The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-24
THREE TOUGH GIRLS
Bessie Lowe, Clara Belle and Josie
Palmer, All Well Known.
ARRESTED AT THE DEPOT
They Came From Whitehall,
Where Albert Pilsbury Says
They Robbed Him of $i2O-
They Are in the Lookup.

Three naughty girls were met by
three police officers as they got off the
Northern Pacific westbound train at 8
O'Clock yesterday morning. and were
placed behind the bars of the city jail.
All the three girls have figured a good
deal in the police records during the
winter. one of the three is Bessie
Lowe, who is getting quite notorious.
She is the girl who has figured with
Walter Lowe in several newspaper sto-
ries during the winter, and she is about
as tough as they make them now. An
other Of the girls is Clara Belle, who
was sentenced in March for touch 1g''
Frenchman in a hack. The third is
Josie Palmer who is also recently out
of jail for some minor offense.
These three girls boarded the train at
Whitehall. 1t did not take long for the
train to reach Butte, but a telegram got
here ahead Of them and three police
men met them as they landed, a little
the worse for liquor. The girls are ac-
cused of taking $500 from Albert Pills
bury. a dealer in coal. who lives in
Whitehall
1t seems that Clara Belle worked for
Pillsbury few weeks ago as a domes-
tic and he wanted her to work for him
again. Arrived there, however. she got
in with Bessie Lowe and Josie Palmer
and they had more fun working in the
saloons. Pillsbury entered the Idaho
saloon Friday evening, where the girls
were conducted by j. II. Bolan. He
went with Clara Belle into one of the
back rooms and soon afterward they
were Joined there by the other two girls
and by several men. According to- the
story told by Josie Palmer. and corro-
borated by the other girls, Pillsbury
treated eight or ten times and got pref
ty full Late in the evening he boosted
of his money and pulled out his pocket
book.
"If you think / have not got any
money, look at this" he said. and pro-
ceeded to examine his pocketbook. He
then said, well. / guess l haven't any
money, after ALL" and said he had
been robed OF 1920 Bessie Lowe had
left some time before with a young
man and he accused her at first. but
when she returned, he took II back and
did not think she had taken II, but
was certain some one of the party had
relieved him of his dough. Before the
thing had been settled the train came
along and the girls took the train for
Butte They said they had intended
coming to Butte anyway that night and
were waiting for the train. Bessie
loves brother had come after her, and
that. they said was the reason they
were going back. II Pillsbury was
robbed II was done, they said, by some
of the men in the saloon, and not by
them. The other men in the saloon, at
various times during the evening, were
George Hughes, formerly of Butte;
"Buttermilk Bilr' and a man named
Bowman When searched at the Jail,
the girls showed altogether only $3.50,
of which $3.50 was on Clara Belle and 81
on Josie Palmer. They said that was
all the money they had. Later, how
ever, they sent for a colored man and
gave him $40 to buy some things for
them. The police got hold of this bill
which had escaped them in their search
of the girls. II is quite possible that
they missed some more money also.
Bessie Lowe is getting hardened
enough. Her husband, Walter, is serv-
ing a sentence for threatening to kill
Der.
The police do not believe that two OF
the girls at least should be at large yet.
They ought still to be in the county
Jail serving time. Bessie Lowe was.
on April IA, sentenced to 30 days i'm
prisonment and fined $25 and costs.
That would make a total of AZ days
and would keep her in Jail until May
81. When asked about this she said
that she was released on May by "or-
der of the doctor" Clara Belle is also
thought TO be out a little early. She
was fined $50 and costs. amounting in
all to S4S on March 2s. She jumped her
bond OF $50 and went over to White
hall She was over there about two
weeks before she was brought back
and made to serve her sentence. She
was released about May 10. Josie Palm
er got out of jail about May 7.
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