The evening world., 1888-09-29

Broiers and Business Mon by Hundreds
: Fell Victims 20 Her wiles and S2O-Bius
Poured Freely Into Her Trcasury-A
Ciever MInke-Up and Forged Letters
from Clsrsyuen DID tho Bssinssn.
Police Capt. William Mclaughlin and his
/ ward detectives, Oates and Nugent, ar
raigned O stout. well-fed looking German
! woman before Justice White in the Tombs
Police Court this morning on q charge of
svindling q number of people out of sums Of
money ranging from $6 to gas.
The prisoner gave her name as Susan
Smidt. aged fifty Ave, and with q sorrowful
shake of the head declared she had mo
more."S
The police knew her better by the name Of
Susan Myers. She has been swindling people
all over the country for fifteen years past.
Several times she has been arrested and i'm
prisoned. but always received slight sem
fences.
There Is something of o mystery about the
woman,
She claims to have been married to o re-
speetable man, who abe says Ia dead, and
that while he was alive she lived an honest
life. She says that she took to ~gwindling
people for q living after her husband died.
1t is known that she has o son, O respect
able young married man in this city. For q
long time he did not know of his mothers
evil ways, but after she had been arrested
once he learned the truth. The disgrace
nearly killed him. When she was released
from prison he tried to reform her, but find
ing his best efforts unsuccessful, he disowned
her and put her from his home. That was
several years ago.
Since then she has served q term of two
years in the Kings County P~enitentlary, but
the New York police had heard nothing OF
her for three years until about two weeks
Ago.. Then Capt. Mclaughlin began to re-
ceiye one or two complaints daily from bust
ness men in his precinct who had been
swindled by On o~ily-tongued old German
The first case that came to the Captains
ears was that of William Thompson, o coffee
broker at 90 Front street. The old woman
went into his Office about three weeks ago
crying bitterly. She seemed bent with age.
had d1 on seli been aV White sse did n 1anf hide the din. dis'
ordered gray hair that fell IN scanty ringiets
about the old woman's neck She wore only
r 2 rquiitsd skirt for q dress, and he,
Her appearance alone excited Mr.. Thomp-
sons pity: Kindly he asked her what he
could do for her. 1855.
her only son lay dead in the Hospital for In.
curables. His body would be inferred IN
Potter's Field il she could not raise money
enough to bury him decently.
II know you are a charitable man, " she
moaned. You look good and kind, and be.
sides l was told to apply to you by MIR. Dilts. "
As she said this she produced q visiting card
of the Rev. A. Reed Dilts. the pastor OF the
church in Plainfeld, N. j.. which Mr..
Thompson attends.
Even If he had any doubt of the genuine.
ness of the woman's appeal, the card would
have set all suspicion at rest, SO he gave the
poor woman $40, and the addresses of sew.
eral of his friends, and let her go away.
When he saw his pastor next time he SPOKE
to him about the unfortunate woman, but
Mr.. Dilts did not know her and had neye1
heard Of her. Mr.. Thompson got angry and
next day reported the case to Capt. Nc
Iaughlin.
In the station-house he met Charles A.
was " worked =" the same way by the poor ole
woman. He lost $16. He also lives il
Plainfield, and 1t was DR.. Dilts's card thai
opened his purse SO readily also.
Since then about twenty eight cases werl
Reported at the sta~tion-house.
Detectives Oates and Nugent kne thu
woman years ago and recognized her imme
They brought her to the station-house
where she confessed her guilt. and said that
altogether, she had swindled over six hun
dred people in the last few years. In cour
this morning the following complaints wer
made against her:
y s. L. Haines, of 2O2 West Fortythipt
street, lost $40 July IS last.
John MOTHS, OF 43 and 45 Worth street
swindled out of SIS July 20.
James 5. Coward, 40 Greenwich street, 81
Aug. ~, and j. j. Coyne, Of Elizabeth, NJ.