Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-08-25
MOLLY HOLBROOK,S CAREER
A Notorious Adventures Who Is
Queen OF Her Profession
philadeInhia Racor6

Philadelphia Record.
The shoplifter, Lizzie Williams, who
was arrested in May last for picking
the pocket of a 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 Miley, succeeded in
ettectually 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 Molly
Ho,brook, alias Hoey, Williams, Viii
klns, and any other name that meets
her fancy-a woman who, to use de-
tectlve's expression, is "at the top of
the heap" among female shoplifters
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 veiled and refused to have her
photograph taken, but these two sus-
plclous circumstances were overlooked
by her custodians. She went to iail as
plain Lizzie Williams, but fled when
the bail was secured.
Molly 1Iolbrook, who is now nearly
40 years of age, was first heard of as
the proprietor of thieves resort ana
"paneP house in Chicago in 1878.
That city became toou ncomfc rtable for
her after 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 accompanied
Molly and her captor upon
the same train. By pre-
concerted ruse, while the cars were
passing through Hamilton, Canada
Molly made tremendous outcry 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" MeCarty
out OF Ludlow Street Jail, in June, 1879
where they We're 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" iand another pickpocket
named Emma Jennings, known rs 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
punishmen ent When she was arrested
here she wore a large ift-pocket be-
meath her dress TO conceal anything she
might snap up in dry goods stores, at
the same time keeping business eye
open for well-filled pocket-books. She
is supposed to be at some seaside resort
watching and indicating for some ex-
pert hotel thief the apartments of
fashionable women who make loud dis
plays of their diamonds. Molly is said
to be well-mannered, dressed with quiet
elegance and would never be suspected
to be one of the most expert thieves in
the land