The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-05-21
A CURIOUS STORY.
Connected With Pension Fraud
Mrs. Barnes a Former Res
ident of Sedalia.

06 OlODe-D6IuOCTdl. 'OI Ills uOTu-
ing contains the following:
Among the cases that are to be ex-
amined by the United States Grand
Jury before adjourning is that of the
United States VS., Mrs. Elizabeth
Barnes, alias Mary Little, and War
rem Ritz, alias VIM. Francis, charged
with d pension fraud. This case has
been explained in the Globe-Democrat
from time to time as developed, and
while the amount involved is only
about 500, yet the fraud discloses a
story of degradation and depravity,
and illustrates to what low degree Of
meanness some persons will fall to
gain q mere pittance by fraudulent
transactions. The principals in the
conspiracy have been in Jail for over
a week, but there are several others
implicated whom the authorities would
like to have brought to justice. They
have thus far evaded arrest, however.
Mrs. Barnes, alias Little, after over
weeks confinement IN Jail, has con.
sented to disclose the secret underly-
ing the case, and her story places
Warren Ritz in a decidedly unenvi-
able position.
She says her real name is Elizabeth
Barnes. She is about 80 years of age
and was born in johnson county,
Mo. In 1860 she married Samuel
Roberts, who was a farmer in Pettis
county, and they lived together in
Georgetown during the war. He
served some time as a private soldier
during the war, and died in 1869 at
Knobnoster, johnson county, Mo.
She had two children by Roberts, a
boy and girl. About a year after
Roberts death, she married William
l.. Barnes, in johnson county, and
he died two years later in Green
witch, Mo. One child was born by
this union. She married again in
1875, at Sedalia. to a painter named
Joel 81. Gilbert. 1t was by this mar
riage that she claims to have met her
downfall. She lived at Sedalia with
Gilbert about eighteen months, and
frequent quarrels and family troubles
compelled them to leave there. They
came to St. Louis. Here their
troubles increased. They lived in the
old Whittier building, and Gilbert
was constantly accusing her of being
nnfaithful, and often beat her, she
says. They had lived here but a short
time when Gilbert presented her with
a pension certificate drawn in the
name of Mrs. Mary Little. He told
her that it was transferred to her, and
that all she had to do was to imperson
ate Mrs. Little and get two witnesses
to 60 before magistrate four times a
year, and then she could draw the
money. This was in the latter part
of 1877. She accepted the papers
and followed out the plan, but claims
that she does not remember the
names of the first witnesses. After
she drew the first money, Gilbert re-
fused to work. Frequent and con-
tinual quarrels ensued, and she left
him. In the meantime she learned
that he had another wife living. She
has not seen him since.
This conduct, Mrs. Barnes claims.
made her careless as to her own repu-
tation and character, and che then
formed liaisOn with Warren Ritz. |
She never married him, but lived un-
der the name of Mrs. Barnes, and |
kept him as boarder. He was a |
painter by trade, and at first did fair
ly we'll in supporting her. From the
Whittier building she moved to Eigh- |
teenth and OFalion streets, where she
earned a living as seamstress. After
Ritz had lived with her some time, she
says he turned out to be even worse
than Gilbert. He went under the
name of William Francis. He knew
Of her drawing the pension money,
On several occasions witnessed the
claim under the names of Warren
RIFT and William Francis. He alb.
'orbed the greater part of the money,
threatening to expose her if she re-
used to give it to him. He held the
act as ''club over her head" He
became lazy aud seldom worked, and
n the various parts of the city where
hey lived he beat her and abused her
70 that the neighbors got up re-
and had them removed. |
They lived at Eighteenth and O'Fallon
streets, Ninth and O'Fallon, Ninth
md Carr, Tenth and O'Fallon, III
North Seventeenth street, Twelfth
treet and Cass avenue, 2107 South
Seventh street, Third and Soulard
treets, 1119 South Third street, 1926
south Third street and 731 South Sew
nth street. From the last place she
ropf fo Ozork No Che oo,t,n,ol - |