The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-04-25
A BABY SHOpLIFTER
Mary VeTiotico ArTaigned
This Morning for Rob-
bing Newark Ave-
nue. Stores
ARRESTED WITH HER MOTHER
Case Adjourned Till Wednesday
"A Well Trained Little
Thief.
ARRESTED WITH HER MOTHER

An eight-year-old girl was before Police
Justice Potts in the First Criminal Court
this morning charged with shoplifting.
was arrested with her mother on
Saturday night. The mother did not APP
pear In court this morning. She had been
bailed out and sent the child to bear the
prunt Of the charge. The woman is Eliz-
apetn veriotico, forty years old, wife of
FRANK Veriotico, a barber, of No. 633
grove street. Her daughters name is
Mary. Lawyer Manning represented the
littie girl when she was arraigned this
morning. He said that the mother was
SICK IN bed and could not appear. He
ASKED Tor an adjournment OF the case.
Wnlcn, after some discussion, was post
poned until Wednesday morning.
Inere We're nearly a dozen complainants
present to appear against the woman and
ner daugnter. Nearly every prominent
merchant along Newark avenue was
there. Mother and daughter were ar
rested on Saturday night by Detective
francis IN the store of Furst Bros, where
eney were caught in the act of stealing
some trinkets from a counter. There was
an older girl, carrying a baby, with them.
she escaped. The woman carried a large
inarket basket. The little girl had big
pocRets>in her dress. Both prisoners were
taken 10 the Gregory street station, where
tney were questioned and searched. In
the pockets of the little girls dress were
round a number of small articles, such as
LIZ i Ill dGQd1 Iii
stores. The basket contained a large
variety OF articles, including two hats, a
quantity OF cheap jewelry, a writing
tablet, pillow cases and sheets, neckties
and fancy articles of various descriptions.
The woman pretended to be ignorant of
English. Captain Cox tried in turn to
ak with her through the medium of
Polish, German and Italian Interpreters,
but she only shook her hand and pretend
ed not to understand.
The little girl could talk English, but
she was not inclined to do so. She ap
peared the picture of innocence and pre-
tended to be as ignorant as her mother.
She managed to deny that the woman was
her mother and to declare that her father
lived in Brooklyn. The woman made the
Captain understand that the little girl
nothing. The girl seemed willing to take
all the blame. The prisoners were booked
as Jane and Mary Doe. The only way
the police learned who they were was
when the husband father called at the
police station looking for them. Veriotico
secured bail for them. The police say
that it is the worst case they ave had
to deal with in years. They say that the
to steal and that she has been thoroughly
posted as 70 what to say and how to act
when apprehended- She has been arrest
ed before for stealing.
The woman and girl were first dis
covered on Saturday night in Wolfson's
store, where Detective Francis saw them
steal some fancy work. Mr.. WOlfSon took
the stuff away from the woman and
turned her out OF the store. Detective
Francis followed them to Furst's store
n saw them sip several articles into
the basket. Then he arrested them. In
the basket he found articles belonging to
Mr.. Wolfson, hats stolen from Perlmut-
ter's, neckties from Gilmore & O'Keefe's,
and things from several other stores along
Newark avenue, all of which were iden-
titled by their owners this morning. Mr..
Furst was the principal complainant this
morning, most OF the stolen articles be-
longing to him.. We do not usually press
complaints against such people" he said,
addressing Police Justice Potts, "but this
is such a fragrant case that we cannot
well overlook it. 1t appears that nearly
every store on Newark avenue has been
robbed by this woman and her daughter.
The police will thoroughly investigate
the ease and will probably request Judge
Blair to send the girl 10 some institution
where she will be free from harmful in
nuences and where she may be taught
to forget her early training in the art of
thieving. What to do with the woman is
a question which is puzzling the authori-
ties. Police Captain Kelly investigated
her home yesterday and found that she
lives in a couple of rooms in a rear tene-
ment and has scarcely any furniture or
even bed clothing. She has seven chill
dren. the youngest but three months old.
Mary. the young thief. is remarkably we'll
dressed. The others have scarcely any
thing.