Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-08-07
DUPED By" THE coUATEss.v
Strange Credulify or Her vietims-Isow Mrs.
Stories OF Lottsry Prize.


philadelphia Timcs.l
Twenty-onc women filed into the new
courthouse yesterday morning, and court
Officer Taylor, who looks after the farsox.
showtd them TO seats on two rows OF
benches back OF the settces reserved for
The grand jury. The women were the vie
Tins Of Elizabeth Dash, Otherwise known
ns "the Countess" and had come to testify
as to the manner In which she bad swim
died them out Of various sums vf money.
After Judge Fell had sentenced several
criminals Assistant District Attorney Siner
| called TO the court officers 10 put Elizabeth
Dash in the small dock. An unprepossess-
ing German woman Of fifty. dressed IN y
| calico wrapper. with a brown silk turban
on her head, was led to the docS, and then
commoiion began among the twenty -one
women. All OF them striiyhtened up IN
their seats, wondering which was 10 be
called to the witness-stand first.
Detectives Miller and Vol came into
court with bundles under their arms and
their pockets stuffed with tue plumber that
"the Countess had pawned about town.
The bundles were piisd up on the district
attorneys table. and the detectives began
emptying their pockets OF watches, chains,
spoons, and little trinkets. Detective Mil.
Ter handed Prosecutor Sner handful OF
pawn-iiekets, forty-seycn in number, show
ing that s1l3 had 0een advanced on goods
by a dozen different Uawnbrokers to Mrs.
Dass.
Prosecutor siner picked up eight bills OF
Indictment, charging her with false pre-
tence, and read them 10 the Jury. Crier
Pugh called Mrs. IlcTmanie Kreutzberger,
OF COS north Fourth street. TO the stand,
la aid af Int fta
witness told how 1.-The Countess had re-
presented that she had drawn $500 IN the
Royal Lottery andneeded money TO pay her
lawyers to get the money. Mrs. Kreutz-
berger gave her ZONE money, but il proved
insufficient TO satisfy the hungry mythical
counsel aud " the Countess" called on Mr..
kreutzbcrgcr again. She had no money,
but gave four feather pillows, three
sheets, and lhalf dozen handkerchicis,
and told her TO pawn them and raise
money to get her prize. "The Countess"
cane again and said she wOud have to 20
TO New York TO see her llwycF. Mrs.
krtutZLerger then gave her her gold watch,
which was also pawned. Two weeks later
the winner OF the alleged prize returned
with another story and the witness gave
her hcT bedstead. which "ihe Countess -
carried 10 a neighborng pawnshCp, Tcceiv-
ing on il an advance OF e2.50. The next
day she called, hut Mrs. Kremtzbergcr WAS
out. ''The Countess " went 10 the wji-
ncsses' trunk and extracted q dozen pairs
ol new stockings, which also found their
way 10 the pawnshop. Mrs. Kreutztrrger's
acquaintance with "the Countess" cost
her $40.
MSS LENNOX's AMAZING STORY.
Miss Louisa LennoX, who lives at 80
George street, told the most remarkable
story Of woman's crcdulity ia woman.
Mrs. Dash got SlG.70 from me- said
she. "Sho told me she had drawn S2.5J0
ia a lottery, and had 10 pay her lawyer to
get tie money for her. After that she
came TO our house several times. and nv
mother gave her all the money she had.
/ ThCn she hegan 10 give Mrs.. Dash articles
| 81 furniture to pawn 10 hclp her raise money
10 got the prize she said she had drawn.
Ny mother nearly stripped the house from
tie cellar to the garret. / had some money
| in nv trunk upstairs, and | began to sus-
! pect that my mother was giving her that.
| sure enough. when | looked | found that
she had given her nearly $50 OF my money.
| thought Il was shout time 10 find ous
| about the lottery prize, so / went with
| Mrs. Dash to the telegraph office at Third
! and Chestnut streets one afternoon. She
/ telcgr1phcd go to Samul :. Morris. IL
| Chambers street, New York, saying that he
1 was hcr lawyer. The next morning /
/ went to New ! ork and called at 81 Cham.
| hers street. found a Mr. Morris. but he
I salG be didn't know Ms. Dash that he
/ had never received any money from her,
/ and had nothing 60 do with lottery compa-
/ mics. | went to poice.station and got 4
detective aud told him the whole story.
/ We hunted all over New York FOR nan
/ by the name Of Samuel ). Morris, but
4 couldn't ind one
Judge Fell, Prosecutor Siner. and the
! jury looked stupeiied with astorishmcnt Ut
/ Miss LcnnoX's story.
Catharine schubert, Of 1872 north Flilh
strcei, who was 30 old that she could
hardy talk loud enough to be heard, told
/ how she had given q" the Countess" " Al dli-
feient times money to the amount OF six
dollars.
OTHER VICTIMS or "TUE C0UKTBss."
mrs. Dash told ne she had an inherit
arcc in Germany and needed money to ge:
it. | went 10 the telegraph Office with her
at Tenth and Chestnut streets one day. |
gave her $40 and she stepped inside. |
waited outside, and when she came on
she said: wei, | have sent $40 more 10
my lawyer in New York."
Frcdcrika BccsWiDgcr, OF 1907 Hamilton
street. testified tina; she gave "the CouE-
tess" 500 at one time on the strength Of
story that she had drawn $500 in lo!-
tCry.
Josephine Kncller. of $40 George street.
who had no money when Mrs. Dash called
On her for help TO get her prize, gave " the
Counties" her gold watch ana chain. ya,-
Il hstif n
hour later ior SIC. Mary Jars, Of GAL
north six h street. IN order to asst 'the
Countess Get her prize. gave her oil the
| yalualles she owned, q shawl and ring.
! worth S25. which were pawned for s..
Annie Jarls sister oi Mary Jarls. living
at tie same place. had s2i saved, which she
| gave TO 1.-THE Countess " TO pay the lawyer
/ hat was to get the lottery prize for her.
Oif Mrs. Georgiana Allgicr, OF 4l4 Maria
street. testified tllat the Countess" came
10 her house while her son was at the point
| Il death. with both his legs cut of, and
said sne bad $4,000 in the Spring Garden
! Bank. hut that she couldn't get at it for i
few dsys. She wanted money to get her
inheritance from Germany. Mrs. Algier
Lad saved by hard pinchIng el75, which
she intended using TO purchase two
artificial legs for her son. She gave
| $40 to "tho Countess" With the under
standing that il was 10 be returned ont OF
The funds in the Spring Garden Bank in a
fcw days. The son was deprived Of his
artificial limbs. and Mrs. Allgier has never
seen any Of her money since.
! when Prosecutor Sincr started 10 call
| another OF "tbe Countess victims Judge
Fell waved his band and said:
mo. no; not any more. I've heard
| enough. This is the most cold-blOOdet.
deliberate case Of swindling Pye ever
heard Of"
Tue swINDLBR FOUND GUILTY.
The detectives gathered up the articles
.ihe Countess " had pawned and took
them into one OF the anle-roOms. When
they came back Judge Fell asked Detective
| Miller:
"What did this woman do with all this
money!"
NOBODY knows" replied the detective,
"altbough the suppositlon is that she spent
Il PLAYING policy" "The Countess" who
bad talked so much to her victims about
her lawyer, had no counsel, and when she
went TO the witness-stand she told ram
bling story. The jury found her guilty on
eight bills OF indictment. Judge Fell
didn't seuIerce her. He said
81 want TO inquire into this case and
find out il this oman was hhoring under a
dclusion that she bad drawn lottery
prize. In that case she should be diner-
| entity dealt with. but IL she is guilty OF
| uure swtudlinp She deserves the full Dom