The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-06
A UNIQUE WOMAN THIEF.
PRETTY, IVA CIOUS WE'LL GoFNED,
AND HAS LOST an ARM.
Farmer Broknw, Who Laughs at His Neigh
Dor for Buying n $4,000 Gold Brick,
Took Her In Out of the Storm and Now
Hns Cause TO Regret His Good Nature.

Farmer X Who Laughs at His Neigh
Dor for Buying n $4,000 Gold Brick,
Took Her In Out of the Storm and Now
Has Cause to Regret His Good Nature.
SoMERvILLE. n. j.. Feb. 5.-Never since old
Farmer Pendergast was gold bricked out of
$4,000 has the Watching Ridge section been
visited by ns clever an impostor as recently let
herself loose among the Hills. She was young
and vivacious. with a pretty oval face and dark
eyes topped with a wealth Of blcachod hair.
Her form was slender and graceful and she
walked witt a iaunty air. She wore a tailor
made gown a stylish hat and a fur CAPE. all OF
tho best material. The most striking thing
about her appearance was the absence OF her
LEFT arm. which was of at the shoulder.
One stormy night she knocked at the door
on the Ridge near White House. She gave
her name as Miss Leona Demmar of New York
wrong station and had lost her way. Her des-
~tination was Pennington. sixteen miles away.
and she wanted shelter for the night. The
sight of this pretty miss In the storm appealed
strongly to Farmer BroEaw aud he gladly gave
man OF culture and refinement. She said she
had lost her arm in n wreck on the Philadel-
phia and Heading Railroad. near Trent m juno
against the company, and that the settlement
was about to he made at Fleminrton 10y her
lawyer, OIL Chamberlain OF that place. and
the agents of the railroad company.
The Brokaw family were charmed with the
stranger ana invited ner TO remain at least q
week. She protestingly accepted the invita-
ton. On the day alleged TO have been set
FOR the settlement Of her claim Brokaw with
his best span OF horses drove the fair stranger
sixteen miles to Pennington. She alighted
from his carriage in front of the County Clerks
office. where she said she was to meet by ap-
pointment her lawyer and the agents. Bro
kaw saw her.enter the building and drove TO
Humphreys Hotel. where he was to take din
ner with her an hour later. He waited In
vain. Hours later he searched the town for
her and inquired at every railroad station,
hut could get no trace of her. At.the Office OF
q. P. Chamberlain he learned that he had been
duped. as the lawyer was without knowledge
of the fair damsel. Brokaw then whipped his
horses into q run and started for home. AZ
ter taking an inventory of the family cash and
raluables he told his wife never to harbor an
other strange woman, even if she had both
arms of. Mrs. Brokaw retorted that the
stranger would never have boen harbored at
all II MIR. Brokaw had not been so taken with
her.
Brokaw's loss is believed to be heavy. but
he refuses to tell about it. as he has recently
been laughing at u neiGhbor who was gold
bricked. Information has been received here
to-day of the arrest Of a womanSgiving her
name as Miss Giherson and answering the de-
]scription Of the swindler at Westchester. Pa.
She is held by Chief Of Police ~,Jeffries of that
place charged with stealing iewelry from peo-
pie at Bristol and Wilmington whose conf
dence she gained through a story about her
lost arm. a railroad wreck and a verdict o.
$4,000 against the Pennsylvania Railroad yet
to be collected.