New-York tribune., 1920-07-04

AAA'' ''i'i'o ieSSASu aH Incident
which characterized tie bov
at an early age
A. Child Actor
Il remember, ore evening. af,ss
Percy lad gone to bed" sn. ss:a
there came a knock at the door -
our house in Mansfield. Outs;d.
there was some one from local
theater, who asked Nhy Percy was
not present 20 take his part IN ,
performance Of play called spo,-
Lite johnny, which was then ru,
,irs.
NJ husband at first refused 10
let Percy get up. but il vas o..
pl9ined to him that tht boy had been
rehearsing for the play and had
been given the part Of johnny. and
that the play could not proceed with
out him. We allowed the GOV to ~
and when the company left the
town they wanted to take Percv
with them, but my husband refused y
Toplis's married sister recalled
going to see her brother play that
part.
My brother could rot have been
more than eleven at the time" SIZE
told me. "Cn the stage | remenbar
the greater part of my brothers
time was spent in dodging police.
men,
The married sister and her nus.
band recalled their inn ressions that
Toplis moved ''in the hes. society"
why, he thought nothing of
walking down the street with the
chief OF the army" has sister said
innocently, ana her husband con-
tirnlec the idca that Topis DOS
sessed social gifts and manner
which impressed his friends consid-
erably.
A love Of music seems to have been
an important feature of this side of
his nature.
Every time he came home he re-
minded ne to be .ure not TO pet rid
of our piano." the mother said. land
every time he has come home to
visit me he has spent hours and
hours at the piano."
First Steps in Crime
Toplis's criminal career began
early enough and was of a charac-
ter to Justify any authorization of
further crimes. When he was only
twelve years old he was sentenced
for obtaining money under false
pretenses (the game he played mos
OF his life) and got six strokes with
the birch rod and day in prison for
the -nlsdeed. Four months later he
was again convicted of crime, this
time for the theft of thirty-six news
papers, which he tried to sell. At
ne age of fifteen he went to isil for
t'n days for stealing TWO railway
tickets, and only six days after the
expiration Of his sentence he was
caught stealing purse for which
he got a months imprisonment
1t was in 1912, when he was six
teen years old, that he committed his
'lrst very serious crime, attempted
assault on a young girl. ard was
given two years hard labor. Add
20 this a score of automobile rob-
berries, petty money thefts, false
pretense" acts and underhand deal
'ngs with innocent women, and there
is presented pretty fair picture
OF his career. Modern cr!mnologis.S
who have taken an interest in the
case, are of the opinion that he prob
ably vas, TO some extent, mentally
unsound.
Toplis seemed TO have al amb-
ton to be known as d daring DANDY.
He often VESTED army camps from
which he had deserted The ques-
ton o. money never seemed 10
trouble him. He always appeared
to have plenty to treat his friends.
He frequented expensive res.au-
rants, and was often seen in the
company Of well dressed women.
His gcod appearance and manners
he.Hed him considerably IN the va
rlous poses he adopted.
y aiting at the Church
a military policeman who knew
Toplis and who, in fact. talked 10
him just few hours before the
taxi murder, said he used to boast
of two things--his association with
officers while masquerading IN
commissioned uniform and his ad-
ventures with ladies.
There is a story ins. t4' W.T.