Daily Republican., 1885-09-16
Philsdslphan Items.


PHILADELPHIA, September 10, 1885.
Detective John Sharkey has telegraph
cd far and wide tho description Of a|
woman who, travelling under the name
Of Mrs. George Frederick Pitnam, &C
complished . very skillful piece of
swindling on Monday. Her dupe was
q fashionable lady we'll known In
PhilAdelphia social circles, and the bait
that feeced 500 out Of the eonfiding
victims pocket was supposed India
shawl. Tho two met at Cape May dur
ing the summer, and the swindler has
ing Ascertained where her newly
made friend lived, followed her to this
city.
A supposed accidental meeting on
Chestnut street started the deep laid
game. Mrs. Pitnam decoyed her un.
suspecting friend TO an office near
Seven tn and Chestnut streets, where
she said O Custom house officer would
meet her with q superb shawl she was
expecting from England. The shawl
was there AZ we'll rs q male accom- plice,
who assumed the CustoIn-house officer q
role, and the two played their game
| with enough skill to enable Mrs. Pit
nam to borrow trifle over one hundred
dollars for the duty levied upon the
| shawl.
Having accomplished their purpose
the man disappeared and Mrs. PitDsm
managed to clude her swindled victim
in the Post Office Building, leaving II
her hands box which WAS supposed u
contain the shawl. as . guarantee o
good faith, but which really held n
old piece of carpet. The matter wa,
placed In Mr.. Sharkey's hands, though
the victim says she will not prosecute
II the woman Is found, as she does no
want her name TO appear before the pub
lilo.
| An unknown man, about 40 years o
age, of stout build, with a black mus
tache, short hair, and wearing duel
shirt, gray mixed trousers and Low
shoes, walked into the Schuylkill from
Vine street wharf, about half past
O'Clock last night and was drowned
| The body WAS recovered.
, A man fell into the Delaware rive
[ from Pine street wharf yesterday afte
! noon. He was rescued and taken
the Pennsylvania hospital in IN uncon
/ scious condition. He oied at the IL
stitution last evening and the body WI
removed to the morgue. He was abot
SO years of age, Ave feet nine inch'
III ueikutp udu hkub otoWh h"A -
, IN ustache, mixed shoddv trouser
striped ca ico shirt and Governmel
) shoes.
The steamboat Champion, whis
:, runs between this city aud BridRetol
Nj. was run Into by a schooner yeste
morning while leaving the Greenwic
; Piers, where she had been ooalin
y The force OF the collision carried avn
4 the Champions smokestack, but d
:, not otherwise damage her. She pr
ceeded to Neaffe & Levy's shipyar
% where the smokestack WAS again p
10 In place. The Champion then mat
her regular trip to Bridgeton.
An Investigation Is being made Of &
5 explosion of gasoline which wreckt
y. the saloon of Mary Briefly, 1877 Norl
10 street, on Monday night, aud injure
l. sew sral persons. Mrs. Briefly died
u her wounds in st. Mary's Hospital "
d terday. Annie O'Reilly and Jenn
B. Clark, boarders James Donovan, bt
IN keeper, and Charles A. PfAff and Har
A Bauer, customers, were but slightly
l iured.
ut Edward L. Mintzer, Of 1885 Sou
Fifth street, who WAS taken home
10 dead yesterday after his accident
q the Long Branch Express, returned
!" consciousness late in the night, al
f. though terribly cut and bruised, m
lie recovsr. He says that he was looki
an out Of the window TO see II the sky v
?" clearing. when the train lurched q
J." threw him ont.