STRANGE OFFERS MADE TO CRIMINALS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7802, 5 September 1903, Page 4

STRANGE OFFERS MADE TO CRIMINALS.

* . INTERESTING INCIDENTS. Believing in the oil* principle of setting a thief to catch a thief, the directors of one of the largest banks in Chicago recently made a proposal to a well-known forger and coiner which is proba/bly without precedent. After he had served five years' penal servitude for his misdeeds he was offered a situation in the banking-house, his duties to consist of examining bank-notes, cheques and letters of credit, in. order to detect those that were false. The ex-convict immediately accepted the situation, and now earns a comfortable livelihood in a" place which in former days he did his utmost to rob. With a view to advertising the merits of their manufactures, an enterprising London firm of safemakers resorted to a unique plan a short time ago. They offered a notorious time-expired burglar £50 if, in the presence of witnesses, he would demonstrate his safe-breaking capabilities on one of their patent burglar-proof safes. He agreed to this curious proposal, and on the day appointed attacked the locked safe with his various tools, a number of newspaper men, as well as the managers of the finn, being interested spectators. After working at the safe for nearly three hours, and resorting to all the tricks of the safe-breaking profession, the burglar failed to open the safe and was obliged to confess himself beaten. Needless to say, his feat was boomed very largely, and proved a sensational advertisement for the firm which conceived this unique idea. About three years ago an American firm of publishers made a remarkable offer to a criminal lying under sentence of death for robbery and murder. Providing he would furnish an autobiography of himself, including all the most interesting features of his career, they offered him a large sum of money, which, it was explained, could ba settled on his wife or other relative. "But the criminal treated the offer with scorn, and refused to enlighten the world regarding that part of his life of which the police had no knowledge. A certain showman in Illinois owes no small amount of his success in the particular business in which he is engaged to the kindness of a convict who some time ago was executed for a series of cold-blooded murders. While the criminal was awaiting execution this showman conceived the idea of obtaining a phonographic record of the murderer's voice, and for this purpose sought an interview. In Britain, of course, sucn a proceeding would be impossible. But prison relations differ in America, and, strange" though it may seem, the showman's request was granted by the authorities. Accordingly, two days befoie the execution, the showman drove up with his phonograph, and, having been introduced to the prisoner, a record of his voice was duly taken, the condemned man exhibiting a keen interest in the proceedings. , This phonographic record, of course, proved an exceedingly valuable addition to the showman's properties, thousands of people paying to hear the tones of the notorious murderer's voice. Such is the curious fascination of crime to persons of a certain class that- many notorious criminals have received offers of marriage from unknown sympathisers and admirers. The unfortunate Mrs Maybrick, for instance, has received from time to time various offers on the subject of matrimony. One eccentric individual wanted to know if she would marry him providing he obtained her release, while another offejred to wait until Mrs Maybrick was released, no matter how long that might be. Neill Cream, Deeming, Fauntleroy afid many others of the most notorious criminals of modern times might have been married over and over again if justice had not-sub-stituted the halter for the altar. Apart from such cases, however, it occasionally, happens that an offer of marriage is made to a criminal who, more sinned against than sinning, excites the genuine sympathy and interest of some member of the public. Last year, for instance, a poor young woman was charged with, the "murder of her child under particularly sad conditions, as well as with attempting to commit suicide. Her case aroused the deepest sympathy, and the surrounding circumstances being taken into consideration she was leniently dealt with and only sentenced to a few months' imprisonment. While undergoing her sentence the chaplain received a letter from a man in which the writer offered to marry the young* woman on her release. He was a total stranger to her, but explained that her sad case appealed to him sc strongly that he wished to offer her a home in whiob/she might find some happiness aud comfort. The proposal was communicated to the young woman, with the result that on her release she was met by the writer of the letter, whose wife she became a few days later.