Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-04-05
a OUEER CASE
The shop-Lif,ing Episode of Miss shipley.

A StauntOn telegram says: Among the
press dispatches of Wednesday was one
from Philadelphia giving an account OF the
arrest in that city Of Miss Mary Rebecca
SHIRLEY on the charge of shop-lifting ) 100
worth of goods. The arrest of Miss Ship
lev has created greatest surprise here. She
is a respected lady, church-member, ana
has fortune. She has gwen rs much as
s.. 600 at q time 10 the Baltimore Confer
ence of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
South.
Tie history of Miss Shipley's life is an
unusual one. She was born III Baltimore
of German parents. When she was child
her mother and father separated, and she
was taken charge of by friends in the West.
When she grew larger these friends took
her to Baltimore and nut her at the firm of
Armstrong, Gator Il Co.'s TO learn bonnet
trimming. In 1873 Major j. w. Newton,
the proprietor of a large dry goods ana
millinery store here, wanted a bonnet
trimmer, and the Baltimore firm recon-
mended Miss Shipley, who came to Staun-
ton III 1873. -
In 1873 her parents, who were getting old,
had come together again, and were hunt
ing for their daughter. They traced her
to stanton. She went to Baltimore to
see them, and, strange to say, on the day
she arrived there, or the day atterward,
both of the old people died within few
hours of each other. Their. fortune,
amounting to $4,000. fell to her. She
returned to Stanton and determined to
repair the early neglect of her education;
went TO school for one session at one OF
the colleges. The position OF q grown
woman pupil among the school-chlldren
did not prove TO be pleasant, and she lett
at the end of the session..
Since then she has lived comfortably on
the interest of her money, which had been
judiciously invested for her by her former
employer. Major Newton. Her friends here
are deeply interested in her case, and last
night were making arrangements to send
some one to Philadelphia to testify to her
character and render her any service need
ed. Her grandmother. whom she IS visit
ing in Philadelphia, is a lady OF large
wealth.
A Stanton lawyer, now in Washington,
has been telegraphed to go to Philadelphia
and attend to her case. In person Miss
Shipley is rather small, and has good fig
ure and attractive face. She lsabout forty
years of age. Miss Shipley has always been
more or less eccentric, and her friends
think her mind must have become affected.
[By Associated Press.l
ECCENTRIC FROM CHILDHOOD, BUT NOT A
THIEF.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, April 4.-Alary Re:
becca Shipley. from stanton. Va, VINO
was apprehended Wednesday for shop
lifting. and who afterward made an as
tonishine confession, has bcen released on
5000 bail. Her bondsman is 5. l.. Gobel,
of the Eagle Hotel. where Miss Shipley was
boarding. Detective Smith said to-day
that Miss Shipley had told Gobel that he
need not feel that she WAS thief. because
she had not taken the goods which were
found IN her trunk from various stores
with criminal intent. Detective Smith
also said he had received a letter
from Major j. W. Newton, Stanton, Va,
informing him that Newton was the
executor of the estate of Miss ShIpley's mo-
ther. and that he would srart for Phila-
delphia to-day to take Miss Shipley home
with him.
The detective also had letter from Nj.
NJ. Gibson, a lawyer at NoIristown, who
| made an appeal on behalf of Miss Shlpley.
| He stated that he was well acquainted with
her and knew her family and her history.
| lie said she had been eccentric since she
was a young girl.
Chief-of-Detectives Wood also received
| a telegram from a prominent gentleman IN
Baltimore corroboratlng Miss Shipley's
story about her respectable connections
and sent il over 70 Detective Smith. Her
grandmother, Mrs. Davis, resides on north
Fourth street and is nlncty-hve years old.
Detective Smith to-day finished asserting
the goods belonging to different firms which
had been identified by the owners of Miss
Shipley's pilferings, and said be would re-
turn them at once. He said II was probable
that this would be the last of the matter.
The losers would get their goods back,
and nobody felt like prosecuting the de
PENDANT.