HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1958-11-06, Page 7Finish Of A
Top -Notch Crook
He had the gall of a brass
monkey, this bland, wiry little
man with piercing blue eyes and
(in his youth) flaming red hair.
Everyone called him "Stuttering
Harry," but the police records
listed him es Harry Steed; he
Was one of the greatest of the
old-time safecrackers. In between
the years he spent in some of the
nation's very best penitentiaries,
like Leavenworth and Joliet, he
got away with at least $1 mil-
lion.
He drove the police wild, but
for years Steed and three of his,
friends drove the gamblers even
wilder. Kid Dimes, known from
one end of the country to the
other as oneof the greatest rou-
lette -wheel fixers of all times,
was one of his pals; Joseph (The
yellow Kid) Weil, a swindler
whose operations made Charles
Ponzi look like a petty pick-
pocket, was another; the third
was Deacon Buckminster, as
plausible a grifter as ever sold
a "gold mine."
The gambling houses -since
they were illegal - had protec-
tion systems that would have de-
fied Houdini, but in the dark of
the night Harry Steed would
makehis way in, picking the
locks so carefully that he left no
trace of his presence; then Kid
Dimes would go about fixing the
roulette wheels. (Or rather, re -
fixing them from the way the
house had them set.) Then, after
Kid Dimes had picked up the
house's crooked dice and thought-
fully substituted his own, the
pair would vanish. Bright and
early the next day, Kid Wei] and
Deacon Buckminster would show
up as customers; they would stay
until they cleared the joint out.
Naturally, word that this quar-
tet was operating in a city got
around fast, so they had to keep
moving; but even today old-
timers still talk about the hauls
they made in New Orleans and
Chicago.
One of Harry Steed's most fa-
mous safe -blowing jobs never
brought him a nickel; to this
day it remains a mystery. With
the notorious Tommy Touhy and
another thug named Skip Lin-
den,Steed went to Marion, Ind.,
la he early 1920s, when the
headquarters of the Ku Klux
Klan was located there, Steed
blew the Klan's safe, and the
three walked off with all the
Klan's records.
No one ever found out what
happened to the Klan records or
who was behind the burglary.
In his later days, in the North
jnd Loop Bar where he hung
out in Chicago, Harry Steed used
to like to reminisce about the
job. But he always left the big
questions unanswered.
"We had to go," was all he
would ever say. "It was a non-
profit job." It was so nonprofit,
in fact, that the boys stopped
Off on their way out of town to
knock over a grocery -store safe
pay expenses," and that was
"low the cops got on their trail.
Only Harry Steed ever knew
where Harry Steed came from,
or who his parents were. He was
first picked up in Chicago in
1896, when he was 19, on a burg-
lary charge and was sent to the
Pontiac Reformatory for four
years. (A year after getting out,
he was back for stealing a
horse.)
He was in prison -"in college,"
as he put it -at least eighteen
times. He devoted his time there
to keeping his wiry little body
in top physical condition and
to figuring ways of breaking out.
He was good at that, too. In one
five-year period, from 1921 to
1926, he broke out of jail five
times,
As the years went by, Harry
Steed was heard of less and less
He lived in a tiny room in the
Curtin Hotel, on Chicago's South
Side, hanging around the bar-
rooms, reminiscing about the old
days,
When Steed fell ill and enter-
ed Chicago's Cook County Hos-
pital to die, he listed his "best
friend" as Andrew W. Aitken, a
VERY SMOOTH - It would seem that Australia's ace miler Herb
Elliott can't be bothered combing his own hair, preferring the
smoothing touch of Jean Fraser, artist and hair dresser. Actually
Miss Fraser is combing the hair of a wax dummy of Elliott in
Madame Tussaud's Waxworks in London, England.
King Built Town
To House His Wives
Until air travel came Siam
was right off the beaten track.
Ships on their normal routes
went to Singapore and thence to
Hong Kong. Those who wanted
to visit Siam had to chantfe
boats at Singapore and travel
for four clays by sea, a tedious
journey. And what for? Unless
one had some business there,
one didn't go.
But to -day, Bangkok, the cap-
ital of Siam (or Thailand) is
one of the most important air
junctions of the world and hun-
dreds of tourists visit the coun-
try. Almost every 'plane going
to Singapore or !long Kong, to
Australia, Borneo or New Zea-
land, lands at Siam, and one
can see, as the 'plane descends,
the golden spires of the temples,
the wide and lovely river and
the vast numbers of canals,
which have given Bangkok its
name of the Venice of the East,
When the now -famous Anna
was teaching English at the
court of the King -less than a
hundred years ago -there was
only one road in the entire capi-
tal. This stretched for only
four miles from the centre of
the city to the palace; all other
journeys had to be made by
boat.
The city was criss-crossed by
canals. The huts, in which the
people lived, were built on stilts
and opened on to the canals.
Many of these canals still re -
Main and life goes on as it al-
ways has. But the town is fast
being modernized. Big business
has come to it, There are some
fine, impressive hotels. The one
I stayed in Is one of the most
modern and comfortable hotels
in the world, with a blue swim-
ming pool, where American vis-
itors can bathe all day long un-
der a warm, cloudless sky,
writes R. J. Minney in "Tit -
Bits,"
For these visitors, and for the
purposes of a greatly expanded
trade, roads are now being built.
Many of them run alongside the
old canals, so that one can see
the ancient life with its primi-
tive charm and, a yard or so
away, high-powered cars dash-
ing by.
From these roasts to the
houses that lie beyond the ca-
nals, long humped - backed
bridges provide access. Some
are strong enough to take cars,
others are simply planks that
sway dangerously under your
feet.
I saw two boys wheeling their
grandfather in a tumbledown
wheelbarrow which was no big -
retired Chicago chief of detec-
tives. Facing death, "Stuttering
Harry" had been as jaunty as
ever.
"The best safecracker I ever
met," said Aitken sadly, one day
recently, as he identified the
body. -From NEWSWEEK.
ger than a soapbox. They tore '
across the planks, the barrow
tilted, and grandpa fell thirty
feet into the water.
But no one was alarmed, In-
stead, since the Siamese are an
exceedingly gay people, there
was a burst of laughter and a
hurrying forward of neighbours
and of passers-by, not to help
in the rescue of the plan, but
to stand by and laugh uproari-
ously!
Meanwhile, the old man in
the waster gasped and splutter-
ed . and laughed, too. .Had he
drowned I have no doubt they
would then have fished him out
and lamented as noisily over his
corpse.
The Siamese are the happiest
and friendliest people. I have
met, They have every reason to
be. Their country produces
food in plenty. Life is leisurely.
There is some poverty, but it
isn't as bad as in so many other
places I have visited in the
tropics.
The day's activities begin
with the first streak of dawn.
At this hour the boats are astir,
each of them a floating market.
They travel along the canals,
stopping when hailed, to sell to
the residents of the waterside
hus-curry, cool drinks, fruit;
indeed, every trade has a dozen
or more boats -the butcher, the
baker, the vegetable vendor,
and so on.
It is one of the most fascinat-
ing sights of the city to set out,
as I did, before dawn and travel
in a boat along the river and
the canals. The water is thick
with boats, each laden with
children, for the vendors would
not dream of leaving their fam-
ilies at home.
The palace of the King stands
in a walled enclosure. It is im-
mense, for the white walls en-
circle not only the royal resi-
dence, the audience halls, the
temples, the guards' quarters.
the elephant lines, with a spe-
cial hallowed sector for the
white elephants, but also a vast
arena where the women live.
The Kings of Siam are allow-
ed as many wives as they
please. The King whom Anna
taught, King Chulalongcorn,
had as many as 600 wives -or
so it was said, for nobody, not
even the King, was quite sure
how many there were.
About a hundred of them had
special houses, which gives
some idea how large a town the
women's quarters formed with-
in the palace grounds. Here no
man, except the King, could en-
ter. They had their own guards,
all of them women in uniform;
they had their own shops, staff-
ed by women -they were, in
fact, a self-contained commun-
ity.
All this has been modified
now. The present King has only
one wife, to whom he is devot-
ed. She is young and beautiful
and there is a close companion-
ship between them.
One surprising thing about
t/UPS 'SOCKED IN" -- Dutchess, the three-year-old Boxer owner by Lloyd Likins calmly waits
or her eight pupa to dry cut an the washline.
Siam is the vast number Of
priests. This is because every •
man must serve in the priest-
hood --a sort of national service.
Every member of the royal fam-
ily has to dothe same, even the
King,
They are generally attached
to one of the temples, but those
who intend to remain priests go
into a monastery. One monas-
tery I visited in the north at
Chiengami, had a thousand
young priests, some of them
only eight to ten years old.
They all shave their heads
and wear saffron robes and
have to beg for their food from
door to door, Food is abundant-
ly supplied, for it is a way of
attaining merit for your soul to
give 'food to a priest.
The country is ridden with '
superstitions. The people be-
lieve that evil spirits creep into
the house during the night. That
is why, first thing as they wake
up, they let off fire -crackers
from every house in order to
scare away the spirits.
Otuside every house there is
is a spirit shrine -a small box
rather like a brightly painted
dovecote.
Here a good spirit is expected
to take up his dwelling. Food
ie offered to it daily and flow-
ers are placed in the shrine.
If bad luck comes to the
home, it is assumed that a bad
spirit has taken up his residence
there instead, They can only
drive it out by getting rid of
the shrine.
A priest is called and the tiny
dovecote is floated away along
the river or the canal, and a
new shrine, brightly coloured, is
set up in its place it the hope of
attracting a better spirit.
The love for children is so
great that, in addition to hav-
ing large familiea, most couples,
young and old alike, are cons-
tantly adopting children.
I met a young newly -married
couple who within the first
three months of their marriage
adopted as many as five chil-
dren, all boys. To this they
hoped to add, either by having
children of their own, or by
adopting more. This they keep
on doing all through their lives
Consequently couples aged sev-
enty may still be seen with a
young family of seven or more
children, some infants in arms,
others toddlers.
A unique, happy people, Iiv-
Ing in a tropical fairyland.
Oh, My Poor Seven
Hundred Feet!
How many legs has a milli-
pede .- that creepy, 'crawly,
long- bodied little creature that
wriggles through the earth,
gnawing the roots of crops?
A scientist in Panama has just
provided the answer. He recent-
ly found a millipede with 700
:egs, a hitherto unknown species.
Ile reports that its body consists
of 175 segments, each with four
legs and each capable of partly
independent action,
Another painstaking investi-
gator has recently found, to nia
cost, that millipedes are not non-
poisonous, as was supposed,
There is a tiny poison gland in
each segment of its body.
"The millipede can deliver e
fan-like spray from its whale
body," he reports. While investi-
gating, he was temporarily
blinded in one eye and partialiy
paralysed on one side of Isis
face by a millipede which re-
sented his presence. Luckily, the
scientist recovered from these
"wounds
What about centipedes? It's
always been known that they
are poisonous. Some species
have up to a hundred legs.
Centipedes are tiny but fierce
creatures which lurk beneath
stones, the bark of trees or other
secret hiding places, stirring out
only in the dark to hunt their
prey. But there are much larger
species abroad.
Tropical centipedes are sine-
;,us, scaly creatures varying from
six to nine inches in length.
Those in such places as the
Solomon Islands can paralyse a
rabbit instantly by a much of
their poison and will sometimes
trite unwary natives.
"A white man bitten by one
of these pestilential creature`.,
which have scores of nasty.
scrambling legs, has been known
to plunge his hand into hotline
water as a counter -irritant, after
being rendered half-crazy with
pain," reported a man who was
Irving in the Solomons before
the war: "The attempted cure
was more disastrous in its ef-
fects than the original injury.
SLEEP
TO -11C T
AND RELIEVE NERVOUSNESS
t1V W TO -MORROW!
To bo happy and tranquil instead of
ncrrues or for a good night's sleep, lake
Sedicin tablets according to directions.
SEDICIr
TA B LETS
$1.00-$4.95
Drug SI aro Only)
CL' SSIF1EDD ADVERTIS1
AGENTS WANTED
AUTOMATIC' NEEDLE THREADER.
Terrific seller. Free details. Timely
Products, Box 596, Toronto.
GO INTO BUSINESS
for yourself. Sell our exciting house-
wares, watches and .other products not
found in stores. No competition. Prof-
its up to 500%, Write now for free
colour catalogue and separate cons.
dential wholesale price sheet. Murray
Sales, 3822 St. Lawrence, Montreal,
BABY CHICKS
BRAY dual purpose heavy cockerel
dayolds, prompt shipment, 12-14 week
old dual purpose pullets, also Ames.
Dayolds to order, Boole now Decem-
ber broilers, Request prlcellst. See
local agent or write Bray Hatchery,
120 John. North, Hamilton.
BOOKS
SEND for free catalogue of used and
new pocket novels, books, magazines,
postpaid with great saving to you.
Back numbers of Girlie (Playboy etc).
Nudist magazines, F. Gure Studies. 3
good samples postpaid. $1.00, Ted
Fraser's Book Bin, 6180 Fraser St.,
Vancouver, B.C.
FARM EMPLOYMENT WARTED
E.11'ERIENCED mixed farmer would
like position in Southern Ontario,
married with children. Write C. Skov,
Borden's Dairy Farm, General DeAv-
ery, City View, Ottawa, Ontario.
FARM EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
NEW & USED TRACTOR TIRES
LARGEST stock, lowest prices, Com-
plete vulcanizing service. Eastham The
Sales, Grand Valley, Ont.
FARM FOR SALE
46 ACRES— 20 MILES TORONTO
99 ACHES, good farm land, with fall
work clone, 19 acres hardwood bush
75 acres workable, balance pasture, 11
room frame !rouse covered with tnsul-
brie, good outbuildings, within 20
miles of Metro Toronto. Price $15,000
with reasonable down payment. Taxes
$150. This is a farmers farm produc-
ing good crops. Call Mr. L. J. Harper
anytime, Newmarket TW -5.2205 collect.
FOR SALE
FROM the Bayous of Louisiana, Live
Spanish Moss. Shipped prepaid. Send
91.00 cash or money order. Duke's,
1601 Lobdell, Baton Rouge 6, La„
U.S.A.
NEW and used chain saws, all makes
and models *rem 950.00 and up. Also
25% discount on all saw chains. Miller
Power Tools, 024 Simpson Street, Fort
William, Ontario.
PEARS FOR CANNING OR EATING
92.50 per bushel F.O.B. St. Catharines.
Cash with order. Will Haines, Niagara-
' on-the•Lake, Ontario.
HELP WANTED
PRIVATE room and board in Toronto
suburb exchange for llght household
duties. Paid tranaportatlon. Write
Box .268, Lorne Park P.O. Ontario.
INSTRUCTION
EARN more! Bookkeeping, Salesman-
ship Shorthand Typewriting etc. Les.
Bons 50e. Ask Shorthand,
free circular No. 33,
Canadian Correspondence Courses
1290 Bay Street, Toronto
LIVESTOCK
PUREBRED Oxford Down rams and
c w es all ages, also North Country
Cheviot ram lambs. Ernest Talton, A.A.
3, Walkerton, Ont.
Carruthers ScourTablets
ARE an inexpensive and quick treat-
ment for the FIST SIGN OF SCOURS
IN CALVES, Give 6 tablets every 6
hours up to 3 doses. Purchase from
your druggist, or mall order to
CARRUTHERS DRUGS LTD.,
Lindsay, Ont.
There are twenty specifically
different poisonous snakes in the
United States which belong to
four types: coral snakes, copper-
heads, water moccasins, and
rattlesnakes.
ISSUE 44 - 1959
MEDICAL
ALL Herbal Remedies — 12 oz, bot•
ala. Balsam — 92.00 and 100 tablets
61.60; Rheumatic, Kidney, Liver, Blood
Cleanser Corrective — female tonic,
Bed • wetting, Anti • Asthma, Tont c
Nerve-eze and over 2000 herbs and
natural food in stook. Mall order: —
N. G. Tretchikoff, 579 Wyandotte E„
Windsor,' Ontario, Canada.
READ THIS — EVERY SUFFERER
OF RHEUMATIC PAINS OR NEURITIS
SHOULD TRY DIXON'S REMEDY,
MUNRO'S DRUG STORE,
335 ELGIN, OTTAWA.
$1.25 Express Collect,
POST'S ECZEMA SALVE
BANISH the torment of dry eczema
rashes and weeping skin troubles,
Post's Eczema Salve will not disappoint
you. Itching scaling anti burning ecze-
ma, acne, ringworm, pimples and foot
eczema will respond readily to the
stainless odorless ointment regardless
of how stubborn or hopeless they
seem.
Sent Post Free on Receipt of Price
PRICE 93.00 PER JAR
POST'S REMEDIES
2865 SO. Clair Avenue East
TORONTO
OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEN
AND WOMEN
BE A HAIRDRESSER
JOIN CANADA'S LEADING SCHOOL
Great Opportunity
Learn Hairdressing
Pleasant, dignified profession; good
wages. Thousands of suenessful
Marvel Graduates.
America's Greatest System
Illustrated Catalogue Free.
Write or Cal)
MARVEL HAIRDRESSING SCHOOL
358 Bioor St. W, Toronto
Branches:
44 King St.,W.,Hamilton
72 Rideau Street, Ottawa
PATENTS
FETHERSTONHAUGIT & Company
Patent Attorneys, Established 1890,.
600 University Ave„ 'Toronto
Patents all countries,
PERSONAL
AUTHORS invited submit MSS all
types (including Poemst for book pub-
lication, Reasonable terms. Stockwell
Ltd., Ilfracombe, England. (Estd, 1898).
SKIER Dickson says: "Space skits best
things since the advent of the bi-
cycle." Outdoor Interests, Goodwood,
Ont.
91.00. TRIAL offer, Twenty -Rive deluxe
personal requirements. Latest cata-
logue included, The Medico Agency,
Box 22 Terminal "Q" Toronto, Ont,
WANTED
WANTED! Used final drive gear cove ,
etc, International T.D. 14 Bulldoze
Earl Willows, Route 1, Carleton Plae ,
Ont.
IT PAYS TO USE
OUR CLASSIFIED
COLUMNS
CIO
Use your spare time to build an
'interesting and profitable business
career.
Underline course that Interests you—
*
Bookkeeping
• Typewriting ting
• Stationary Engineering
• Short Story Writing
• Junior, Intermediate, HigherAccounting
•® CCharetseeddeSecreehtaarynd IA.C.1,S.)
Correspondence
Write for free catalogue today
Many other courses from Which
to choose
Bey & Charles Streets, Toronto
Dept. No. 'ry��t°/((•.1g03�N�°�'V�p(j�'�°'�° �
a i -.les 1'
New concept...
erson
\ll
D -^CITY]
featured in the 1959 Emerson Royalty Lille!
*All-over, olt•angle, true•picture viewing
Here's how Emerson 1959 Royalty Line
brings you greater TV pleasure:
Full Power Transformer Chassis ensures un-
surpassed reception even in "fringe" ttrees.
New Tru -Slim Cabinets fit in smaller-1han-
e\ el' space.
Super Cascade Tuner brings in sharp, clear
pieturc'i- and sodnd.
Magic -Memory Touch Control le,et.,rca the
audio rand picture you pre-set with one -
touch control,
Wide Selection includes portable, cuml10na-
I�yi Lion, table and console models.
Toro For the ULTIMATE in musical sound
FUME "erson ROYALTY LINE
RA010OF.CANADA HI-FI AND -RADIOS'.
LIMITED
74 Trenton Ave., lir 0 variety of handsome styles and finishes
Tawn of Mount Royol, Qua:
1(k41m 1?oYAU ,,'l stall ?` 1 Tk