The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1886-07-29
How Mrs. Rink Was Swindled.

a
OF A"GYPSEY QUEEN"
Mrs. Marcella Cooper of Somervile talked
Mrs. Wannette Rink of RoXbury out of S13.5 $50.
She began i'll 1872, continued the process until
lSSo, and only yesterday was her success re-
warded with arrest. Mrs. Cooper is known is
the queen" of Someryiilc gypses. Richard
Cooper, who, with his brother Samuel, carries
on horse trading business on Broadway, is
known as her husband. She has been Mrs.
Cooper long enough to bring into the world six
little Coopcrs, and previous to that she was
Mrs Stanley long enough to bring into the
world four little Stanley>. Beside this sterling
record, She has long possessed free will picty
second to no Baptist in East somerville.
Mrs. Rink is warm hearted German WHO
has been in Roxbury district % years. She
served out beer in the '.Washington beer car
dens9 on lynchon street, and about 10 years
ago began saving up money for the laudablc
purpose OF educating the young Kinks, of whom
there We're three. 1t was about this time that
Mrs. Cooper made the happy discovery that
MIS- Kinks was her friend in Christ. The Coop
crs then were wandering horse traders. They
used to do business with the Metropolitan sta
bles and the Highland brewers. and whenever
business called them into Mrs. Kinks neigh
borhood they drank some of Mrs. Kinks beer.
IN the first half Of 1872, Ms. Cooper talked to
Mrs. Rink good deal about some lucky inves-
ments She had made under the personal direct
ion of the Lord. Mrs. Rink confessed her sur
prise upon learning this and then Mrs. Cooper
fell upon her friends neck and said:
Dear Sister Rink, don't you want to invest
some money under spiritual "uidance:'
question or two by Mrs. Rink brought out
the fact that Mrs. Coopcr's language was large
~ il@urativc, but the Somcryillc "ulleen' AS
sllred her that though the Lord didn't operate
in the market himself he had a perfectly reli-
able agent on Milk street, who, in addition to
running big vault there, was partner of
we'll known dry goods firm. Mrs. Rink decid-
ed to risk on celestial security the money She
intended to educate the young Kinks with. and
on July II, 1872, she gave Mrs. Cooper 800.
she Didn't even know the name of the agent
who was said to have been thus
DISTINGUISHED BY DIVINE FAVOR,
and had entire confidence in the Christian pro-
fesson> of Mrs. Cooper. The latter. having
once gained this confidence, called often at the
beer garden. and between 1872 and 1873 She cot
from Mrs. Rink the snug sum of $4,000 From
1878 to oct 20, 1850, She secured $3.50 more
III amounts varying from 800 to 500. Dur
ING all this time Mrs Rink wa, furnished with
glowing accounts of the success of the invest
ncnt>. and was led to believe that whenever
she desired to draw She would get at least
tWlc" the amount she invested On the very
next call Mrs. Cooper made after the one on
oct. 20, Mrs. Rink mtimatcd that as her chill
dren We're getting large She would like to have
the - 900 She expected. Mrs. Coopcrat once
left the house, and for two years Mrs. Rink
didn't have the pleasure of Il call from her. At
the end Of that time, having made up her mind
to send daughter to Germany to get an edit
cation. she visited the Coopcrs in Somervillc
She found that they had prospered, for where
a> i'll 1872 they had no property, in 1882 thcv
had houses and barns. But Mrs. Cooper didn't
seem any more inclined then to pay over
S2a,oO0 than she was before. She said the
banker had gone to Europe and She couldn't
get the money until he returned. She actually
gave Mrs. Rink the name of IIcnman As that
Of the absent banker. and told her victim that
II She would 90 to Europe She would meet him
there and he would give her the money. 1t 30
happened that Mrs. Rink knew banker of
that name i'll Germany. and, with mistaken
t1lth she made the voyage to her native land.
She soon returned. however. and went straight
to Mrs. Cooper to tell her that the banker
didn't know anything about the money. Mrs.
Cooper promised to look up the agent herself.
and soon afterward she called with one of her
daughters. upon Mrs. Rink. and presented an
envelope containing two pieces of paper 50
>rrbbcd over ~ to be uninteligiblc and $50
in bills. She explained that the banker hal
sent the notes. which said that $50 was all the
cash ne could raise, as The money was invested
in buildings. Mrs. Rink demanded of Mrs
Cooper the deeds of the property, at which
the daughter besought Mrs. Rink not to iniure
her inQ. her. and the ''quccn," falling upon her
knees, begged Mrs. Rink not to question her
further unless she wanted to ruin her. Still
Mrs. Rink had implicit confidence. After 4
week or TWO had elapsed, Mrs.. Cooper
CALLED UroN HER AGAIN
and said that She had been ordered from above,
to get n receipt for S200 Mrs. Rink said. very
bluntly, she Oughtnt to have Il receipt for $500
When she had only received ~ll0, and then
Mrs. Cooper coaNrd her to 90 over to Mr..
Cooper and tell him She had received 5000.
She went over. Mrs. Cooper called her hlI>-
band into the room and then Mrs Rink said
Your Wife asked me to tell YOU She had civ
en- Inc 5000
Cooper said gruhiy: "That'> hen bu>nc>>.''
and Went out of the house.
This incident excited the suspicious that had
Solong been quiclcdby the oily tongucd "uuccn,"
and, after some months more of proftle>> wait
inc she presented her claim to \. H. Reeds
agency. NO. 20 DcVon>hrc street. for collection
Mr. Reed proceeded against the Coopcr~ in the
usual way, and not getting any satisfaction ne
gave the ease to Chief Inspector IIanScom and
Il warrant was got through the RoNbury court
three weeks ago charging her with obtaining
800 from Mrs. Rink by false prccnces But hv
this time Mrs. Cooper had been frightened away
The report was given oUt by her friends that
She had cone to Montreal, but within Il few
days 1t was learned that She was no farther or
than the neighhorng town of Stoncham. Upon
her return home yesterday Officer Leighton of
the Somcrvllc police served the warrant for the
Boston office and Officer rinkerton brought her
over to the headquarters in the afternoon.
When Mrs. Rink confronted her in Chief In
spertor llansrom~ office. Mrs. Cooper, with all
the %rac"~ Of 4 confidence woman, greeted her
rs her ''>i>tcr in Christi. Until the moment
that the imprisoned 'quecn" admitted that she
had "rcreivcd the money and lost it in Il bu>i-
ness transactions" Mrs. Rink still believed that
.b,r, Ei,.
had talked it into her 80 that She could not but
believe it was somewhere where She could put
her hands upon it. Mrs. Cooper could not he
induced to say what the nature of the ''bllsmcsS
transaction was by which She had lost it. bu!
she asserted positively that her husband had
never had any knowledge Of the fact that She
was defral,lin% Mrs. Rink. Between the loss of
her money and the total collapse of her orthu-
doN hopes Mrs. Rink was reduced to an cXtrrn!-
lty of despair i'll which she could only find re-
lief by eNclamations Of ''Mcin Got, mcin
Got" Boston Herald DIST