Morning journal and courier., 1884-07-29
A QUEEN AMONG THIEVES.
Mother mandelbaun,s Vast RusIne,

Mother Mandelbau1n's Vast Rusiness.
 From the New York Times.l
 In New York city there are not over eight or nine men and women who are known as professional receivers of stolen goods. First in the list and standing at the head of the country as the largest dealer was Mrs Fred ericka Mandelbaum, who kept small dry goods store at the corner of Clinton and Riv- ington steeets, and occupied the two houses adjoining on Clinton street, and whose ar rest by Pinkerton detectives on Tuesday has already been reported. Mrs. Mandelbaum is a German Jewess, with large, coarse features, almost masculine in appearance, restless black eyes, and a dark, forid complexion. When she first came to this country she ped dled laces for a living. Mandelbaum, whom she married, was a well-known receiver of stolen goods and has brother in this city, Hirsch Mandelbaum, who is also known to detectives as 'fence." Mandelbaum be- longed to ring of thieves, among whom were such characters as ''Mose" Erich ''Jew' Harris and General" Greenthall-the last named now serving twenty years sentence at Auburn. From him Fredericka learned the business. Her training as seller of faces had partially fitted her judge of material, and by study she soon became an expert in determining the value of jewelry, 
 Added to this, she was a remarkably shrewd business woman, so that when her husband died, about nine years ago, she took charge of the business, and had carried it on with marked pecuniary gain until her arrest She had accumulated fortune and is the owner of several tenements.
 ''For twenty-five years," said Mr. Robert Pinkerton to Times reporter yesterday, Mrs. Mandelbaum has carried on most successful business as receiver of stolen go0ds-silks, diamonds, in fact, she would buy the whole 'swag' of Q burglar. She is known, at least by name, to every thief and detective in the United States, and has re- ceived plunder from nearly every city in the country secured by travelling gangs of pro fessional thieves About a year ago she be- came little frightened and stopped dealing in jewelry. In the last six months she has not dealt with burglars, but confined her dealings to shoplifters All the noted thieves burglars, sneak thieves, shoplifters, second story climbers-have been connected with her at one time or another-that is, all first class thieves in their special branches. Whenever thieves wanted ready money they applied to her, for she always had it. She had rooms for storing goods in New York, Brooklyn, Hoboken, Passaic and other towns
 Often she would pay the rent of an entire flat for a man and wife, to have the use of one or two rooms Many women whose hus- DdullS WcIO 6S1N GSI1lS pT1SOu lOI DuE- glaries were secured to occupy these places. J "Who were her customers?'
 "They were everywhere. Many small dealers in this city bought of her because they could secure the goods cheap, though knowing where they came from. She sold to dealers and dressrnakers in Trenton, Albany, Buffalo, Cincinnati-she had agents every where. Before goods like silks were sent out by her every mark carefully removed. Some dealers put on bogus stock number and wrapped the packages as original. She was known 'Fthe Old Woman' Madam, and Mother Baum by thieves all over the country Professional thieves held her in high estimation, owing to the power she claimed to possess with the authorities. Some of the best thieves she would stick to when they were under arrest until all chancs of acquittal or escape were gone. She se- lected counsel for them and furnished all the money required. If her efforts were success ful she always taxed them double the ex- pense. She is very vindictive woman, and is said never to forget a wrong. She has made it practice for years to visit convicted thieves with whom she had dealings just be- fore the time their sentence expired, and she is we'll known on Blackwell's s Island, at Sing Sing, Crow Hill, the Eastern penitentiary at Philadelphia and other prisons. With these prisoners she was very persuasive and gene rally got back their business. She is per fectly familiar with the law, and knows how much evidence it takes to convict. She knows, too, that an accomplice's testimony cannot be taken unless corroborated, and so was always careful to deal with one person alone whenever possible"
 The only person who had the entire conf dence of Mrs. Mande1baum was Herman Stout, also under arrest. He was born in Saxony, and in appearance is by no means prepossessing. He was known as the "stool- pigeon" and was never liked by thieves. His wife died about eight years ago, and he began as 8 hanger on at Mrs. Mandelbaums, doing odd jobs. Soon Mrs. Mandelbaum took him into her entire confidence, and he always accompanied her when she went to look at plunder. The couple was always followed by son or daughter of Mrs. Man delbaum to see that they were not watched by detectives. She would go wherever the plunder was concealed if it was not cons1d- cred safe to bring it to her store She ot- fered about one-fifth of the wholesale price of the goods On silks worth three dollars a yard she would pay sixty-hye cents; for seal skin sacques which retail at three hundred dollars she would pay seventy dollars, and on camel's hair shawls worth one thousand or twelve hundred dollars she would pay one hundred dollars. On these and other lines of goods she had established prices known gen orally to professional thieves. A bargain the goods were carried by Stout and another employed to one of her many places of concealment The thieves in the meantime were not allowed to leave her pres ence, and she only paid for the goods when they were entirely in her possession.
 f'It is said by thieves" remarked MT. Pinkerton yesterday, stthat the old woman always drove hard bargain. In 1876, when Billy Porter and Johnny Irving robbed Claflin & Co of thirty thousand yards of silk, they had it hidden in stable. Mrs. Mandelbaum put them off until they were SO anxious to get away that they sold it | for almost nothing. The money for the de | fense of Billy Porter, who shot Walsh in Draper's saloon about year ago, after he ] had killed Irving, was furnished by this ]