The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-01-28
| FEMALE BURGLAR.
Startling Disclosures Following
An Arrest.
4 GIRL DRESSED LIKE 4 MAN.
How Alice Stokes PIsyeA Detective and
Helped Patrolman Collins Rob the
stores He Guarded.


noon Alice Stokes. alias Thomas Sudro.
hslf-breed girl who was parading in male
attire. was arrested on Second street By
Lieutenant Peer and Officer Raymond. and
taken 10 police headquarters. There she was
charged with having stolen some articles
from DeNers' dry goods store on last
Tuesday night, when the store was burg
larszsss This she admitted. When. arrested
a policeman's star and club were taken
from her.
Later in the afternoon John Collins. of
the Merchants patrol firm Of Collins s.
Adair, was brought into the station.
charged with completely in some of the
recent burgiaries. which have taken place
in seattle, particularly IN the territory COW
cred by him as night patroiman along
Second and Third streets. out as far as
Union.
Collins connection with the girl in this
affair dates back about four weeks. AT
that time Alice Stokes went to him. as she
says. for protection. She had been living
with man named Philip Doyle. out to-
wards Lake Washington, but he abused her
and threatened to kill her. She determined
10 GET away from him, and adopted male
Disguise in order 10 conceal her identity.
She had known Collins for some time. hav-
ing taken care of his children at his house
last summer for several weeks, when he
lived near Doyle's.
About q month ago she went to him on
his beat one night, dressed in male attire.
and said that Doyle had been beating her,
and she wanted to borrow SIS with which
to get 90 Victoria. Collins says he told her
he could not give her that amount. but
handed over enough to keep her a day or
two, remarking that she had better wait Z
few days and perhaps it could be arranged.
At the end OF three or four days the
Stokes woman proposed to help him on has
night watch. Her tastes and inelinations
are masculine, and according to her story
she likes detectives life. To this Collins
assented, and furnished her with star,
club and revolver, and about three weeks
ago they commenced their work together.
No one suspected at the time that the boy
ish looking patroiman was really a woman.
The regular police on the beats which they
covered talked with her frequently, but did
not suspect her sex. Up to the time of
their arrest yesterday they did not miss a
| night together on the patrol.
On the night OF the DeMers robbery,
Collins claims to have made the discovery
that the store had been broken into. When
he saw the front door open he stationed
the young female detective at the front
door while he ran through the store to dis
cover the burglars il possible, but they had
gone and taken a quantity OF goods with
them. After searching the store with OH
Ger Void. who had in the meantime ar
rived In response to Collins summons, they
both left the store leaving the Stokes woman
on guard. Void returned to his beat md
Collins went in search of Mr.. DeMers, but
could not find his house. 1t was while he
was absent that his companion stole the
articles on account of which she was ar
rested.
1t Is 4 lucky circumstance for. Officer
Ray mond. who worked up the case, that
on Thursday last the Stokes woman took
room at his house for lodging purposes.
He had for some time been suspicious
that all was not right with the two. and
had determined il possible to find out
IL they had been guilty of anything
crooked. The articles that the woman
stole on Tuesday night were found in her
room by the officer, who searched it when
she was absent. When she admitted her
guilt yesterday she exonerated Collins
from any knowledge of the theft.
But Notwithstanding this, the officers
think they have an entirely separate and
stronger case against Collins. After his
arrest q search warrant was procured and
Officers Raymond and Rodgers searched
his house. at LOIS Fifth street. There
they found a quantity of new clothing,
consisting OF shirts, gloves. ties and socks,
in much larger quantity than . man
Ar4fp
brought down TO police headquarters, but
previously hise flannel shirt in the coll
lection was shown to DeMers. who said he
identified il by private mark. Collins, in
explanation OF the TACT of his having so
many clothes. said that he brought large
quantity from Chicago when he came here,
a year ago having been in business there
and failed.
In the collection also were certain arti-
cles shirt and few ties. which he said
had been given to him by Mr.. Anderson,
in the employ, or as be thought at the
time, a partner of S. A. Hartman, men s
furnlsher on Second street This state
ment officer Raymond corroborates, as he
was in Hartman's at the same time and
was given few like articles by Anderson
Chief Mitchell says that outside of the
De Mers shirt taken from Collins house
there were other pieces of wearing apparel
found, which he thinks give evidence
enough upon which 10 make a case.
The police hint At the possession of fur
ther information. which they say will put
Collins deeper into the n!re. bat this re-
mains TO be seen and cannos be taken con-
ciusively until Collins is given an opportu-
nifty in court 10 clear himself.
The suspicious chain Of circumstances
against his partner bear rather heavily on
Mr.. Nell A6air, as he feels that Collins pre-
s.icanent has borne reflections upon
| him. But As far as Mr..
Adaiv Is concerned, he was simply unsor-
tunAte in his association. The roliee.
from Chief Mitchell down. have the great
est confidence in hfs integrity. and place
the fullest ereeience In his statement
that he bad 10 remote sus-
pscion that Collins was engaged in
anything questionable. As a matter of
fact he was of daty during the time in
which Collins Is alleged TO have done his
crooked work, and kneg absolutely moth
Ing about il until be heard Of bis partners
arrest Mr.. Adsir SAYS he wlil sever his
connection With Collins Fehruarv II.
whether he Is cleared or not, and hereafter
intends re CARR on the business himself.
Collins was taken from police heaaausr-
tiers about o'clock LAST evening and placed
in the county jail. Previous 10 his inear-
ccral5on ha w&s visited av his
sister. who sas greatly affected AZ
TIE disgrace which had fallen npoa hisn.
ana Notwithstanding his assurances. that
L