The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1885-12-19

other equally ridiculous things che said
and finally she tried TO hribe me. | was
| MS patient as | could be with her; but at
last told her that if she made it necess>
! AIRY should be obliged, much against my
viii, 10 force her to 90 with me. Then
she summoned a carriage, in which she
accompanied me without any more words.
| \ search was made at her residence, but
the missing purse was not found Mrs.
| Clifford was sent for, and she identified
the prisoner as lady who had stood by
her side for some minutes at Stewart
lace counter. She entered complaint
against Mrs. Jasper.
! The prisoners usband was wealthy
and influential, and Of course did every
| Thing in his power to secure his wife's
release Mrs. Clifford was induced to
Withdraw her complaint. and Mrs. Jas,
per was discharged. But the stain still
remained upon her name; many persons
believed her to be guilty of the crime of
Which Sue had been accused. Ethan JAS
per was very proper man, and the DIS
grace which his wife had brought upon
him cut him to the quick But within u
week after Mrs. Jasper's discharge a well
known PICK pocket, John Emory by name,
who was confined in the Tombs on a
charge of theft confessed that he bad
stolen the ring from Mrs, Jasper, and had
afterwards picked Mrs, Ciilfords pocket.
There were people llluatured enough to
say that money had been paid for max,
ing this confession 1t happened. cur
iOuslY enough, that Ethan Jasper was
this mans counse. and you will ac>
knowledge that it did not seem altogether
improbable that he had been bribed. But
in the minds OF the majority of people the
pickpocket's confession cleared Mrs.
Jasper of all suspicion Emory was
scnte,ced To term OF imprisonment and
the matter was soon forgotten.
NEARLY Two years had pissed when
fashionable society was startled by the
st4teuent from John Emory, who had
served out his term and returned to New
York That he had not stolen either Mrs.
Chtford's purse, but that he had been
payed by Ethan Jasper to confess the
crime. Then it all came out. The con
fcssion, indeed, had been n false one, and
Mrs. Jasper had really stolen the purse.
The lawyer had given his client Il receipts
ed bill for counse fees and large sum
Of money besides to made the bogus CON
fession. At the expiration of his term
Emory Jasper, demanding live hundred
dollars as the price OF his continued
silence, The lawyer had paid the money,
and Emory had returned again and again
until his victim had at last lost all pa
thence. refusing to accede to the black
mailer's demands. and elected the scound
rel from his house Then Emory gave
away the whole affair. His confession
was the means of bringing forth state
ments from various shopkeepers and
other persons from whom Mrs. Jasper
had within the past two years stolen
money and goods. and with whom the
unhappy husband had compromised
1t was genuine case of 'kleptomania,
if ever there was one; for Mrs Jasper had
no motive to steal. Her husband had
surrounded her with luxury and it must
have been either an innate love of crime
or a strange mental disorder that
prompted her to commit these thetts.
When the exposure came Jasper separated
from his wife and left the city. He is now
practicing in Chicago, but they say that
he is broken down mentally and physical
ly, aud is but a wreck of his former
self"
And the woman-what became of
herr" | asked as the detective paused.
you saw her in court the other
morning, he replied
What Alice Brown" | exclaimed.
Exactly. She has developed into II
clever professional thief. It's strange,
hut the life seems to suit her better than
which .she led when she was the honored
wife of Ethan Jasper. a strange case, isn't
it? There's material in that woman's
career for an interesting psychological
study"