Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-05
ANXIOUS TO REFORM.
Annie Conaway Asks to be Sent to the
Home of the Good Shepherd.
THE STRANGE STORY OF HER LIFE.
She Was Educated at the Convent of Mercy
and is Talented.
ANOTHER OF HER VICTIMS APPEAR

Annie Conaway, the young girl arrested
in Allegheny Saturday for shop-lifting,
will probably be sent to the Home OF the
Good Shepherd to-day. She is an intelli-
gent girl, and realizing her position, re-
quested yesterday that she be placed under
the care of the Sisters. She wants to re-
pent, and it is thought stay in the Home
will reform her ways. Detective Glenn,
who arrested her, gives the following in
teresting history of Annie's career:
The girl is but q years old and is quite
pretty, being dark and well-formed. She
comes of very good, respectable and we'll
to-do people. and has been given the ad-
vantage of good education. Her mother
is highly respectable old lady and resides
in one of the lower Allegheny wards. Her
father has been dead for a number of years,
and Annie has been employed as
governess with a well-known Allie
gheny family since she graduated
from school, about two years ago.
EDUCATED IN A CONVENT.
After passing her childhood in a public
school she was sent to the convent of the
Sisters of Mercy on Webster avenue, where
she received an education such as the
wellknown institution gives. She left,
after taking course of music in addition to
the regular studies, and was considered one
of the best pianists In the school. 1t was
while acting in her capacity of governess
for Western avenue family year and a
half ago that she frs. got into trouble.
From her childhood she has been a klepto-
maniac, and right or wrong. she always
contrived to get any little article she took a
fancy to. The disease grew on her as she
became older. One day while passing
Terheyden's jewelry store on smithfield
street she saw gold watch in the window
which she wanted. She entered the store
and asked to examine the watch. On the
pretext that she wanted to let her
employer see it the timepiece was
given her, particularly as her employer
was very well-known man. She did
not intend to return the watch. The same
trick she played successfully at Milsach's
jewelry store on Pennsylvania avenue, ALLIE
gheny, where she saw watch she liked
better and gave, the first one away. For
these cffenses she was sent to the workhouse
for eight and six months respectively and
was released about the last of March.
ANOTHER VICTIM TURNS UP.
Another victim of her practice turned up
yesterday. This time it is Mrs.
White, who keeps a millinery store
on Fifth street, where Annie got a
bolt of ribbon. Since her incarceration
in the Allegheny lookup, the girl has be-
come i'll. On Saturday she tainted three
times and yesterday swooned twice. Beside
these spells of temporary illness, she has
also contracted an indisposition that made
it necessary yesterday for DIR. Mabon to
prescribe for her. Last night she was feel
ing better and very penitent. The latter
feeling became so strong that she appealed
to Chief of Police Murphy to do his best to
get her out of her trouble. She now wants
to pay for all the goods she got if her victims
will not prosecute her, and she will enter
the House of the Good Shepherd and there
remain for life.
In telling her story the girl cried and
sobbed in pitiful manner. She declared
that she really could not help taking the
articles. The eyeglasses she lost and the
ribbon she gave away to Pittsburg girl.
Chief Murphy took pity on her and be-
lieves that it will be an act of charity to let
her go to the House of the Good Shepherd.
To-day he will endeavor to have her wish in
the matter gratifed. With that end in
view there Will be consultation at the
Mayors Office to-day with all the parties in
terested.