The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-22
EXTRAORDINARY LARCENY.
A Woman in Paper Collar ManufRc-
tory Defrauds her Employers out Of

The New York Times of this morning says:-
very remarkable case OF en- bezzlement was
made public yesterday at the Tomos' Police
Court, before Alderman ComaD, when lore
woman employed IN paper collar manulac .ory
was alragned on CHARGE OF embeZzIement. 1t
appears from the statements of the complainant
in the case that Nessrs. Mersserole IL Libby
have been Tor some time extensively engaged in
the manufacture of paper collars at their
premises, Nos. 76, 7S, anu 80 GENRE street. and
have had in their employ, as iorewoman
and superintendent of the patching .room,"
one Mrs. Poer, who had under her direction
from hfly to eighty girls, who placed IN position
the small pieces of linen used TO strengthen the
button-bOles of the collars. She had iul con-
troll OF the girls, and on her accommodation
these operatives were either engaged or dis
charged. Mrs. Poer kept pa,s-Oook contain
ing the names OF the girls under her dlrec-
tion, in which she entered the amount
girls patched" collars by piece-work,
receiving from sixty to eighty ceuts per
thousand, according 10 the demand for aud price
of collars In the market. When a girl had
"patched" say 1000 collars on & certain day the
toreWonan would credit them with 1000 or over,
and at the end of the week, when the operative
had drawn her money, she would be compelled,
under threat OF discharge, to return the surplus
amounts TO the forewoman, Who, OF course,
made a considerable sum each recurring weekly
payday. She would also insert the names OF
girls who had been discharged from tue manu-.
factory in the payroll, and induce certain dlpes
cledlted to these discharged hands and surrender
the greater part 10 Mrs. Poer.
The D1m have peen max ing, as they supposed,
a large number of collars, and it was ouly yes
terday, when an invoice of stock man lfactured
bad been taken, that the 6rm discovered that
they were out 2,3S3,353 collars. or rather, that
they bad paid ior the "pa ching" of that num-
ber, when the work had not been pertorne 1.
This was the lowest calculation that the men,
bers OF the firm could make, and they are not
yet sure that the amount embezzled does not
reach higher sum than $l907'50 that being
about what the missing number OF collars
would have cost had they been honestly made.
The sum Obtained by Mrs. Poer, through her
dummy" operatives, cannot be well estimated
though it is supposed to reach over $1,000.
When a iurtl er INVESTIGATION was made in the
matter the girls employed in the ''patchiug'
room laid bare their share of the transaction,
and the entire ramidcations of this complete
system of embezzlement were made manifest
these patching" girls are all Of tender age, and
the majority are without homes, relatives, oil
mental training, several of them being regular
inmates of the Girls Lodging Houses, or the
Working Wonen's Home. The firm has cou
tlnued to keep nearly all Of them employed
throughout the year, and trusted Mrs. Poer i'm
plicitly in the management of the details of hel
department Several girls who proved contu
macous regarding the money system inaugu-
rated by the clear headed fore woman were DIS
charged on her representations of i'll conduc
and careless work; but in many instances tnei
names were used by Mrs. Poer as cover to
renewed embeZzlements.