, 1889-09-26
A GIRL BURGLAR.
One Who Caused the Dignifed
Judge to Look UP in
Astonishment,
Altogether a Very Pretty Picture
in an Exceedingly Bad
Frame.
tChicago Telegram. !

this week. The spokesman was the
clerk of Justice Il. NJ. Wallaces court.
whose daily occupation gives him plenty
of lung exercise; IN response to the cail
of men and women from the witness
room and the 'pon." In the center of
the group was Il young and rather at
tractivc girl, escorted by Detective
O'Brien and the Armofy matron Mrs.
Lytell. The girl was the prisoner, Mary
McGreevy, the youngest and most dar-
ing female burglar on record, allowing
for the length of time she has been toll
lowing her unwomanly profession.
Half dozen of her victims, all of them
women, surrounded the girl burglar in
The dock, prepared to tell :heir stories to
the court.
The Juvenile criminal caused the dig
nified judge to look up In surprise when
she turned and faced the court with all
the modesty of quiet, studious school
girl preparing to deliver her first Com
| moncemcnt' essay. The student of
physiognomy would find rare field of
inquiry in Mary McGreevy's face and
manners. Her general appearance Is as
far removed from that of typical
criminal as the earth is from the heavens.
The impression formed on u casual OBJ
server is that she looks Miss Innocent
II she really is not. She has fair COM
plexion, is light in build, but tall for her
age, not being quite years old:
Her expressive blue eyes, which drooped
occasionally or were cast around her III
an indifferent way served to set oti her
rather pale face and abundance of light
brown hair, banged over her forehead.
Her, petite double chin and aquiline nose
made up the tout ensemble of Mary
McGreeyy, the l6-year-old burglar.
ter of dress. A slSy-bluo gown, with
braided trimmings, was surmounted by
II white muslin collar, and on her head
rested fashionable hat. trimmed with
ribbons and artificial roses. Her small
white hands were half encased in black
silk gloves, reaching over the knuckles.
Altogether II was u very pretty picture
in very bad frame. As she stood before
the bar of justice, looking like Patience
on monument smiling at Grief" there
were many half-whispered inquiries and
craning of necks TO see the fair prisoner.
| Who is she?" whats the charger"
us that the girl burglar?" were some of
courtroom during the preliminary OK
animation of the case. The heart-brokcn
mother and honest Woodworking father
sat in the front row and divided
their attention between the lawyer, the
judge and their erring daughter. Her
mother thinks she is not In her right
mind, but her father is convinced OF her
natural wickedncss. The witnesses told
of Mary's bold daylight burglaries; how
she broke into the houses, ransacked
the rooms, fought like tigress when
caught with her plunder; how she
jumped over fences to escape capture (;
how she tlourished revolver ut one of
her female pursucrs and threatened to
shoot another who ventured too near
the phenomenal house-breaker; how
she gave one house wife black eye for
barring her exit from the scene of her
crime, and how she became the terror of
the ghborhoOd in which she operated
with such professional skill All this
and more was told to the astonished
judge, while the meek k-looking prisoner
raised her eyes occasionally or parted
her compressed lips in IL pleasant smile,
showing pretty set of white teeth,
when the witnesses referred to her fence
jumping and revolvcr-tlourishing
A tell-tale popularity about this Grim
nal anomaly Is that She will not or can
not look any one squarcly in the face
when being spoken to or speaking her
self. She raises her eyes for second
once in while and then lowers them to
the ground. She has none of the brazen
ettrontery common to professional Grim
inals of her sex, and when she speaks,
which is not often, her voice is soft and
low. Her lawyer evidently realized the
hopclessncss of his task, for he allowed
the witnesses TO go almost unquestioned,
and advanced the plea of insanity i'm de-
Tense Of his clients crimes. lie argued
that the proper place for her to go was
the House of the Good Shepherd; that re-
formation and not punishment would be
best for her own good and the safety of
society, considering her immature age,
but the court decided to send the in
corrigible house-breaker and thief to the
criminal court where the county physi-
clan could pass upon her mental con
dition, and If sane and guilty she must
take her first term in the penitentiary.
The prisoner was in no way affected by
the sight of her grief-stricken parents or
the prospect of penitentiary sentence
hanging over her.
Mary McGrcevy began her life OF
crime before she was 13 years of age.
She is one of six children, her father be-
home on Twenty-third street. Her par
ents are Irish born, and no stain has
ever blotted the family name until their
daughter began her criminal career.
Where will it end? On the scaifold or
immured in felon's cell for lifc2 She
developed a desire to steal while engaged
as a domestic in various houses of the
rich on the south side. Her quiet, win
ming ways and pretty face always Sc
cured for her position in tho best
households.
Her theits did not remain long undis.
covered, and though not arrested, out ol
consideration for the family, she soon
became branded as n dishonest girl by
those from whom she had stolen. Nc
longer able to carry on her thefts in the
guise of domestic, she began to break
into houses in the neighborhood where
she had been employed. She always
, chose the morning hours for her opera.
, tions, when the male members OF the
family were absent, and the servants
and female members were attending tc
their work. Her plan OF operation was
, to approach the house from the rear
! selecting house which had screen doors
with the ordinary doors open. She
! would pick out house where she saw
! the servants working outside and take
her chance of meeting some member o.
the family when she got inside.
, Her burglars tools consisted chiefly
of a pair of large, sharp scissors and /
r capacious bag in which, she slowed hei
plunder. She used the scissors 10 etfect
an entrance by ripping the wire .screer
, near the opening of the door. IL tool
less than minute to insert her hand ol
, fingers, and lifting the catch she was in
, side ready for business. If she founc
no screen door she would turn her at
tention to the basement screen windows
cut hole in them and lift them III
high enough to crawl inside. Once II
the house she did her work swiftly ane
r noiseessly, first ransacking the ser
D wants rooms, which she calculated Oh
/, being empty. II the contents did no
{ take her fancy she would go upstairs t.