The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1898-01-12
MISS il SON.

just before the big steamer bound
from London to Bombay was ready tG
begin her voyage, three detectives and
an Inspector came aboard and created
no little excitement among the passen-
gers in their search for IA slick criminal
named George Lacy Lacy was a
forser, eounterfeIter. and all-arouud
sWndler and was wanted ON dozen
different charges. The steamer was
held for an hour while they examined
large number of passengers. There
WAS IA good deal of talk. of course, and
10 out OF % of the passengers, first and
second class. were secretly glad that
the criminal had not been oYerhauled
So long as he had swindled none of us,
We could forgive him for swindling 9th
ers.
As soon as we set eyes ON Miss Jud
son. who was seasiek and kept to her
stateroom for the first three or -four
days We instinctively felt that she
would be the belle of the ship. She was
fairy good looking, of excellent figure
knew how to dress and WIS witty and
magnetic. Before breakfast was over
ali the single men and half the married
ones were determined to get an intro.
duction rs soon as possible. None OF
the women liked her. They began Il
snub her almost at once, and that evil
IDENTITY pleased her, rs il gave her an
excuse for avoiding their society. When
Miss Judson got fairly started ON her
course she LOST no time She picked
and Gull until what was known rs the
"Judson crowd numbered about l.
men
Twelve of these were yanng men ol
widowers. while the remainder were
married men whose better halves were
in England or India While the crowd
WAS not composed of the highest men.
tai talent on the ship. It was the money
crowd. though no one figured on this
until later. Miss Judson was the only
child of "A widower out in India who be
longcd To the civil service. and she was
going out to visit him
When the ship had been out about a
week Miss Judson inaugurated cards e
while away the spare hours. she gave
out AT the start that she never played
unless there were cash stakes TO make
the game interesting, As there were
people aboard who might be shocked at
the sight of money on the board. slips
of paper We're used as a substitute and
few outside of the players knew what
was up 1t was Il matter of surprise tC
every one who knew Miss Judson that
she was so adept with the pasteboards
and was attended by such good for
tune. There was considerable jealousy
among her coterie and she took adYan.
tage Of every occasion to fan the
flame. This prevented anything like
confidence between the men and 40 one
mourned his losses to another. She
handled the cards like the slictest gam
bier and her run Of luck was phenome-
nal. On two or three occasions she
manipulated the cards in such Il man
ner that had she been man ! should
have called her down but as II was !
had to give her the benefit of the doubt
and keep silence
When Miss Judson had won $3.50 from
me | cashed the slips and went out OF
the game. She had no further use fOl
me. When tried to bask in her smiles
as usual. the smiles were not at home
to me. She had eonGded to me that she
found me congenial, but there seemed
to be some mistake about that after
had decided not TO lose any more
money.
The next victim WIS the son of an
English manufactures, who was going
cut to India to invent new ways Of
spending his fathers surplus cash. II
was said that he had $4,000 in tho
purser's safe. That was when he began
playing cards with Miss JudSOn How
much he had left after he got through
no one could say, but that she had got
at least half Of it was common talk. and
he himself went so far as to declare
that he had been sharped In the
course Of three weeks the Judson
crowd" was dissolved. One after an
other was cleaned out of his spare cash
and Withdrew. and Miss Judson was
certainly several thousand dollars tc
the good. Nobody was willing to adj.
nit his exact loss Indeed nearly ev.
cry man lied about and denied any loss
at all, but at the same time each loser
knew that the other loser lied. There
was no card playing for fun, and soon
after 1t had ceased we were treated tc
several sensations in succession Tie
hrst was the disappearance of several
diamond rings and bracelet which
had been left on the piano by a player
They had disappeared in broad day
ishli Win people sitting or moving
about, and as the value was conside-a.
BILE. the sensation was equal The car.
tam hushed matters up by suggesting
that one Of the servants was the thief
and that the plumber would so0a be
discovered Three days later d mar
ried woman had a sensational com.
plant to make. During her temporary
absence from her stateroom someone
had entered 1t and stolen 100 in cash
gold watch and a costly brea5tpin
Her stateroom was only two doors be.
low mine, and in leaving my room n
O'Clock In the afternoon caught
glimpse of some one entering hers. /
just got sight OF skirt, but | was sure
in my own mind that 1t was one / had
seen Miss Judson wear
1t was natural to at first suspect the
servants. and the captain had them he.
fore him in succession and tried his