The Washington herald., 1919-04-03

New York, April 3.-"Chica go
May" who has led Scotland va. d
men, the pick of the Paris sleuths
and New York's own Central Office
men a merry chase for years, was
found in the Tombs the other day,
residing there under the name of
| Mrs. James Montague Sharp" and
accused of trying to pistol a gentle
man friend.
She has had a turbulent criminal
record for twenty-five years. Chi
cago May" while a consort of inter-
national crooks, yeggmen and hotel
corridor confidence men, Is not 20
the manner born. She is at hone
in a drawing room and is the type
that moves swiftly through the
mystery novel-leaving always a
trail of victims.
She first DISTINGUISHED herself
abroad years ago by assisting to
liberty from Devils Island, French
Guiana, the notorious Eddie Guerin,
bank burglar and confidence man.
She came to New York where she
worked the Peacock Alleys and men
in five different hotel downtown had
her arrested for grand larceny But
she always went scot free and
laughed at them.
The only, time she ever did time
was in London where she spent ten
years in prison-the British sense
of humor not falling for her special
brand of playfulness in stealing
from victims.
Her real name is said to be May
Churchill and she was born in a
small town near Chicago. She has
lived all of her life in the best suites
in hotels until recently when she
seemed to have fallen on i'll days.
While she lived in a smart apart
ment on the upper West Side, it did
not compare with her former sp1en-
dor. On March 8, May took a wing
shot at William Avery. the shot be-
ing fired as a mark of protest be-
cause stories had reached her that
Bill was lavishing attentions upon
another lady.
Bill did either a falling leaf" rr
tail spin when the shot was firei
and SO escaped being hit. But his
feelings were so hurt that he Rad
May arrested. She had been in the
TOmbs all that time unrecognizn I'D
until an old guard happened to see
her: well, If il amt Chicago
May" And surely enough It was
No doubt II was a press agent
plant but 1t landed on all of the
first pages in Gotham. A man who
said he was Edward Beck. a motion
picture actor. was arrested on
Broadway early the other morning
for being drunk. He was asked IN
the West Side Court what excuse he
-
the day. An inquiring magistrate e
wanted to know IL he couldn't deFcr
his inbibations until at least noon.
Then on the verge Of tears. the pris-
oner said: "I was forced to get
drunk because had to appear as a
sousc today in a picture over at TT.
Lee, n. j. The clerk verified his
story and he was allowed TO 60 frc e.
Art and realism are terrible things.
She was chewing gum and read
ing a zippy type of magazine Coirg
down town in the subway. Her face
was whitewashed with liquid pow
der and her ewes were pencil
ed and blackored. She had I
cigarette cough and although in her
early twenties dissipation had drawn
thin lines. Something interested her.
She read it over and over. Finally
she tore il out. When she got up
she dropped l.. I picked it up and
here il is: "FiOrine dabbed at her
face with a powder puff and the n
she was conscious of an aching v" =
in her heart. So this was the er 3?
Suddenly she began to laugh and her
laughter was not a pleasant thin g
to hear"
Bold bad burglars in New York
are just taking money away from
everybody. Up to date they have
not failed to get money in eve~v
burglary and -up-though they
have not yet attacked any Park Row
newspapermen. The robbers are do
ing so well they had better save a
little of it or they will find thcm-
selves in bad next year when they
start to fill out the income tax
blanks.