The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-03-23
A MlSSOURlAN INTERESTED.
George Wilson OF Lexington Sends
Money 10 an Alleged Countess
Thief.
The following telegram under the above

The following telegram under the above
headlines appeared in the daily papers:
NEW YORK, March 18.-George Wilson,
Of Lexington, Mo-, figures oddly in the
case Of the alleged Countess Meyer, who
is now undergoing O sentence here for
shoplifting. Justice Voorhis received a
letter Saturday from him inciosing a draft
for i've dollars and a clipping Of a news
p dispatch from this city detailing
the arrest Of the woman for stealing a
piece of dry goods from q Fourteenth
street dry goods store. The prisoner gave
the name of Johanna Meyer Lee and
claimed to be q teacher oil languages. The
writer OF the letter stated that II Justice
Voorhis knew the case to be a worthy one
to give the woman the Enclosed draft.
Justice Voorhis ascertained that the
woman had been arraigned at the court 81
special sessions and sent to the city prison
for ten days, having acknowledged steal
ing the property. Justice WORMS Will
return the draft to Wilson.
A representative of the INTELLIaENCRR
asked Banker Wilson about this case and
1.-THE article mentioning the arrest of a
refined and educated woman for shop
lifting In Macey's store, in New York,
came to my notice In the st. Louis Chron-
icle. The story wa a peculiarly touching
one. As 1t went, the woman was the
daughter OF colonel in the German army
who retired to his landed property to try
to get it free from debt. He died, how
ever, and his children were left with
almost nothing. This daughter came to
America and In New York tried to make
q living by teaching languages. She was
not successful and what little she had
disappeared and she gave up her apart
ments, look q small Oom In a cheap
lodging house and surreptitiously cooked
her meals on an oil stove in her room,
Her clothes became too shabby to go in
search Of scholars with any hope Of sue
cess and ut last her food was gone and She
had no money. Alter doing without food
until half : she wandered into the
streets, followed the crowd into Macey's
great dry goods n toy store, and moi
realizing what she was doing took a piece
OF dress goods, was seen doing it and was
arrested. l sent the draft To the Judge
payable to the name that the starving
woman gave, and asked hat he give it to
her il the case was q meritorious one, and
not the creation OF some reporters imagi-
nation; and IL the latter, to send it back
to me. 1 have sent small mounts before
to cases mentioned in New York police
c lrt records and sometimes found them
unworthy or unreliably reported.
THE bank thai we correspond with,
lately sent us o book of pictures of the
new and fine business buildings in New
York, including the Clearing House
building. They were OF no interest 10 me.
| know something of life there. To me
that city is an awful hell on earth where
honest women are forced TO choose be-
tween starvation and shame; whose hopes
for homes and honest motherhood are
crushed and they are made into scourges
OF ,he race as they spread disease and de-
moralization broadcast; and where men
who would work are turned into beasts IN
human form; aud the cost Of bolts and
bars and prisons and laws and guardians
against them is enough 10 board them all
at good hotels. Lately the evils have been
increased a hundred fold by the devil oil
Greed that has induced men to hut up
our mines of silver and try to put the
ountry into everlasting debt that they
may have the public credit gratis to use
In place Of pick and shovel money. But
for this there Is a living for doub!ea AZ
many people as there are here in the
United States.
81 sent the money because the woman
was starving and was partly attracted to
the story because she was a linguist as
that is my passion and ! indulge it by
studying about thirty languages. ] regret
that the Judge did not keep the money fol
her. am reconciled 10 the undesired