Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1897-10-15
WOMAN IS AN EMeEzzl .eR.
Alice ~. Barrctt's Case Tisproves the
sex'a Innate Honesty.

Alice NJ. Bnrrctf's cnse Tisproxes the
sex'a Innate Honcsty.
Ever since woman entered the DO
main of active business, accepted and
performed the duties OF trust ans re-
sponsibllIty. It has been urged that the
gentler sex Is essentially honest. A
woman embezzler has been regarded ns
an impossibility. The sex has not been
sufficient TO protect them from the
commission Of other crimes, but that
one would deliberately steal from an
employer and endeayor to conceal the
defalcation has been considered Of the
things not possible to nature.
This dream of superiority In innate
honesty received rude shock when
the tragic fate Of Miss Alice NJ. Bar
rett, the Boston bookkC cper and stenog-
rapher. showed that under the same
temptation and with the same incent-
Ives at work. there can be and Is but
little-difference In humanity, whether
clad In skirts or trousers. Sad as It is
TO the sorrowing relatives. sad as Il
may seem TO all who sympnthize with
them in their double bereavement, the
evidence was too direct to admit of
doubt. The young woman not only took
the funds of her employers, but, fear
ing the Inevitable exposure Incident 70
change In the makeup Of the firm,
followed In the footsteps Of so many OF
the same class. She ended her own
life, rather than face the consequences
Of exposure.
The story Of the death and all of the
circumstances surrounding 1t has been
told. The fact that an effort had been
made to destroy the cash book by fire
IVES known within day after the fact
was known that bullet and not light
ming caused the death OF the attractive
young woman.
Scarcely anyone could be surprised
at the result Of the examination of the
firms books, after her mother had ad-
mltted that the girl had lived on a scale
that her salary could not possibly Jus
tify. and after II had been shown that
the girl had suffered serious losses in
wildcat speculation. A complete chain
Of circumstantial evidence had been
forged. 1t shows that Alice Barrett
was extrayagant in her expenditures,
that she gambied in stocks, that she
took her employers money In order to
keen up this speculation. that she set
fire to the books In order to conceal the
defalcation, and perhaps with the in
tention of destroying the building in or
der to do so. and that she finally shot
herself in order to avoid facing the dis
covery and disgrace which she sup
posed Threatened her.
She was endowed with lively i'm
agination. She did not care for men
nor for marriage. at least a marriage
which would pinion her to the ordinary
duties of . housewife. In one of her
ietters she said she ereferred 70 s.r her
own cup OF tea nlOne and only stipulnt-
ed that the tea should be of good quail
ity, and that she should not be obliged
to drink 1t out of a cracked cup. She
thought she was denied opportunity
and she attempted to create 1t. Some
where or somehow she had heard of
the wonderful things done In the hrek-
ct shops. Here, she though. was a
quick road TO wealth, lot wealth for Its
own sake. but for thcssflke of the OPP
portunities It wouii give her. She lost.
and TO cove ..lns made false entries In
the books.
1t appears that Miss Barrett had
-ueen pursuing this dangerous course
for about a year, when the awful day
Of reckoning came. The books, upon
examination, show very clearly when
she began to appropriate her employ
er's money. and the clerks recollect the
fact that about the same time there
was a marked change in the personal
appearance Of Miss Barrett. Her man
ner of dressing became more elaborate,
her clothing was of the richest ma
terIal and expensive jewelry figured IN
her adornments. These things were ae-
counted for by the young lady to the
satisfaction of her mother. but in order
TO explain these things the favorite
child of her mother had to resort to
further deception.
The first venture in speculation had
proved a failure, but, added to her de
sire for finery, the fever Of speculation
bad taken possession Of her. She es-
sayed n second venturegnd weutinto the
mire deeper and deeper. Each succeed
ing loss seemed but to make her the
more determined, for she hoped that
success would yet come to her.
Miss Barrett's position In the office of
Goldman & Goldman made 1t possible
for her to carry on this work with little
fear of detection. 1t is not believed
that Miss Barrett intended TO steal out
and out her employers money, but that
she was merely using it as n means to
an end. She hoped to succeed and make
good what she had taken.