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Show A FIGHT FOB FREEDOM. Lawyer Collar Win. Hla Way Out of Madhouse. Frank Collkr has been declared sane. No more picturesque and sensational person per-son lives in the city of Chicago than this same Mr. Collier. A lawyer by profession, he has always been noted for that quality of aggressiveness that never accept defeat, de-feat, and to this combative instinct he has owed many noted legal victories. A year or so ago he went Into politics on a personal per-sonal issue not as a candidate, but as the chief backer of a candidate. His interest in his friend's success remained re-mained of a mild nature until one night ruffians assaulted him on the street. In one of them Mr. Collier recogniwd an ad vocate of the opposition, and from that moment bis partisanship parti-sanship was decided decid-ed and emphatic. He organized clubs, addressed meetings, sent out circulars and kept the brass bands of the town busy till the end of the campaign. Collier's Col-lier's candidate won, and leading a tremendous procession pro-cession of adher- frank collies. nts the victorious victori-ous lawyer rode down to the Deeplaines street police station, and calling ont Capt. Aldrich, one of his opponents, shook sheaf of bank notes in his face, crying, "Bet you 110,000 1 have your head in thirty days." Before the tinffe specified had elapsed Aldrich was no longer a member of the force. Then came the Cronin murder, and in trying to solve ths tangle of that terrible tragedy the excitable attorney went mad. For months he was confined in the insane asylum at Kankakee. The other day he petitioned for freedom on the ground that he had regained hi reason, and the case came up for hearing before Judge Collins, at Chicago. Collier acted as his own attorney. at-torney. He examined scores of witnesses, and kept the big audiences constantly laughing or wondering fit his sharp witticisms witti-cisms and keen oratorical thrusts. Here is an example; When Judge Barnuin was on the stand he said: "I think you are as rational ra-tional now as you ever were." "That is a rather dubious compliment," retorted Collier. "Well, you were always a little peculiar and erratic." "I agree with you. I caused you to be appointed special counsel of the board of education at a salary of $5,000 a year. " On setting the petitioner at liberty Judge Collins qualified his decision by the condition that Collier should leave town for thirty days and take a good rest. To this he assented. |