The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-11-13
CROOKS WITH HISTORIES.


eicver Paw Assrs. :. lad Photographic
by tn. s;os;oa Police.
BosTox. Nov. 1S.-Two ''crooks" wit
Histories were photographed for q
: CUES gallery at police headquarters Si
uriay. One was DIR. Dav.d &. Bliss, ar
the o. her WAS Lillian Stevens. They bot
hall from New York, Ani they were ~
rested Friday NIGHT on the charge of steal
ing a sealskin cnpe valued ~ sl4D from TIL
store OF Chandler s. Co., Wirter street
last Thursday.
Twensy years 20 DR.. Bliss was re
spectacle paysaksn IL isa southcrnci
by birth. and after hehad graduated from
the Cincinnati Medical clllpge he waS
given government position in the south
Here he betrayed the trust imposed in
him, and was sentenced 70 "a long term oi
imprisonment, bus the intervention Of iu
duential friends secured him a pardon.
After leaving prison he went TO New
York, where he fell ia with a crowd OF
pickpockets aud sneak thieves, and ever
since has been identified with crooked
work. He was man Of good education,
= splendid talker Notwithstanding an oc.
casional appearance Of Slang contracted
by a life among crooks and dresses neatly.
He looks TO be 90, but Is really only about
81 years old, his white hair and whiskers
giving him patrinrchal air.
His companion has a personal history
hardly less remarkable than his own. She
too, claims 70 he a southerner. and says
that her real name is Stewart She as
serts that she is daughter of the confed
crate general, James Stewart and a niece
Of the notorious guerrilla, Qaantrell.
She oovr that ba uraa horn Iva Ga0rnin
and educate in the Convent of the Sacred
Heart in Atlanta. After leaving school
she was married to young man, who
took her to New Orleans. where he was ar
rested She then met a crook named
Stewart. and went to New York with him.
She has been known to the police but
about two years, but in that time she has
obtained great reputation as n sharper.
Physically she Is little bit OF a blond,
but she has splendid head for fine work.
She and the doctor came to Boston about
fortnight ago, and the story of the
charge against them is that on last Thurs
day they went into ChandeT's and asked
20 be shown some shoulder capes.
The request was granted, and the woman
tried several OF them on before she found
one which suited her. When she had been
ntttu VI ItT Hlli-luClibn cht ofutItu tDt
article sent 10 n ccrtein number on Colum-
bus avenue with instructions to collect on
delivery.
Five minutes after their departure
new style sealskin cape, valued St s140. was
missed from the stock, and suspicion i'm
nrediately fastened itself on the supposed
old gentleman aud his daughter. This
suspicion was strengthened when the
messenger returned with the bundle
which he had been instructed to deliver NJ
the Columbus avenue house. with the
statement that no such person lived there
A description OF the couple was fur
nshed the police. and Friday Inspectors
Howard aud McCausland found the doc
Cor on Temple p,acs.
He aud his companion were placed un-
der arrest at once, although they protested
their Innocence. Saturday morning the
very sack which the woman was wearing
when arrested was identified as the one
stolen from the store last Thursday.
They were here for business, as the doc
Tor admitted at headquarters, and their
capture at the beginning Of the holiday
season is regarded as lucky piece Of work.