The evening world., 1894-06-05
STOLE HER WARDROBE
Laura St James's Charge Against
Actor E. sgd Weeks
Says He Took $1,000 Worth Of
Dresses, JeweIry and Wigs.
She Had Loaned Him Money and
Paid His Hotel Bill.

Two white satin dresses trimmed with
pearls. blue plush dress also trimmed
with pearls. two canary silk dresses, n
tiara, a necklace, bracelets, brooches,
rings and pins. all of diamonds or some
artful equivalent so far as looks go; a
shopful of fancy shoes, an equal guam
tity OF stockings, laces and feminine
underwear; eight blonde wigs. a charac-
ter red wig with corkscrew curls. an
ingenue auburn wig, &C.. to the value
Of $1,000 lay piled in dazzling heap In
the museum at Police Headquarters this
morning.
These are the property OF Laura St.
James, leading lady, and they are said
to have been stolen by Il. Sgd Weeks,
comedian, VINO is under arrest.
Inspector Mclaughlin was notified by
the Chief of Police of Baltimore on Fri
day last to look out for Comedian
Weeks, who had left that city with a
trunk filled with a theatrical wardrobe
and was thought to have gone to New
York.
Detectives Evanhoe and Valley were
detailed to the case. and yesterday To-
Gated both Weeks and the trunk at the
Bryant Park Hotel. Thirty-eighth street
and Sixth avenue.
They learned, so they say, that Weeks
had tried to sell the wardrobe in whole
or in part to n costumer and that ne
gotlations were still on. When they en-
tered Weekss room they found him
sorting over the stock, and although
both the detectives say that they were
fairly knocked off their feet by the
gorgeousness of the display. the come
dian was surveying the whole with
calm and calculating eye.
1t is certainly a splendid wardrobe for
any actress short of rich and i'm
mensely popular star
Weeks was locked up and refused to
make statement. He Is still silent on
the subject, and if he did even part OF
he played Is almost too mean to be ex-
planned away.
Both Miss st. James, the complain
ant, and Weeks, the prisoner, were
"Empire Theatre Company" doing a
repertoire through Pennsylvania. They
had a stand in Carlisle for !.rl the TI, whole
dent" comedy drama. Miss st. James
was in the juN emile lead, and to fill
sudden vacancy Weeks was called from
New York to take the comedy part of
Timothy Stupid, a dude: son OF plum
ber ana nephew of Il policeman. Weeks
was broke. when he got there, and as
| body. the leading lady loaned him
enough to buy wig and one or two
things needful.
The company got to Waynesboro In
| good form, but two nights in that inhos-
| ptable city quenched the Empire Theatre
| Company's last spark. Baltimore wasn't
very far away, and the company, went
thither. Thursday he came to her with
a long face. and said that II she would
add one more obligation to the many he
already owed her and pay his board at
| and
get to New York. Miss ST. James accom-
modated HIM. When she went to her
room an hour later she discovered that
The Baltimore police traced Weeks
to Philadelphia, where he made an in
encctual effort to dispose Of the trunk
II was in dreadful dilemma" said
Miss st. James in the jefferson Market
Police Court this morning. THE trunk
contained all that I had in the world
to make living with. The meanness
OF the act also hurts me very much. /
befriended the young man out of sheer
sympathy. ! was fortunate enough to
have a little money, having saved some
and received more from my husband.
Salaries We're not being paid and Weeks
was particularly hard up. The amounts
! gave him were small, to be sure, but
they were necessary to him. l cannot
understand him"
Miss St James is an attractive and In
tellgent young Englishwoman. Her
maiden name was Laura Dacre, and as
such she ca ne to- America with DOyly
CHrte's "Iolanthe" company, six years
HEo. She has remained here ever since
and, giving up opera. went into the legit-
innate, and has since been playing lead
ing roles with uniform success. She Is
the wife OF w. II st. James, OF the
Fast Mall company. who will be in
the city next Saturday.
Weeks is q young man, not widely
known among theatrical people, and
was not recognized by any of the Ten
| a 70 mi N ha 10
ing. The police are going to try to pun
ish him here for bringing stolen goods
into the State. unless the Baltimore au-
thorities insist upon his return.
Weeks was held for examination. He
told the Court that he was twenty years
old and lived In Salamanca. N. Y.