The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-12-28

~ sO1 OSSs"poo"0"ec ~ s"0
For the past two weeks New York has
been In the full tide OF u Partisan sensa-
sion. In n city whose conditions are so
prolific Of crime, 10 In seldom that n mere
murier attracts more than n passing i'm
scrcsS But the shooting of stephen
Pessu. by Hannah was
NOR had 'h sS IL. " sic%.u.. " OF
tragedy such as dumas and the modern
school Of writer's of realistic novels de-
light In. IL was . ronhancc within q ro-
nance; u tragedy within n Tragedy ; and
which every one Rad and shuddcrcd at.
Of course, public opinion il divided over
the Southwo ettus affair IN 10 al
ways is when n pretty aud clever wo-
some apparent justification for her act.
A h~igh-spiritcd kentucky girl, after
she had fallen ~ victim, as she asserts, to
the wiiss of Pettus, sh vowed to make his
life n burden by continual u~pbraidings
and "a take out her vengeance i'm abuse.
After three years Of this sort of thing she
her relatives say, that IN statutory period
had arsed and that PcttIs' crime being
outlawed. he could now laugh at her
threats and compel her silence.
There arc Others, however, who take "a
different view, and who hold that the
historical and sun cring women now i'm the
1omh~ is nos the innocent victim who for
eight long years kept her secret until she
revealed il tn her friend, Rosa Lloyd.
It<pSih " IN cFt'Ssl prey W tAt wble III
Pettus, Who sccnls TO have been - sort of
Don Juan in u small way. There
!, a strong flavor Of Brookiyn morals
these two women. made some ten months
ago "a each other. Pettus friends assert
" bleeding" him for years before the final
EXPOSURE. and that he, not she, had been
the victim. Indeed, they declare that lac
had given her thousands OF dollars, and
that tho climax was reached only after his
absolute refusal To pension her with 500
seem ~ prove that Pettus was any
thing hut a pattern of morality. even for
Brooklyn. but at the same time The whole
case has drawn attention anew To u class
of men and women. who. Jekyll-and-
Hyde-like. lead double lives that are FREE
quently unsupported even by their near
est relatives, and whose real characters
only come te tie known when an accident,
or Il may he n tragedy lays the secret bare
There are In New York hundreds of pro-
fessional female Vampires. the majority
of them to the police, who live
ut home and tn all appearances lead re-
spdctAble lives. IL Is tai this class that the
friends of Stephen. Pettus will endcavor
to prove that his slayer bclongs But there
has bscn thus far no substantial evidence
adduced To- show that Mrs. Southworth
was u blackmailer, or that she ever accept
cd q dollar from the man she afterwarSl
killed i'm cold blood. She gave no indica-
tons u belonging. To the fraternity of
foIIies of the opposite sex. as 40 many
women do I'm the metropolis. They are to
tie met evsrywhere; but theirchicf STAMP,
street i'm winter and the seaside and
mountAin resorts in summer. Coy
anH , nass,re saSnsn AMI dhfy are se,er,
would probably show that n large pro-
portion are widows. who have seen the
site sex accurately. They 10 not set their
traps for tho young men, hut rather
able prey; for shere the fear Of exposure
has tho moro weight and the financial
possibilities are precisely i'm proportion tn
Hundreds of men in business and i'm the
professions in New York have had expcr-
ience with these vampires. Not long ago
Wall street had occasion to laugh over the
misfortune of N well known aud shrewd
flnancier. who used To boast that no man
course, mo common, vulgar blackmailcr
could; hut ~ clever, gootllooking woman
with resources IL thatiilc is neither vulgar
upon him at his office. One was pretty
and petite, and the other u n~nc-lookinx
lady excused herself and departed, Icav.
ing the elder with the broker talking
about the prices of stocks and prospective
Investments. Presently the lady rose and
stepped toward the door, which she
locked almost before the broker could
catch his breath. Wheeling about she
Now. MIR. Blank, l want your check for
sio.Ooo, II y3n please. otherwise will
The man started to his feet with an
oath. his face white and every limb
summon his clerks. when tin. lady c"oliy
sat down On the lounge and ripped her
dress open with IL single motion of her
'Sign il, or i'm another minute I will
Scream"
prepared to carry her threat into cxecu-
"For Gods sakct' cried the frightened
man. "Dont shout. I'll sign IL. or any
don't make such n SS.gue.'