roots Of a weather twisted tree. Many
men besides the Alabama Sheriff, 1t
would seem, have taken kick at the
ribs of Lucky.
And yet no amount of scrutiny OF
Lucky would disclose to us the next
startling fact, which Is that four
years ago, at 81 years OF age.
this bright looking man, born OF
an Irish mother and an English
father on Manhattan Island and
growing up and gathering the most
of his living there, was unable TO
read or write, nor could he utter a
dramatically correct English sem
tence Of ten words. Indeed, forty-eight
months ago he was only kind OF
animal depraved in disposition and
treacherous in temper.
His speech was n thieves patos.
with only an occasional unpolluted
word, and the main stream of CONVEX
sation was hurried forward on flood
ing tide of profanity. Indeed, when
first he stripped his sentences of the
profane no sentences remained. He
was suddenly phraseless. He had no
adiectives, no language Of emotion,
of admiration, of establishment, Of dis
approval or dlsgust--he simply could
not express himself,
To-day this man is the very salt
and SAVIOR of likeable human quail
ties; yet for twenty-five years Lucky
Baldwin led a criminal life, If there
is a crime in the calendar which he
did not commit during that quarter
Of a century Of life in the under
world ne does not know what ii was.
Yer he never served n prison SEN
tcncc. That was why he was yclept
"Lucky." City and county jails, road
gangs and rock piles and bullpens
held him occasionally, but he never
wore i stripe.
And no one need blame society for
those twenty-five criminal years
Lucky doesn't And no one need in
diet environment. Lucky doesn't
The environment, to be sure, was not
extra nice, on the contrary, it was
extra bad
But Lucky had brothers and sisters
They passed through the same envi,
ronment to honest, sober living
Lucky knows he might have done tn,
same. There Is in his story no whim
pering attempt at pallaton. He de
lberately went bad. And then h,
turned about and delibeiateiy-Lu
that is the story