El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-03-04

FRANK D0UGHERTY, sober, was
worth any ten mechanicians at the
government aviation station !;
drunk, he was worse than any ten and
harder to handle than any twenty.
he was 8 taciturn, moody man. He
had no friends and permitted no APP
proaches toward friendship. Toward the
Officers at the station, he maintained
in his normal moods, an attitude of
satisfactory respect and carried out their
orders with an efficiency and an un-
questioning obedience that made him the
most priced of the men at the hangers.
But on his periodic sprees, inflamed
by the liquor that he poured down his
throat in appalling quantities. his great
strength tripled and guadruplec by the
frenzy of his distorted mind, he defied
them loudly and insultingly, cursing
them for a lot OF stuck-up, loft
bound pouter pigeons who thought they
were eagles OF the air, sneering at
them for lot Of spineless, painted
automatons who ought to be wearing
their uniforms In the show windows
OF a tailor's shop, laughing them to
BcOrn for their attempts to quiet him
without a fuss and subsiding only,
after. bruised and battered and all but
knocked unconscious, he had been con-
ouered under a rush OF vastly superior
numbers and had been locked
shackled and trussed up. where he
could harm no one, including his mad
dened self.
Two Fisted Frank" the men called
him He earned his title by the power
Of his mighty arms, by the double bar
relied hitting ability Of his sledge-
hammer fists. by the feat Of knocking
two men out, cold and senseless, with
two blows delivered simultaneously
Frank was on ore OF his periodic
DRINKS when he won the name that
RfteTward stuck to him. Thirty miles
up the bay from the station was the
little resort settlement Of Edgewater
Beach Here the men were allowed to
go in the station launch when they
had leave from duty and here Frank
spree that added the sinister title to
his name.
He was gone two days before the
station heard from him. Then the in
formation came in the form OF a plea
from tho constable OF the resort over
the telephone plea to send a whole
company of marines up there to sub
due a madman who had already nut J
two men in the hospital and whom no |
locked doors nor ordinary measures
could serve TO quiet.
They hurried a detachment Of men
northward but IL was only the butt
end OF n heavy revolver that finally
reduced Frank TO such convenient form
Nor transportation that he could be |
bound up securely and placed aboard J
the launch for return to the station.
lis senses came back to him in the !
bracing air Of the trip down the bay
He was quiet enough then, lying
trussed and helpless in the bottom Of !
the boat. sullen, unspeaking, blear- !
eyed and malicious, sneeringly silent |
to every conciliatory remark that was |
addressed to him by the sergeant in |
charge, refusing obstinately TO be I
drawn into any promises Of good be- /
havior in the immediate future.
They lifted him from the boat on /
the shore OF the cove and, deceived by |
his apparent submission, united the |
strong knots and unwound the great |
lengths OF rope that had held him. !
Then two Of them, one on each side, |
stepped up to him to take him each |
by an arm, and lead him to confine- |
ment pending an official decision on |
the measure OF his guilt
Suddenly and without an instant's |
warning, Franks fists shot out, one |