The herald., 1896-08-29
POOR, BUT A REAL LADY
Moves the Soft Hearted
Philanthropists
A LADY WITH NUMEROUS Aliases
Mrs. Orr Poses as a Lone
Widow
WITH A DYING DAUGHTER
As Mrs. Barron She Summons Spirits
...Not Of the Liquid Variety
The Spooks Keep Her and Family 10 High
Glover for a Time
And Then the Spring Street Fortune Teller
Blossms Out as Q French Hadame on
WITH A DYING DAUGHTER
As Mrs. Barron She Summons Spirits
...Not of the Liquid Variety
The Spooks Keep Her and Family 10 High
Clover for a Time
And Then the Spring Street Fortune Teller
Blossms Out as . French 7adame on
Wall street, Where the Game
Coutinues-A Queer Case

fact that the confirmed criminal, what
ever his specially may be, possesses a
certain pride in the neat results of his
misdirected genius, just as any man In
the more orthodox walks of life, takes
pride in mastering and carrying into ex-
ecution the varied details of their respec-
tive avocations.
Between these two classes. however.
cript fakirs who contrive to keep within
the limits of the law, and yet whose
methods are essentially criminal, albeit
they are not classified as criminals.
Needless to say, perhaps, they are even
more keenly repudiated by the respecta-
BILE portion of society.
There has again emerged from her re-
tirement a lady-for so she proclaims
herself-who belongs to this intermedi-
ate class, who appears to make very
handsome living by preying upon So
ciety at large. She has husband and
grown-up daughter who is quite young
lady. "They toll not, neither do they
spin," but while, apparently, they pos
sess all of the necessaries Of life they
contrive also to gain many of the lux
uries made impossible to the hard work
ing mechanic or the average woman
who works her heart out day by day just
for the mere privilege of living.
And this is made possible by the inge-
nuity of the mother. She is lady" of
many aliases. She has been known as
Mrs. Orr and Mrs. Barron and then she
repudiated her country and blossomed
forth as Nine. but this
flower of humanity changed it's name,
the rankness Of fraud and deception con-
tinued to be its distinguishing character
istic.
AS Mrs Orr many city residents hav-
ing philanthropic tendencies, contribu-
ted to the support of this united family.
With modest and somewhat engaging
demeanor Mrs. Orr told how her husband
had recently died leaving her with
family of small children in totally desti
tute circumstances. Though not strong
she was willing to fight for the little
ones, however, remembering that the
Lord tempers the wind to the shorn
lamb" and she was trying to sell few
articles, made by herself, in order to
make bare living.
The articles in question. bought
wholesale for a nominal sum, sold like
hot cakes and Mrs. Orr (?) must have
chuckled when she spoke of the "shorn
lamb" She fleeced the folks every time
through working on their sympathies.
At home on San Julian street, not
long ago, she rang in a pitiful story of
young daughter wasting away with
consumption. With tears in her eyes she
told of her fight with poverty since her
husbands death and how her daughter
was dropping for the comforts and at
tention that her condition required. The
lady to whom she poured out her woes
found from her that she lived at Six
teenth street and Maple avenue and
after buying hei entire stock in trade,
got some of her hearted friends in
terested and the same afternoon loaded
up buggy with good things for the
dying daughter, as well as the mother,
and drove out to the address given. The
imposition was then discovered for the
address was a fake" one.
The Associated Charities had been
worked at an early stage of the game
but Mrs. Orr, to use her most common
cognomen, had been so skillful in ex
torting sympathy from people, at so
many dollars per head, that the police
began to investigate. Chief Glass re-
ports her as being one of the very clev-
crest of those fakirs who work daringly
along the danger line without actually
infringing upon it.
Scenting the presence of the police
Mrs. Orr developed into Mrs. Barron and
took rooms on South Spring street,
where a bright band of spirits also took
up their abode and assisted her in telling
| fortunes. Fortunes were read off with
all the ease of creased lightning at 81
per head for gentlemen, half price for
ladies' For a time the spiritualistic
! dodge worked to a charm but recently
| Mrs. Barron saw fit to skip out from her
| Spring street habitation, it being under
| stood she was going to make the grand
| tour" that spiritual mediums frequent
| ly make, for the purpose of giving other
| cities the benefit of the band of spirits
| surrounding her.
The grand tour" really meant the
! blossoming forth on Wall street as
Madame So and So, where she has con-
tinued to pump spiritual thunder at sc
cents and 81 per clap.
But spiritualistic mediums, In COM
mon with other businesses, fake and
otherwise, have found the financial
! grass growing rather short. Madame
! has therefore again taken to the high
| way and is holding up soft-hearted
mothers having children of their own
| at the point of a well sharpened tongue
| and basketful of trumpery articles
| Complaints are beginning to come into
the office of the Associated Charities, as
| we'll as the police, and it may be well for
madame to again take to the fortune
! telling business. 1t, too, is a fraud but
not in all cases illegal, albeit 1t IS diff
! cult to separate the sheep from the
goats.
AS for the ordinary householder II
may, perhaps, be well If he or she, as the
case NAV be- will think a long time be-