The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-12

Was Victimfzed by Smooth
Young Man Who Made Love to
and Promised to Marry Her-He
Is Now Charged with Stealing
Her Watch.
MILWAUKEE, Oct. 11.-(Special.)-
Detective Sullivan arrested a young
man on Saturday afternoon who was
having very plain sailing of it spend
Ing small fortune. The only trouble
was he went the game a trifle too fast.
The details of the story as they have
come to the police are pathetic. Sew
era1 years ago Attorney Seller, of Still
water, O. lawyer honored and respected
throughout the state of Minnesota and
we'll known all over the West, died and
left his widow, Sarah NJ. Seller, q COM
petence. Mrs. Seller remained at the
old homestead in Saltwater and might
have ended her days there in peace and
happiness but for the appearance of a
smooth young man, about thirty years
of age, who Travelled under the name Of
Edward Morris.
He met Mrs. Seller now in her sixty
fifth year, and soon won the old lady's
heart. He ingratiated himself under
pl omise Of marriage and wooed so we'll
that he persuaded her to leave the old
home in Saltwater and accompany him
to ST. Paul. She did and the couple re-
manned in st. Paul a week or two, but
Morris never made good his promise.
In the meantime Mrs. Sellers ad
mtnistrator was supplying funds at her
request and the money went rapidly.
When things began to look serious at
ST. Paul, young Morris persuaded his
aged victim to come to Milwaukee with
him and again she consented. Here he
said he would marry her Immediately.
The two reached this city about two
weeks ago and rented apartments in
the Scammon flats on Wells street,
near Ninth. The rooms were hand
somely fitted up with the most ex-
pensive furniture and bric-a-brac that
money could procure. Still Morris, now
sailing under the name Of Edward
Baker, put off the wedding day He
was spending money laVishly. Going
back and forth to Chicago, according to
bis own admissions to the police, he
played the races in Chicago and lost
heavily. Soon his expenditures had
reached 1000. He had a bicycle and
rode about the streets OF Milwaukee,
and always had a good roll of bank
notes in his pocket to make an impress
sion upon a chance acquaintance.
Meantime Mrs Seller had grown
weary Of his promises Of marriage.
Last Friday afternoon she CHANGED to
meet Attorney E. E. Chaplin. Mr.. Cha
pin was an old friend Of her husbands
and she conflded in him. The follow
ing day Mr.. Chaplin called on the police
and that afternoon Baker was behind
prison bars
HER MIND UNBALANCED.
A strange thing about the whole af-
fair is that when Mrs. Seller was
| brought to the station to identify the
man, he exclaimed from behind the
bars: "Now, ma, surely you don't want
| them to lock me UP here, do your
And the old woman exclaimed fran
| ttcally that she did not and appealed
| to Inspector Riemer and every police
officer about the station to release Ed
! ward as she wanted to take him home
with her. Mrs. Sellers advanced age
and the plight she finds herself in have
| unbalanced her mind, the police think,
! otherwise she could be made to see
| how basely she had been betrayed by
| the smooth young scoundrel.
A warrant has been procured charg-
ing Baker alias Morris, with the lar
ceny of a gold watch from Mrs. Seller,
the watch worn by her late husband.
| Not only did Baker take the 81 900 and
| the watch, but he had placed a mort
gage on the furniture purchased with
| Mrs. Sellers money to furnish the fiat
and at the time of his arrest had per
suaded the old lady to telegraph to the
administrator of, her husbands estate
to forward $500 to her. The telegram
has been countermanded.
While Baker was wading so deeply
| into Mrs. Sellers possessions he was
not otherwise idle, for while in this
city, it seems, several young women fell
victims to his smooth talk and prom
ises of marriage and gave him money.
One poor girl from the north side of
the city came to Inspector Riemer's Of
flee this morning, accompanied by her
mother, and with tears in her eyes
pleaded for the return of $40 she had
given Baker. 1t was her savings OF