The English, who are among the world's most law-abiding citizens, unabashedly admire the man who can defy the law and make it look like an ass. Alfred George Hinds, or Alfie, as he is universally known, is a pallid, peaceable chap with thick glasses, and the oppressed air of a real-life Alec Guinness. Despite his undis tinguished appearance, he has one of the best-known faces in Britain.
What most endears Alfie to Britons is his passionate attachment to liberty. Sen tenced to a twelve-year prison term for a cool bit of safecracking in 1953 (he pleaded innocent), he has escaped...