River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-08-31
MOLLY HOLBROOK's CAREER.
a Notorious Adventures Who -
Queen of Her Profession.
Philadelphia Record.

The shoplifter, Lizzie Williams, who
was arrested in May last for picking
the pocket of Miss Ferguson in an
Eighth street store and who slipped
through the fingers of the authorities
by jumping her bail, which had been
kindly entered in the sum of $500 by
Deputy Sheriff Mlley, succeeded in
effectually concealing her identity.
Her name is not Lizzie Williams at all,
but she is widely known to the detec-
tives all over the United States as Nelly
Ho,brook, alias Hoey, Williams, VIII
kins, and any other name that meets
her fancy--a woman who, to use a de-
tective's expression, is "at the top of
the heap" among female shophfters
and pickpockets.
She is said to have considerable in
vested cash, although her shabby attire
when she was before Magistrate Lad
ner, on June l, would not have indi-
Gated prosperity. Her plea then was
that she had been tempted to theft for
the sake of her little ones. She kept
closely yelled and refused to have her
photograph taken, but these two sus-
picious circumstances were overlooked
by her custodians. She went to jail rs
plain Lizzie Williams, but fled when
the bail was secured.
Molly Eolbrook, who is now nearly
40 years of age, was first heard OF as
the proprietor of thieves resort ana
"panel" house in Chicago in 1873.
That city became toou ncomfcrtable for
her after q merchant was robbed OF
$40 900, and she fled to New York,
where she was arrested in 1874. A
we'll known thief heard of the capture
and taking with him several other des-
perate characters, they accompanie d
Molly and her captor upon
the same train. By a pre-
concerted ruse, while the cars were
passing through Hamilton, Canada
Molly made q tremendous cutlery that
she was being kidnapped. The gang of
thieves fell upon the detective and res
cued her, She was recaptured about a
year afterward, but was not sentenced,
the prosecution having been compro-
missed by the Chicago man, who had
received most of his money back and
decided to loose the remainder rather
than have an exposure in court. She
is said to have been in Philadelphia
during the Centennial and to have add
ed to her ill-gotten hoard. The Cape
May and Long Branch hotels felt her
presence also.
When the pot was Matching to get
"Red" Leary and "Blutch" McCarty
out OF Ludlow Street Jail, in June, 1879
where they were lingering under suspic-
ion of being accomplices in the Man
haitian bank robbery, Kate Leary and
Mollie Holbrok, according to the police
hired the house adjoining the Jail and
enabled the rescuing party to burrow
through the wall and dig Leary out.
"Molly" and another pickpocket
named Emma Jennings, known as little
Maria, were arrested in New York in
September, 1881, for pocket picking
The straw bail dodge secured Molly's
liberty until February last, when she
was seen with Jimmy" Hoey, an old
thief, and was arrested. Her good luck
attended her again, and she escaped
punishment. When she was arrested
here she wore Ia ge ft-pocket be
meath her dress 10 conceal anything she
might snap up in dry goods stores, a
the same time keeping business ey'
open for well-filled pocket books. Sh,
is supposed to be at some seaside resor
watching and indicating for some ex
pert hotel thief the apartments o
fashionable women who make loud dis
plays of their diamonds. Molly is sal,
to be well-mannered, dressed with quie
elegance and would never be suspected
to be one of the most expert thieves il
the land.