The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1922-06-08
LADY ASTOR FIGURES IN MOST
ROMANTIC CRIMINAL EPISODE
Through Her Influence Charey Smith, Who Shot Noted Bank
Robber, Eddie Guerin, Is Set Free in England
Guerin, World Famous for His Escape From
Devils Island, Now Broken Man.

1901, when all Paris and its guests
was basking at the little tables of the
boulevards, the distinguished Ameri-
cans planned a more spectacular and
richer haul. Around the corner from
the Cafe de la Paix, the busiest and
most Famous corner in all Paris, and
in the very shadow of the great
opera house, were the offices of the
American Express company.
With them now were Kid McManus,
a young Eastslder who had ascend
ed from the prosperous state of a
New York salOonkeeper to the COM
partnership Of Eddie Guerin, and
Dutch Gus Miller a notorious Ger
man-American criminal.
Their booty from the express rob-
berry consisted of only 10000 francs,
then worth about $4,000. They had
overlooked or had been unable to
break the larger safes.
The four accomplices left Paris on
| different days. Kid McManus went
first and reached London, but was
later arrested for another crime and
spent seven years In a Canadian peni-
tertiary, emerging a mental wreck.
Dutch Gus Miller and Chicago May
were arrested as they left on differ
ent trains. And on June 13-"thir-
teen" was again to figure as an I'M
lucky number for him-Eddie Guerin
was arrested just as he reached the
French border and brought back to
Paris.
Chicago May was sentenced to five
years of penal servitu1e. Dutch Gus
and Eddie Guerin we're each sentenced
TO Imprisonment "at hard labor" for
life.
AS the sentence was pronounced
Chicago May threw her arms about
Eddie Guerin and kissed him long and
passionately. Eddie was affected.
But he learned later that it was she
who, in order to gain a lighter SEN
tence for herself, had given the in
formation which led to his arrest.
Guerin and Dutch Gus were shipped
to that penitentiary which is the hor-
ror of French criminalS-Devil's Is
land, that CHASTITY strip Of land off the
coast of South America in French
Guiana, where tropic sun beats
down mercilessly on steaming clay
and pestilential swamp.
But then came the most sensational
episode in all Guerins sensational
career. From Devils Island" the
hopeless saying is, mo man ever es-
capes."
But Guerin escaped!
The true story of the way in which
he effected it has never been told. In
all probability it never will be. The
generally accepted version is that Pat
Sheedy, New York's famous gambler
and patron of art" who had con-
ceived a real liking for Guerin, gave
or collected a fund Of some $4,000
which was sent secretly to Guerin on
Devils Island, and used to bride his
guards.
Guerin reached New York in the
early summer of 1905, just four years
after the court in Paris had sentenced
him to Imprisonment for life. He was
seen at his old resorts. In the autumn
he revisited his boyhood haunts in
Chicago-and then he dropped out of
sight.
Charley Smith Appears.
Two years went by before the POI
lice found him troublesome again. BY
this time, Chicago May had completed
her five-year term in a French prison
and had gone back to London, where
she had rented a fiat in Cover street,
in the sedate Bloomsbury neigh5Or-
hood, and was back at her old game,
it was said, of Matchmaking wealthy
admirers. But now it was no longer
Eddie Guerin who acted as her male
accompice in the business. 1t was a
slender, curly-headed young American,
who sometimes gave the name of
Sabine Jackson ami sometimes that
Of Charley Smith.
Eddie Guerin suddenly reappeared
in London. With him was a woman
known as Emily Skinner who passed
as his wice, at times.
Guerin had been in London for at
least six months before their old
quarrel broke out violently. This was