The Sunday Oregonian., March 01, 1908, Magazine Section, Page 10, Image 54

10
THE SUNDAY OREGOMAX, TORTLAXD, MARCH 1, 190S.
Frank Froest, superintendent of
Scot laud Yard, is a man whose
entire adult life has been spent
fn the business of criminal in
vestigation. He has risen from
the ranks to ths highest position
ithat can be attained by an English
detective. An episode in the story
J that follows was the prelude to
4 a lasting friendship between Frank
Froest and John E. WHkie, now the
t chief of our Government secret ser
4 vice. At the time Froest was a ser-
geant-detectlve in Scotland Yard, and
Wilkie the London correspondent of
t a Chicago dally. The name of the
J chief character in this tale has, for
obvious reasdns, been disguised. For
f the sake of a connected and com-
. I plete narrative, one incident has been
introduced which will pVobably be
! entirely new to-Superintendent Fre
est. I am sure he will look lightly
. upon this permissible embellishment
I of an otherwise veracious story from
t actual life.
No. XII.
a'opyrisht. by W. G. Chapman.)
THIS p a fragment from the biogra
phy of a versatile rogue a man
whose adventurous career leaps
at a bound from Chicago to Cape Town,
and whose criminal history is a part of
the police archives of New York, Chi
cago, London, Paris, Vienna and" Berlin.
Beginning as a prototype of the Artful
Dodger, he has gone from pocket-picking
to bunco steering, and then run the en
tire gamut of crime, stopping only pro
videntially, perhaps at murder.
Frank Macy, the doubtful hero of this
queer story, was born at Freeport. 111.
There are many old residents in that
place who still recall him as a precocious
baby, a smart boy and a clever youth.
Freeport soon proved to be too small to
satisfy his bulging genius, but even be
. fore he left his birthplace he made little
- excursions from the paths of virtue
which, in the boy arc so often prophetic
of the man's career. When he reached
man's estate he was tall and as straight
as an Indian. He had coal black hair
and a sallow complexion, which lighted
, up brightly whenever he was in a humpr
to be affable with his fellow-man.
It was In Chicago that Frank Macy
. first distinguished himself In crime. A
little more than a dozen years ago an
advertisement appeared fin the Chicago
papers stating that a wealthy widow,
about to take a long trip abroad, was
willing, to sell her favorite horse. "Dob
bin.' It: was with extreme regret, of
course, that she took this step, but neces
sity knows no law, and hence this mag
nificent animal was to be sacrlttced at a
. private sale. The animal was described
as being sound tn every particular, gentle
and yet with a record fast enough to
satisfy the .most sportsmanlike driver.
Thare were several nibbles at this invit
ing bait. One gentleman, who had sud
denly acquired riches, resolved to acquire
"Dobbin" at any price. He examined
"Dobbin" with a critical, if inexperienced
ffr, and was given the privilege of driv
ing the animal along the lake front and
boulevard. As a result of this he parted
with 800 good American dollars and in
return received' the much-loved "Dobbin."
After the money had been paid, and
within 24 hours, Dobbin began to undergo
a most curious transformation. What
had been a magnificent specimen of horse
flesh began to show strange signs of de
crepitude. He shriveled up, as it were;
it seems almost Impossible to properly
describe tli is marvelous transformation
In mere words. It was necessary to be
seen to be fully appreciated. Anyone
who has seen the tall, erect form of Dr.
Jekyl gradually sinking into the person
ality of the shapeless and miserable Mr.
Hyde can get some faint glimmering idea
of the change that occurred when the
noble Dobbin became a spavined, knock
kneed and degenerate nag that would
have made an old streetcar horse blush
for very shame. . The instance of the
Declares Alaska Will Raise Grain for World
Mluncsota Man Says Yukon Country Is Favored With Climate No More Severe Than Xorth Star State.
Special to the Pioneer Press by El Benson.
SINCE my return to Minnesota, after
an absence of 18 years, most of which
was spent in the Yukon territory and
Alaska, .once sarcastically called
"Seward's Ice Box," and later "The
Home of the Kskimo, the Seal and the
Polar Bear," I felt called upon in the In
terest of those who may be contemplat
ing going to the North country, to an
'swer the many criticisms, some just, but
mostly otherwise, of things in the north
western part of North America. I feel
confident In my. ability to write on this
subject after all the years I have taken
In the pleasures and suffered the hard
ships such as any pioneer may expect in
any new country. Nearly all of my time
has been expended In exploring and pros
pecting, and I have seen much that has
not been viewed by others, having
traveled hundreds of miles In virgin
country with no companions other than
my horses and dog.
This country contrary to ordinary con
ception, is possessed of a fine climate.
Some portions of it never sees weather
colder than sero; in others the ther
mometer sometimes, in the midst of "W in
ter, registers tiO degrees below, but, of
course, not continuous, and I can con
scientiously say that the Winters are not
physically more severe than some 1 have
witnessed in Minnesota.
Will Raise Grain for World.
The one feature that prominently comes
to me is the fact that In the valley of
the Yukon such a thing as a bliztard
le unknown, in fact, very- little wind is
In evidence at any time. T feel that you
will know that the climate cannot be so
very severe when I state that it has been
my practice for a number of years to
turn loose the horses of my prospecting
outfit to forage for themselves in the
"Winter months, and they Invariably come
out in the Spring in excellent condition.
1 find that the general opinion here in
Minnesota, so far as agriculture Is con
cerned, is that the country through which
I have traveled i wholly unproductive.
A more erroneous impression could not
b conceived, as the day yet will como
when tlte northwestern part of this con
tinent will bo raising grain for the world.
. All vegetables are raLsvd In the fertile
allos of this land, and on the vast
plains there is a natural growth of grasses
found exceeding five feet in height, the
luxuriance of which l cquak-d only by
the Pampas of South Ann-rica.
The Yukon territory and Alaska is not
going backwards as some people think,
sfmply because the newspapers are not
full of alluring advertisements of fake
mining companies, such aa are exploited
In other mineral rortions of the Ameri
can continent. While this country is the
greatest mineralized country on earth,
and has produced millions of dollars In
free gold It will produce hundreds of
millions of dollars more, when some of
the countries you hear about have be
come exhausted so far as mineral wealth
is concerned. I don't know of a mining
proposition in this country that has not
first Dobbin was duplicated, not once,
but a dozen times, and after many of
the wealthiest men of Chicago had been !
victimized the police began to Investi
gate. They were stimulated and assisted':
in their work by John E. Wilkie, who
at that time was in charge of th crimi
nal department of one of the leading pa
pers in Chicago.- After a short time it
was discovered that the "Gyp" game, as
it was called, was being worked by a
gang of confidence men, headed by Frank
Macy. A warrant for his arrest was is
sued, but before it could be served he
had fled from the Jurisdiction of ths
local court.
The scene now shifts from Chicago to
Low's Exchange in Trafalgar 8quare,
London. Wilkie at that time was the
London correspondent of an American pa-
per, and while standing in the corridor
of this hostelry he was surprised to sea
his old-time "Gyp" friend, Frank. Macy,
enter and place his name on. the hotel
register. Macy looked prosperous. He
was dressed In the swagger style, wore
a long coat, carried a heavy cane and
had a sunburst of diamonds reposing
amidst the folds of a blood-red cravat
in fact, he looked too vulgarly rich to be
true. Wilkie consulted the hotel register
and found that his erstwhile criminal
friend had registered as Frank Lacy.
The change of attire and the assumed
name were suspicious, and the American
lost no time in going to the telephone
and calling up Frank Froest, one of the
brightest detectives in Scotland Yard.
Wilkie told Froest that it might be worth
his while to come up to Low's and have
a look at the latest addition, to the
American invasion of London.
Froest followed the advice of his friend
and took several looks at Lacy. He had
him shadowed day and night, and after
a week's work was in possession of his
history. He found, among other things,
that Lacy had become a card shark of
the first water. He had traveled across
the Atlantic Ocean in luxurious style
and had made his expenses and a com
fortable sum besides by the cleverness
with which he played the noble game of
poker with his fellow-passengers. On ar
riving In London, he established a gam
bling house In the West End, where he
met with remarkable success.
Not long after the meeting in Low's
Exchange all London became excited over
what was called the "Cutlass Mystery."
It began when a well-dressed, elderly
gentleman of considerable wealth was
found on the sidewalk with his head badly
cut and the blood flowing from several
saber wounds. He said he had no recol
lection of how he came to be In such a
plight, and resolutely declined to give
the police any information upon the sub
ject. Two days later another man was
found similarly wounded and in the same
condition. He was not as close-mouthed
as the first individual, and went so far
as to say that his misfortune was the
result of a card party In which he had
participated the previous night. He was
unable, however, to give the locality of
the house, having been taken there by
an obliging cabby whom he had sought
with a request to be conveyed to soma
place where he could satisfy his desires
to dally with the goddess of chance. In
less than 24 hours from this time still
another man was found with two saber
cuts about his head, and then the "Cut
lass Mystery" became the reigning sensa
tion of London.
, In the meantime Frank Froest had been
hard at work and, although the results
were not very promising, he knew that
he was on the scent and that it would
only be a question of time when he would
solve the problem. The cabman was
located and he remembered taking the
first victim to the house In the West End.
Other threads were bound together and
finally all the evidences pointed to the
house operated by Frank Lacy, It seemed
that, in each instance, .the victim, after
losing his money at ' cards got In a" row
with one of the players. Lacy had his
room ornamented with trophies of various
kinds. Among these was a large saber,
such as is used in the Turkish army, and
In each case the assailant had torn the
saber from the wall and slashed his
victim over, the head with the weapon.
The result was a number of ugly, but not
merit enough to justify the amount of
money that is being expended.
No Booms for Boomers.
We have no boom here, nor boomers.
All the mines I know of are being
opened up by men of " experience, such
as the Guggenheimers of New York,
the Rothschilds of Detroit, the Wor
thams of St. Louis, and many other
people and corporations of that char
acter. The people above mentioned
have shipped Into the Yukon alone
over $1,000,000 worth of mining ma
chinery In the past two years, yet
the outside world hears nothing of it.
The White Pass & Yukon Railway
Company is extending Its road through
the White Horse copper region, and I
understand will extend Its road down
through the Norderskold valley (which
is very rich in mineral and agricul
tural lands) to a point on the Yukon
River near Five Finger Rapids, where
there are vast deposits of bituminous
coal. This coal. I understand, is good
coking coal, and will be largely used
by the smelter companies In the re
duction of gold and copper ores. I
understand there Is a company organ
ized at the present time to erect large
smelters at or near White Horse. This
coal will solve the fuel problem, one
which is of great moment, as hereto
fore the only fuel obtainable has been
a poor grade of soft wood, which on
account of the difficulty of obtaining
it. was sold at a high figure and re
tarded the country's progress In the
adoption of modern mining machinery,
which Is necessary to the development
of a mining country. Besides a recent
contract has been let by Eastern capi
talists and mining men to build a rail
road from Cordova on the west coast,
running through the Copper River and
White River mining districts, to cost
JJ5.000.000. The railroads will open up
a rich country In mineral and agricul
tural lands.
Development Only Begun.
As a mineral producer up to the
present time. Alaska and the Yukon
country has been chiefly known for its
placer gold mines. It was not until
the Klondike excitement in 1897-8 that
this country received much attention
from the outside world, bat which since
that time has produced $150,000,000 in
frold, and the country has not as yet
been scratched. There is plenty of
room for the prospector. many of
which of late have turned their atten
tion to quarts mining with unusually
good results, and. in a few years we
shall see this country leading the world
in the production not alone of 'gold,
but silver, copper, lead, tin, antimony,
coal and coal oil. and many other min
erals. I have seen myself, copper nug
gets weighing owr two tons, and solid
ledges of copper and gold ores 500 feet
in width.
It is true that hardships innumerable
are being met with by the advance
guard of the north, the prospector, and
that only strong men should go th?re,
those who are willinfe- to bear their
hardships without complaint. To those
this country offers splendid opportuni
ties, providing they do not get dis
Superintendent
' i JYOC JJZ&i nPaS 223z ODD
exactly Serious, wounds. The house was
raided and all the paraphernalia captured,
but Lacy himself fled from the police.
The next chapter in the history of this
curious rogue occurred at the little water
ing place of Margate. A musical instru
ment dealer of London was taking his
holiday at this resort and was enjoying
himself in a manner such as is possible
only to a London tradesman. As he was
couraged if they- do not strike It rich
In a year, or two, or three. Persever
ance counts for much, so does sobriety.
It should not be. understood that the
only one in the north on whom this
country depends Is the prospector. It
needs capital and corporations with
money to develop It. Many a person
can find good opportunity for invest
ment. Laboring men, both skilled
and unskilled, are needed. It Is among
these that the ranks of the prospectors
are recruited, but no person should
start . with just enough money to set
to hfs intended destination, although
the people of the north as a rule are
very generous and hospitable, but It. Is
always well for a new arrival to know
that he can pay his way wherever he
goes or stays. It is but fair to say
that the work in the placer mines is
of the hardest kind and that the Win
ters in the Interior are cold. The Sum
mers are as pleasant as can be found
in this wonderful earth of ours. Three
months out of the Summer It Is contin
uous day, which accounts for the very
rapid growth of the vegetation and in
sures the farmer a crop. Photographs
can be taken at 12 o'clock at night at
well as 12 o'clock noon.
Game Is Abundant.
The country, where it has not been set
tled a long time, abounds with game of
several kinds, and Is the sportsman's
paradise. There are the bear of different
kinds, the brown, the cinnamon, the sil
ver tip grizzly, the black andi the blue
glacier bear. Some are of a large size,
and excepting the black bear, they are
all more or less independent and excel-'
lent sport to the hunter. I have seen a
bear track that was 11 Inches wide, and
I have seen a bear that I believe weighed
1300 or 1400 pounds. Some Interesting bear
stories could be written, but time .and
.space forbid at this time. Of the other
kinds of game, there are the moose, to
be found In many different parts of this
country. They are all - of a large size,
and In some portions of the country,
where they have not been much hunted,
are quite tame.
Next comes the caribou, of which
there are different kinds. The largest
of the caribou family Is the mountain
caribou. I have seen one that meas
ured nine feet from the ground to the
tip of hi horns, and weighed 500
pounds. The caribou is the easiest of
all big game to hunt. Their curiosity
brings them into trouble, for, on seeing
a hunter sitting down they will ap
proach him to find out what he looks
like, and it is only when the bullets
begin to whistle that they are brought,
to their senses. These caribou seldom
if ever travel singly, but roam about
in bands as large as thousands in one
drove.
I have counted 220 mountain sheep in
one place. The flesh of the mountain
slieep is undoubtedly the best of any
wild or tame animal. They are still
very numerous in parts of this country.
It requires some exertion on the part
of the hunter to get them, for he must
'climb mountains and get above them,
because their instinct nearly always
Froest and the Versatile Rogue
BY GEORGE BARTON
strolling along the strand he came faca
to face with Lacy, who was then a fugi
tive from justice. He grasped him by the
coat.
"Mr. Lacy," he exclaimed, "I am so
glad to see you."
"Why?" asked Lacy.
"Why," retorted the other, "because
now you will pay me for the mandolin
you bought from me about a month ago."
leads them to climb upward when the
shooting commences.
Mountain goats are also still quite
numerous in certain parts of Alaska,
and the bucks sometimes attain a
weight of 250 pounds. Their flesh, of
course, is not very good ; but makes
excellent food for the dogs.
Wolves are not numerous in the
North, but those found are of large
size. Wolverines are very plentiful in
this country, and are considered a nui
sance by the prospectors, on account
of their stealing proclivities.
Other fur-bearing animals are nu
merous, such as foxes, the skins of
which range in price from $4 for the
red to $1000 for the black. Lynx are
plentiful, and their skins range from
$3 to $S. Marten is plentiful, and their
skins range as high as $25 each. Mink
bring from $3 to $8f and many other
fur-bearing animals, too numerous to
mention.
Of the bird family, we have geese,
swans, ducke, spruce hens, grouse,
pheasants and ptarmigan. The latter
game bird is to be found from the
southeastern part of Alaska to the
Arctic Ocean.
I have not attempted to mention all
of the different kinds of animals and
game birds to be found in this coun
try, but I believe I have mentioned
enough to show that so far as meat la
concerned, we are well fixed. I may
add that we have no snakes of any
kind In the Yukon Territory or Alaska.
If these words should reach anyone
who intends to immigrate to the North
ern country, let him remember that
gold nuggets are not found on trees,
nor should he expect to get something
for nothing. For those who are indus
trious, sober and honest, and have a
rugged constitution and grit, can ex
pect good returns for their labor, time
or investments, and when you are there,
do something, don't do as many have
done before, who have gone there and
always waited for something to turn
up. Remember Secretary Seward's
words when the Russian Minister sug
gested to him that tomorrow they
would draw up a treaty transferring
Alaska from Russia to the United
States, and Mr. Seward answered: "Let
us make the treaty tonight."
The Hon I tor.
Washington Stan
Or clock a-stan'in on de mantel shelf;
Nuffln much to do excep a-talkin' to hls
self; Tellin' 'bout de seconds an' de minutes an"
de hours,
Countin off de daysbetween de snowstorm
an' de flowers;
Jes a sine-sons; story, for de moi' he has
to say
Is, "Yesterday was jes about de tame thing
as today;"
An' de days dat'a still a-comin you Is
Ewineter find at last,
Is.purty much do same as you was used to
in de past. ,
So, what's de good o waitin' if you sees
a chance to smile.
A-thinkln' dat do laughter may be better
after while?
An what's de good o singin' fob de hopes
of long ago.
When de present has its prospects, same as
what de past could show?
Say, chi Hun, is you strivln on an smllin'
in de Now,
Or Is you jes complalnin 'bout de whyfore
an de How,
An flxin up a future dat 11 find you on de
shelf.
M'if nufTin' much to do excep a-talkin to
yourself f
ATZHFJZOQP
GFllfE'llESSrANP SUE?
Lacy laughed.
"You will pay me, won't you?" cried
the dealer, hysterically. "You wouldn't
rob a poor mail, would you?"
"Fade away," said the versatile rogue.
"I'm havin' me holiday now, and can't
be disturbed by vulgar tradesmen."
When the musical dealer made a third
appeal for his money Lacy Invited him
to go to a warm climate, with such
Giving Their Voices a Thorough Trying-Out
Ambitious Young Women Who Botber Opera Singers, Encouraged by Their Teachers.
THE SLIM GIRL carrying the roll of
music stepped into the elevator. Be
hind her came the elderly woman
with a worried look. 'Let us off at the
second floor," she said. "Is that the
floor that Mme.' X. Uvea on."
The two women had half an hour before
gone up to the sixth story to call on an
other singer quartered there. The eleva
tor boy had been long enough in the
hotel, which shelters a number of artists
from the opera houses, to know what was
meant by the visits of young women with
rolls of music and solicitous companions.
It was the first time, however, that he
ever had known the same aspirant to
visit two singers within such a short
time.
When the industrious couple reappeared
In the elevator a little later he was not
surprised to hear the conversation be
tween them, says the New York Sun.
"We won't have time to go anywhere
else today," complained the older wo
man, looking at her watch. "It is nearly
six now. He told me to come in any day
after five, but he lives so far down town
that we won't get there In time. So I
guess we'll have to go home."
"But I thought Fremstad lived across
the street," rejoined the girl. "We've
plenty of time to go there, haven't we?
And you must know her."
"Of course I do," answered the teacher
of singing, who was training this young
larynx in the way it should go. "I've
known Olive for years. We'll go right
over.'
They were last seen scurrying across
the plaza in search of one more celebrity
who should listen to the young girl sing.
She was only a beginner, even in instruc
tion, and had not learned enough to make
it possible to say whether or not a career
lay before her. As persons informed in
such matters know, the development of
the voice after one has begun to study Is
what makes success possible. It is possi
ble only for authorities to say whether or
not there is sufficient voice to make study
worth while.
"It's a mania with these singing teach
ers and their pupils." said one of the
women most in demand as judges of
voice, "to get some prima donna to listen
to them. If they cannot get to one they
go to another, and if possible they go to
as many as will consent to hear them.
"I had one girl tell me calmly after she
had sung for me that I was -he sixth
woman to tell her in a month tltat she
did not seem to have voice enough to
make it worth her while to take lessons.
Then she rattled off the names of my
colleagues in the opera-house.
" 'Then what in the world do you have
to come here for,' I asked, 'and take my
time away from my -own work?
I just had the idea she went on,
'that I wanted to have every singer at
the opera-house give me an opinion on
my voice. Now that I have had it from
all the women I am going to begin on
the men. Caruso's going to hear me to
morrow afternoon
"That experience may have been very
much out of the ordinary, but I soon
learned that the girls and tneir teachers
who come to me are not as anxious for
my opinion as to make it a compliment
emphasis that the tradesman realized
the futility of further talk. He knew
that Lacy was a fugitive and determined
to have his revenge. He hurried to the
nearest telegraph office and wired Scot
land Yard that the man they sought
could be found at Margate.
Lacy Immediately realize! the mistake
he had made and, learning the character
of the telegram that had been sent to
Scotland Yard, made quick preparations
for shortening his vacation at the cozy
seashore resort. He arted with char
acteristic disregard of conventionalities.
He summoned a. fisherman and hired
him to take him out fn a small boat,
and hailed a Castle liner which was
bound for South Africa. By the aid of
a clever "cock and bull story" he in
duced the captain to take him aboard
and before the Scotland Yard man
reached Margate Lacy was calmly sailing
the sea on his way to Cape Town.
Superintendent Froest Immediately
telegraphed the authorities at Cape Town,
describing Lacy and instructing them to
apprehend the man on his arrival at that
port. Lacy managed to get ashore and
strolled around the African city, admir
ing the botanic gardens and the astron
omical observatory with the enthusiasm
of a tourist whose only desire is to prof
itably while away an idle hoir. He was
inspecting the fine new docks of the
place when the agent of Scotland Yard
clapped hts hand on his shoulder and
placed him under arrest. Lacy sub
mitted with perfect good grace and was
formally lodged In Jail at Cape Town.
Arrangements were made to have him
returned to England the following day.
But in the case of this versatile rogue
man proposed and Lacy disposed. Dur
ing, the night he broke jail and made his
way to Johannesburg. He was delighted
with this place and saw a great business
possibility in the gambling line in this
gold mining town of 9outh Africa. The
Boers were in control at that time and
Lacy, by his affable manner and liberal
ways, soon won their good graces. Just
as he was about to settle down to what
would no doubt have been a prosperous
career of crime in South Africa one of
Superintendent Froest's men placed ,.hlm
unaer arrest again, x itai anernoon cap
tor and captive took a train for- Cape
Town with the intention of going from
there to London. The local offirer con
gratulated himsolf on having made such
an important capture.
But alas! his satisfaction was pre
mature, for the daring1 Lacy jumped
off the train while It was in motion
and disappeared in the depths of a
South African forest. The officer had
the train stopped at the next station
and, with the assistance of several
other men, made a search of the
woods. They finally located their man
in an empty house a few miles from
the point where he had jumped from
the train. He was arrested "for
keeps" this time, taken back to Lon
don, tried, sentenced and lmprosined.
After he had served his time he
started on a tour of the continent,
accompanied by a mysterious blonde
woman who passed as his wife. He
played cards, engaged in the pastime
of bunco steering and varied these
performances occasionally by assum
ing; the part of the wronged husband.
He was quite successful with this
game and made large sums of money
at several of the more prominent con
tinental resorts; but a man of his rest
less disposition could not remain long
in the same "line of business, and a
few years ago he returned to the Uni
ted States and was arrested In Wash
ington charged with being a confi
dence man. He met a well-known
resident of the District of Columbia
and, finding that the man had a weak
ness for cards, offered to take him to
a room where they could play a game
which would mean wealth for both.
He had a scheme by which the bank
could be broken, and offered to show
the man how he could take a thou
sand dollars and come out with a
profit of ten thousand. The man ac
cepted this glowing offer, but Instead
of going to the house that was desig
nated he notified the District police
and the versatile rogue, was once
more arrested this time under the
name of Frank Tracy. He was re
leased on bail, however, and soon after
to me. They want merely to be able to
say hat one more prima donna had
heard them."
Every singer at the opera-house has to
put up with this nuisance. The requests
come from all quarters. All kinds of
wires are pulled in order to get the ar
tists to put up with an interruption to
their own work or leisure that is In nine
cases out of ten an unpleasant ordeal.
"If I felt that what I said was going
to be of the least benefit to a girl," one
of the American prima donnas said, "I
might be a little more patient about the
nuisance. But I know that I am ex
pected to do nothing but praise.
"There is less opportunity to do any
thing else when the teachers also come
along. . They are there to be compli
mented on the splendid way in which
they have trained the voice.
"If I should say anything else it would
lead to a scene. I have had the teachers
ask me frequently if I did not think they
had done specific things excellently. In
the presence of the pupil it would be Im
possible for me to answer anything but
yes to such a question
It is in a measure the fault of the
singing teachers rather than of the pu
pils, who might not think of the sensa
tion of singing before a prima donna
were it not that the idea is put into
their heads. It is, of course, beneficial
to the teachers to give the impression
that they were on terms of intimacy with
the famous singers.
One teacher has his house full of auto
graphed pictures just to impress his pu
pils. Another calls them by their first
names to give an impression of intimacy.
It is a mighty weak sort of sister in
the Singing Teachers' Assocfataion who
cannot get up enough acquaintance with
a well-known -singer to justify her .in
taking two or three pupils there during
a Winter.
If she has more push than the others
she may manage to make a circle that
includes several prima donnas. The
business advantage of sucli an ac
quaintance Is not to be overlooked.
"I think you are going to have Just
the same kind of voice that Mme. Nor
dica had," one of the teachers will say.
"I'm going to take you to sing for
her."
Then by hook or crook the amiable
singer is persuaded to make an ap
pointment to listen to the pupil, who is
not, however, described as possessing
the same kind of. voice as the prima
donna. She is merely said to be a
young girl struggling for some en
couragement. The singer wants to do
a favor to the teacher and for that
reason consents to the martyrdom.
"I sometimes wonder,' said another
singer at the Metropolitan, "if it would
not be better for us to say perfectly
frankly just what we think of the per
formances of these students. If I should
tell a girl, as I have often been tempted
to, that she has little or no voice, ap
parently no musicianship at all, and had
better stop singing and try ts get mar
ried, both she and the teacher would
want to tear my eyes out.
"Instead of such truths as that, I am
forced to say that her voice is lovely,
that-sho need only keep right on study
ing with old Mme. Stimmbrccher and that
again sought the historic atmosphere
of London.
His last exploit is really deserving
of a chapter In itself, but because of
lack of space must be condensed into
a few paragraphs. Superintendent
Froest, who was always on the look
out for queer characters, learned that
Tracy as he now called himself was
in London 24 hours after he had set
his feet on English soil. He instructed
his subordinates to be on th lookout
for Tracy, but otherwise did not give
much thought to the man.
One morning the telephone bell at
Scotland Yard rang, and the voice of
an excited individual, who proved to
be a clerk In a banking house near
Leadenhall street. Informed the au
thorities that a thief had entered the
institution that morning and robbed
one of its depositors of 200. There
was much excitement; a crowd had
gathered In the corridors, and in the
confusion the thief bad escaped with
the money.
The clerks and the depositor, be
tween them, gave a rather Indefinite
description of the thief, but they were
perfectly agreed upon the Incidents
preceding the robbery. The depositor
in Question, an elderly gentleman,
called at the bank and handed In a
check for 200. He was well known
to the paying teller and the money
was given to him in Bank of England
notes. As he received the cash ho
walked over to a little desk on the
side of the corridor for the purpose of
counting itbefore placing It In his
wallet. He wont about this leisurely
and with perfect sense of security.
Before he had finished counting the
notes, however, some, one tapped him
gently on the shoulder. He looked
around and saw another man standing
by his side. The strsnger was tall and
as straight as an Indian, with stiff,
coal-black halrw He had a sallow com
plexion and was very affable in his
manner.
"Pardon me," said the stranger, "but
you have dropped one of your notes."
The depositor glanced at the floor on
the other side of the desk, and, sure
enough, there was a bank note.
"Thank you," he replied gratefully, and
stooped down to pick up the odd note.
The act only consumed two or three sec
onds, but when the depositor straight
ened up and was about to add the miss
ing note to his pile, he found to his
amazement that the original package of
money had gone, and with it the stranger.
He gave the alarm and rushed out of the
bank, but when he reached the street the
crowd was so great that It was impossi
ble to find his man.
When Superintendent Froest received
news of the theft, he immediately dis
patched one of his men to the bank, but,
not satisfied with this, he resolved to go
there in person as " soon as he had fin
ished the work In his private office at
Scotland Yard. That only consumed a
few minutes, and at Its completion Mr.
Froest pulled down the top of his roll
desk and hurried towards Leadenhall
street. At Oldgate, where Comhill and
Leadenhall streets converge, he saw a
tall, well-dressed man hurrying along
amidst the crowd. It did not take him
many seconds to recognize the man as
his old friend, the versatile rogue, who
had lived successively under the titles
of Frank Macy, Frank Lacy and Frank
Tracy. Instinctively the superintendent
associated the fellow with the theft of the
bank in Leadenhall street. He walked up
and took Tracy by the arm.
"My dear friend," he said, "I would
like you to go down to the office with me
and have a talk over old times."
Tracy made no resistance indeed, this
was characteristic of the man. The mo
ment an officer of the law touched him
he surrendered without a struggle. The
two men proceeded to Scotland Yard and
Tracy, when searched, was found to pos
sess the 200 which had been stolen from
the depositors In the bank that morning.
He was tried for that offense, convicted
and served his time.
The versatile rogue is at liberty once
again, and for the time being Is honoring
the United States with his presence. This
brief sketch is not offered as a story of
his life. It is only what It purports to be
a fragment from the life of a versatile
rogue.
I know of nothing that she will not read)
In the musical world. Then she is happy,
and so is the teacher, as she Is assured
of the pupil for some time to come. So
the girl leaves all smiles and the teacher
has already begun to think when she
will dare once more to bring me a pupil
to be praised." '
It very rarely happens that theama-'
teur singers get an opportunity to show
off their talents before the prima donnas
without some sort of influence. Of
course, they bombard the artists with let
ters, but they rarely meet with success.
It needs some sort of pull, 'although in
certain cases mere nerve will accomplish
the task.
There was once a certain prima donna
who for five weeks running received at
a certain hour of the day the card of a
young girl who wanted to sing for her.
Do what she might, that card was
brought up with Uie regularity of clock
work, finally, to rid herself of .the nui
sance, she heard the woman who proved
to have no voice whatever.
There are fewer men than women to
worry the singers, just as there are fewer
men who study or sing. There are appli
cants enough, however, to keep such sing
ers as Caruso and Plancon busy if they
should attempt to listen to all the appli
cants who want a hearing.
"It's all very well for the singers in
New York to object to the worry of hav
ing to listen to voices," said an agent
who once managed a very popular con
tralto, "but the trouble has Its reward
qn the road. The woman who has been
making the most successful tours in this
country for the last five years is inde
fatigable In listening to every woman
who wants to sing for her.
"In fact, most of her time Is taken up
during the day in hearing Mary Brown,
the contralto In some church choir, or
John Green, the village tenor from some
where in the suburbs of the place she is
going to sing In. She will talk of their
grand opera ambitions, telling them the
roles they ought to begin in and the
opera house they ought to try to sing at
first.
"She does all this with an air of perfect
sincerity, and the applicant, accustomed
to being snubbed or at the best very cold
ly received by the other prima donnas,
thinks that this German contralto is the
greatest creature that ever lived. The
uingers 'buy tickets, make their friends
eager to do the same by their stories of
her goodness, and when they get to the
concert whoop it up for her until the en
thusiasm reaches a height that few sing
ers ever command.
"All this pays if a woman has the
strength to keep it up. Most womeu
singers who talked all day to a vocal
student would be so hoarse by night that
they could not sing a note. This woman
Is as strong as a horse, however. She Is
the only one I ever heard of who made
the nuisance of listening to aspiring
singers really profitable."
The Sultan of Turkey takes his mta.j
alone save when he entertains royalties and
ambassadors. He eats very sparingly and
seldom touches meat. Water Is now con
veyed to the palace In sealed barrels. These
are atrirtly guarded to prevent attempts at
poisoning-