The evening world., 1891-07-24

| She was arraycd In handsome travelling
costume, and was bold and confident In her
bearing. Her good looks enlisted the SYM
pathy OF the court iOungCrs In her behalf, but
they failed to soften the severe judicial ex-
preston on the face OF the Justice.
on the advice Of Lawyer Joe Moss, who had
appeared for Howe, the young woman waived
hearing, and was held In default Of
$4,000 bail Tor examination. she will be
called into court again tomorrow morning.
Ncttle is an exceedingly pert and pleasant
little lady, very Intelligent and well educated
She Is about twenty-siX years old, and says
that she was married TO Ralph Hamburger,
which she insists Is the correct name OF Howe,
alias De Ford, In Philadelphia In 1883, hav-
ing met him IN Baltimore, where they were
both born and brought up.
She was quite willing to talk and said she
had nothing TO conceal. She denies that She
was In New York at the time Of the diamond
robbery, but admits that Howe, or Ham
burger, gave her diamonds soon after It OC-
CURED. She thought nothing OF It, as he was
frequently In the habit OF presenting her with
jewels or other articles OF adornment or ne
cessity as dutiful husband should
A point In the girls favor is the failure OF
Benjamin d. Blaney, Jeweller Wernecke's
clerk, to Identify her as lIOwe's companion at
the time the robbery is believed to have been
committed.
After looking her over carefully in court
this morning Blaney said:
"Wcl, II she's the woman waited on she's
changed a good deal since. The woman that
was with Howe was larger and had different
coored eyes"
The petite Nettie laughed quiet but tri-
umphant little giggle and then dropped down
beside Joe Moss, her counsel, and resumed
the mastication OF piece OF tutti frutti:
She said that her husbands only fault was
his addiction TO the opium habit, which he In
sisted upon indulging everywhere they went,
much to the annoyance OF their neighbors, as
well as herself.
Had she not "hit the pipe" herself occa-
sionally2 Certainly not; indeed, she de-
tested 1t so much that she had left her hus-
band and taken up her abode at the Hotel
Metropole, only going to his apartments to see
him occasionally.
Detective-Sergt. Lanthier, who brought
Nettie from Baltimore, says that the police
| there had lively time catching her.
She was stopping with her brother-in-law,
| and when the ofrcers entered the house she
ran. out OF back door, jumped over the
fence and gave detective a lively chase be-
fore he got her.
she was arrested at o'clock, Detective
Lanthler left here at 3, arrived at Balti-
more at 10, and started back at midnight, ar
| irving here at 4 O'Clock this morning.
Nettie took sleeper on the way back, and
| Detective Lanthier, the conductor and porter
OF the Pullman car kept guard over their fair
| prisoner from the compartment opposite.
The story OF Miss Kirby's arrest In Balti-
| more was told In last evenings sporting edi-
| IlOn VI lHE EVENING WORLD. her 1aJner re-
sides in that city, and he is said to be a
wealthy tugboat owner.
The police have ascertained that Robert
| Howe, alias Ralph Howell, alias Harry Ham
| berg. the alleged diamond thief. has been for
| the past three years doing thriving business
! In this city as the proprietor OF various FASH
| ionaOle opium joints.
| He came from Baltimore with the woman
| Nettie Kirby who has been arrested as his ac-
complice, and they set up their first joint in
! West Twenty ninth street.
| Afterwards they moved to Thirty ninth
street, opposite the Casino, and when suspi-
cions were aroused by the actions OF numer-
| GUS mysterious visitors, male and female,
who came to their rooms at all hours OF the
night, they changed their quarters again and
settled In a nat near Seventh avenue In the
same street.
Here they fixed up the place in gorgeous
| oriental style, and the joint was patroniZed
| by many well-known characters, including
| high class crooks, actors, bookmakers, a law
yer or two and sporting men and women, who
regarded the establishment as perfectly
safe"
Howe was known as Ralph" and the
woman was called Viola" and they claimed
TO be married one day each OF the patrons
OF the joint received postal card with this
| message written upon II:
Please don't call Am closed. RALPH."
After this Howe disappeared and was not
seen by any OF his old acquaintance for sew
| eral months.