The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-10-27

Josephine Littlefield, pretty but way
ward, was the cause of a distressing
scene at police headquarters yesterday
afternoon. She had gone Nastrav-or
peen led, as her friends preferred to
put it-and the mother who lives I'D in
Morgan county, fearing all was not
well, came to Salt Lake to find her girl.
She was accompanied by friends who
made known the quest of the mother to
the police and Detectives; Sheets and
Janney were not long in producing the
girl and her paramour. The mother.
with tears in her eyes, pleaded with
the girl to forsake the man, turn back
from the downward path and come
nome once again. Her brief
life of shame had spoiled To-
sephine for the plodding life
oil country community, how
ever and with as little show of feeling
as might have been expected of her
mad she been following a career of
shame for years instead of d week. she
| turned aside the entreaties Of her heart
broken mother till at last the little
! woman's overwrought nerves gave way
and fit of hysteria. came over her
which made her like a mad woman
IL was nearly two hours before SHE
became quieted and all of that time
ner raVing We're something terrible and
1t was feared she would lose her reason
entirely. The girls stubbornness sue
cumDed under the strain of seeing her
mother going crazy, as she believed.
and she finally decided to return home.
Dr. Richards arrived after the police
had telephoned the city physcian's
Office repeatedly for an hour or more
and had been each time informed that
a physician would be sent right over
and administered morphine to the wo-
MAN. Slowly her rawlings ceased and
at o'clock she was removed to the
home of friend, where she spent the
night
The story is not a new one by anv
means. The mother, Mrs. Sarah Little
field, lives at Morgan City. She is a
widow and has, besides Josephine. three
children, all younger whom she sup
ports by any sort of work she can get
20 do, and when she has none. the
ward assists her. This has been her
mode of life since her husband died
five years ago. 1t grew irksome to the
eldest daughter after she had grown
old enough to work and went out to SER
YIce; then when she learned something
different and she no longer cared to 90
ZONE, much to the sorrow of the
widow, who had hoped the daughter
would be a comfort to her. now that
she Was old enough to- assist.
That was not the only sorrow in store
for the mother. 'Pheny' worked a while
In Ogden in private family and losing
her place, went to stay with her aunt
until she could secure another place.
She applied to the Broom hotel. and
shortly met Frank Robertson. That
meeting proved her sundoing, or at least
did much to help it along She was
smitten with Robertson at first sight
and that made her stay at home still
more irksome after she had failed to
get work and had returned there. She
was too disconnected to remain long.
and week or two ago left once more
for Ogden. There she met Robertson
again, took up with him and came to
Salt Lake where she entered a house
of prostitution.
The mother began to suspect some
thing was wrong when the aunt at
Ogden wrote that "Pheny" had not
been with her for some time. Then she
got a letter from the girl from Salt
Lake that settled her fears; to a con-
viction; and together with brother-in-
law, Thomas Gibby, the aunt from
Ogden and another friend, she came to
Salt Lake yesterday. The police were
applied to as stated and the scene
described was enacted.
Although the girl promised her
mother to return home it was plainly
to appease her mental sufferings only,
and not because she was repentant
and proposes to stay there The
charm of wearing good clothes, hay
ing soft hands and living in COM
parative ease has more attractions for
har he hoe.
was plainly seen when she sat on
sofa in Chief Pratt's office and con-
fessed her wickedness and defended
her lover. She was so proud of her
associations of the past week that
she even insisted on having her name
appear in the papers as Josie" the
name by which her companions in dis
grace addressed her. "Pheny," as she
was known to all who loved her, she
never wanted to hear again.
HE couldn't have made me go wrong
if hadn't wanted to- she would say
in defense of her lover. 1t was plainly
evident she was much smitten with
him, and that her mind was fully
made up to return to him and her life
of shame at the first opportunity that
offered.
The mans course in the matter
will result in the authorities prosecut-
iiS " tilc lulltSl eAtcllL the law VIII
permit in such cases. He was ar
rested and will be charged with va
grancy, with possibility that he may
be tried for. procuring. He will also
be charged with petit larceny for
stealing a revolver from his employer
in Ogden, and altogether is pretty
sure of paying rather a severe penalty.
Mr.. Gibby secured rooms at a
lodging house for the girl and her
aunt, where they spent the night, and
will leave for home today if the mother
is sufficiently recovered