The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-02-06
TWO QUESTIONABLE CHARACTERS


Run Out of Town by the Police for En-
gaging in N Questionable Business.
Several weeks ago o man named
Allen, accompanied by his wife, and
claiming to be a doctor, applied at a
respectable boarding house in the west
ern part of the city for accommodations
The couple were young, gave evil
dence of respe ctability, and the land
lady did not hesitate to take them in
y certain policeman boarding at the
same house. and being naturally on the
alert for suspicious characters, his at
tention was called to the fact that the
doctor and his wife were engaged in
questionable business. Every morning
thcy would start out, the doctor in one di-
rection, and his wife in another, presum-
ably canvaSing for some patent article or
medicine They took great care not to
expose any of their wares about the
house, and always kept sharp eye on
the officer.
Shortly afterward Mrs. Allen gave
ono of the children n small bcx as a
plaything. The child carried it to her
mother, who showed it to the officer.
The lid bore the label of certain medi-
cal preventative which eliminates the
OcultE lays HUI lldDlC TO punish
ment or heavy fine.
The woman was closely watched, and
it was found that she usually visited
young married women, both in this city
and Vinton. The officer visited the
places where the woman had called, but
could elicit no information as to what
she had beon selling.
The officer took a trip to Vinton, how
ever, and met with better results Mrs
Allen had tried to sell young married
woman there a certain article which, in
the opinion of the police, was criminal
act The young woman's husband was
consulted by the officer, but he was UNI
willing for mis- wife to appear in court in
such Il case.
The chief of police got on the trail Of
the parties, and for u time logged their
footsteps with the tenacity of sleuth
hound. He was in for catching them in
the act of selling the articles.
In their rounds. tho chief and tho Of
ficcr, who FIRST called attention to the
case. discovered that the doctor was
selling kind of silverwarc without
tracks SO thoroughly that no evidence
could be secured that would lead to his
conviction.
few days ago young man. who
had just been married, stated to the
chief that the woman had visited his
house and offered to sell his wife GER
tain article which had insultcd her, and
Mrs. Allen was ordered to leave the
house at once.
This was bringing the matter to
head, and the willy chief began laying
his plans to trap thcpl.
They went away last Saturday and
remained till Tuesday, when they re-
turned. In the meantime the question
arose i'll tho minds of tho officers
whether or not tho woman could be
punished for other than selling the
goods and medicine without license.
While consulting on this matter tho
couple departed in the night time, TAX
ing an early train yesterday morning
for the East.
IT. is supposed they got wind OF the
police being on to their operations, and
skipped while they had chance. The
officers could have captured them easily
had there been any provisions made by
law for their punishment on the cvi-
donce which had been secured.
| 1t is claimed by the police that the
couple are two shrewd sharpers, and re-
main in one locality only long enough
to be found out
Allen claims to have come to this CITY
from Ohio, and says he and his wife
have travelled over nearly every State
in the West.