The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-12
BERTHA's LUCKY TOOTH.
A Female Detectives Experiences
with Bogus Dentists.

Bertha Schader is the name Of q pretty
little German girl who has inspired more
terror in the b. casts of a certain class of
law-breakers than have Inspector Byrnes
and the entire police force. The capital of
this female Vidocq appears to have been a
pair of blue eyes, an innocent face, q de-
cayed molar and chronic headache. Yet
with this combination she went out in the
interest of the State Medical and State
Dental Associations, and caught in the
meshes OF the legal net and dragged into
court within the last three months over a
score of quack doctors, diplomaless dentists
and tooth-pulling BARRIERS.
Complaint after complaint some time ago
poured into the offices of the two associa-
tions from practicing physicians and dentists
saying at they were being imposed upon
by pretenders. The dentists were especially
outspoken in their grievances The Brook
Ign representatives claimed that there were
number of men practicing dentistry who
were not registered. The Grand street prac-
tltioners said that the BARRIERS had almost
entirely usurped their business, and that
unless something was done they would be
compelled to shut up shop. William II. Pur-
rington of No. 63 Wall street, the attorney
of the association, and Henry Loring, the
gray-haired detective, Immediately began
to cast about for some way to circumvent
these illegal practitioners.
AFTER THE BARRIERS.
"The lawes very explicit upon this point u
said the attorney. st 10 BARRIERS should
stick to their shaving and hairdressing. AS
for the dentists, if they are qualified they
can easily get the required diploma. The
latter are either ignorant of the law or seek
to evade the payment Of the triaing regis
tration fee."
II have already had my teeth dug into by
quacks until l have found it necessary to
have half of them pulled" said the detec-
tive. 1--WE have gathered up carloads of
quack medicines and dentifrices, and still
we are not through with these men. tell
you what l will do, will get woman
after them"
A few days after this consultation the de-
tective introduced to the president of the
society as Miss Schader q girl with neat
trim figure, shapely white hands, profu-
sion of brown hair. and innocent blue eyes.
The doctor, after few minutes converse
ton, came to the opinion that beneath this
innocent face was good deal of cool deter
mination, and agreed with the detective that
''she would do.n And SO Miss Schader went
into the employ of the medical and dental
associations as detective.
LEARNING TO BE A DETECTIVE.
81 dropped quite naturally into this bust
ness" said Miss Schader, at her home, No.
551 West Fiftieth street, the other evening
to reporter mr. Loring, the detective
of the medical society, is a friend of my
parents, aud he said that he would teach me
how to do the work. commenced about
a year ago, and had a pretty severe course
of instruction. There are many things to
remember, how to act and appear under
certain circumstances and be ready at the
right minute with the right question or
answer.
''At first l made good many mistakes
from which | afterward profited. l have
had for years chronic headache and re-
Gently badly decayed molar Either OF
these any person, it seems, would be glad to
dispense with, yet they form sort Of stock
in trade for me. That old aching tooth l
carefully nurse and just for the present
would not part with it. 1t is something
like Katisha's-my pride 1t has been
passed upon by more dentists, too, than
most any other tooth you ever heard of In
a single afternoon I have had it filled SIX
different times, and have as many times
thrown the filling away.
NEVER SUSPECTED.
zone of the first pieces of work that ]
did by myself was in Brooklyn among I'M
registered dentists. got a list of regis
tered dentists, aud then set about to find
out those who were doing business, and vet
whose names were not down on the list
As soon as l had this second list com pleted
l commenced my visits. | would go into
the offices complaining of either a tooth
ache or ask to have some work done on my
teeth. Not one of the men app lrently sus-
pected me Of being a detective, and 50
l had little trouble in getting done
what l wanted. The work would
generally cost from fifty cents
to "a dollar. After getting my evidence 1
swore out warrants for the arrest of five of
the mef-O. L. Field, No. ITO Reid avenue
NJ. E. O'NeiI No. Elm place; John Law
son, No. 134 Flatbush avenue; Frederick
Neis, No. 1873 King street; and Marks A
Broughton, No. 572 Fulton street. The men
were brought before Justice Tighe, Dec. l.
Fields and O'Neil acknowledge their guilt
and were each fiued $50. Two Of the others
claimed that they had registered in New
York and thought that this would hol
good in Brooklyn. The third was a
student.
NEW YORK BARBER DENTISTS.
"Next came over to New York and
tackled the BARRIERS. I soon found out that
they were doing quite business in dent
istry more especially on the east side among
the poor people. Their charges were less
than dentists, sometimes pulling teeth for
~ or 10 cenUS Some 0f Cne place. thab
was to enter were so vile and uninviting
that it fairly made me shudder to think
of it.
81 put on plain calico dress and left my
hat and gloves with Mr.. Loring, and,
throwing an old shawl over my head
started out With my hand up to my jaw
and an expression of agony on my face l
entered one of the suspected places The
man in charge seemed to know what
wanted without my telling him. He seated
me on a chair and took out one of the
uelest and most terrible-looking pair Of
dentists, forceps I everlsaw. The sight oil
these Instruments of torture brought back
my speech. %, don't want it pulled, just
doctored,' l faltered. He put cotton, soaked
| in some kind of drug, in my tooth. l gave
| him 10 cents and left the place.
AN UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE.
"Reaching the sidewalk took out the
cotton and threw it away. After walking
around for some time / entered another
place. 1t was a little back room. whore the
barber lived with his wife and five children.
He seated me by the window, and after ex-
aiming my tooth attempted to put in II
| some drug. But his hand trembled, and he