The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-18
A MYSTERIOUS CHECK.
Mrs. > Rnes Pitkins, of st. Louis, Tells
IA Remarkable story of Her TrOu-

bIes.
From the ST. Louis Globe-Demoerat.
Mrs. Agnes R. Pitkin, charged with ar
son in the first degree, is in the prison row
of the city hospital and shares a comfort
able double cell with a young woman who
attempted to kill herself by taking NOR
phine.
The woman was a most pitiful object as
she talked through the bars of her prison
cell to a Globe-Democrat reporter. She
says she is nearly 60 years of age, but
her appearance is that OF woman of 40.
She has raven black curly hair, which is
as yet unsilvered. Her skin is dark, but
unwrinkled. Her eyes are black and
large, and the deep circles under them give
them am unnatural brilliancy. She is the
widow of Albert r. Pitkin, weil-to-do
citizen of st. Louis who died a few years
ago. He is said to have been a brother
of ex-Gov. Pitkin of Colorado. The neigh
bors out on Wells avenue, where Mrs. Pit
kin lived prior to the burning of her res
idence, al 55S5 Wells avenue, the latter part
of last month, say that she has been a
wealthy womap. Judge Daniel Dillon. a
prominent attorney of this city, visited
Mrs. Pitkin at the hospital yesterday. He
advised her TO say nothing about her case,
and, consequently, she refused 10 answer
any questions about herself, her acquaint-
ances or her antecedents, but she talked
Il have done nothing" said Mrs. Pitkin,
land they can do nothing 10 me, can they?
Judge Dillon came to see me to-day" she
declared, land advised me TO have moth
Ing to say TO any one about my case. He
is an old friend of mine and of my family,
and, therefore. l won't say anything. He
told me he didn't practice in criminal
cases, but promised 10 see that get the
proper sort of lawyer and make the proper
sort of defense. But l am innocent OF this
terrible crime and they cannot and win
not let me suffer.
Then she told a remarkable story She
said: Some of my property and estate
yet remain to me, and this was known to
my neigh5ors. One of these neighbors
professed TO be a friend of mine and I
thought she was. To her 1 talked freely,
and she knew a great deal about my bus
mess affairs and my circums tances After
l was burned out of house and home, short
| ly after my return from a visit to rela-
! tves at Eureka Springs last month 1
moved a few doors away from the black
! ened walls of my former home and took
| board with the people of the house. The
! day after the fire this peighbor friend of
! mine called"
This woman" continued Mrs Pitkln.
! who knew me well enough to call me
! Agnes, my Christian name, did not run up
into my bedroom, as had formerly been
| her custom when she visited me or de-
| sired TO see me. She went into the parlor
/
sage that she was awaiting me below
| Wondering greatly. | went downstairs and
| in the parlor. My wonder increased
! when my friend got up and closed the
door She went to table in the center of
! the room and bockoned me to follow her
| which l did. She spread out a piece Of
white paper on the marble top of the ta-
! Bile and pointed her finger at it. / looked
! al the paper and saw il was a check on
the bank with which l do business. 1
! looked at her questionlngly, aud she again
! imperiously pointed to the check II or
| dered the bank TO pay her the sum of
! Sl.oC0 The signature was only lacking.
| She demanded that | sign il. In astonish-
ment / asked her what she meant.
! You burned your house she declared
! spltefully Sign that check. If you don't
/ ! can get as much from the insurance
! companies"
Il told her she was crazy, and ordered
! her out of the house. She slapped the
! check on the table and said she wonl1
! leave it there. She said If l didn't sign tt
and send It TO he'd by noon that day she
| would swear me into the penitentiary.
This whole miserable affair is the result
of that woman's failure TO eXtort Sl0OO
| from me Ii is cruel Here Mrs. Pitkiu
| seemed ready again TO give way to hyster-
| les. She turned to a copy of the Globe
| Democrat she had in her cell and cried
| because her eyeglasses were at home aud
she could not read without them. Then
| she cried because she had no toothbrush
| and no looking glass in the cell to see how
| 20 arrange her hair.
| Thomas Hopewell jointly charged with
| Mrs. Pitkins with arson in the first degree
| frets and worries great deal during his
imprisonment in the swelterug and I'M
| wholesome holdover In the Four Courts
| basement His aged and inhrm wife. IL
most old as he, and crippled though she
is, has been visiting him twice a day since
| his arrest,