The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-01
A CRIMINAL FOR HER BABES.
IMPOSTER WHO SwINDLED KINGS
DAUGHTERS TELLS HER TALE.


Her Victims Have Been Many,
Pretended TO Solicit Funds for the
Day Nursery-At Last Detected and
Made 10 Face the Good Women in
whose Name She Had SwiDdIed the
PubIic-A Brutal Husband and Her
Babes Hunger Drove Her TO Crime.
Repentance Brings Forgiveness.
The identity Of The mysterious Mrs. Wei
by. who in the guise of a collector for
the charitable institutions conducted by
the union of Kings Daughters. has wheed-
led many a dollar out of the pockets Of
Savannah business and professional men,
was revealed a the Office of the superin-
tendeut of police yesterday afternoon.
Mrs. Weby is not at all the woman's
name, but for the purposes of the story it
will do as well as another, and allow her
to make good her promise to reform ana
not do so again, that was the prerequisite
60 the withdra wal of the charge of cheat
ing and swindling that would otherwise
have been preferred against her The wo-
man made the promise on her knees, with
plteous appeals for mercy and with tears
and sobs and stifed outbursts of feeling
against the husband, who had brought
her to the pitch of degradation and crime
for which she was then called upon to
pay the penalty.
II was piteous and a moving scene.
and so softened the hearts of the good
women OF the Kings Daughters, in whose
name she had asked aud received charity
and who had met the superintendent by
appointment at the barracks, that they
not only forgave her offenses. but prom
Used her assistance in her efforts to lead
a better life
The story of the woman's career in Sa-
vannah is well known to the readers OF
the Morning News, in which her misdeeds
have been frequently written uD for
year or more, during which time she has
been operating in this city. The creche,
or day nursery, maintained by the Kings
Daughters, is one of the charities that
have most appealed to the people who
gre in the habit of giving literally as Il
Is recognized by them and the public gen
orally as one of Savannahs most deserv-
ing institutions. Armed with credentials
of her own manufacture, the quondam
Mrs. Welby circulated around the COM
munity and there were few among those
whom she asked for aid who did not re-
spond literally. 1t is estimated that since
she has been helping along, in her own
peculiar fashion, the cause for which the
Kings Daughters have done SO much, she
has collected between 5000 and $500. Some
thing like this amount is known 90 have
been obtained, and there were doubtless
many collections which the people from
whom they were made still think were de-
voted to the purposes of the Kings
Daughters, and about which no complaint
has ever been received.
Some time ago the plan that Mrs. Wei
by. so called. had been pursuing for more
than a year with so much success, was
written up IN full in the Morning News
and for a time thereafter her appeals to
the public ceased. There were no longer
reports of a woman In mourning with a
sweet face and gentle smile who ask for
aid for the day nursery, mentioned as
references the names of some OF the most
earnest and prominent charitable people
in Savannah. and generally landed her
game.
of late she has become holder. and sew
eral persons were approached with the
same old tale, varied this time with adj
ditions relative to the nursery's need of
funds that went straight to their hearts
and resulted In some substantial increase
TO the household store. Among those who
gave up their sheckels so cheerfully were
wi DNilh ANpul Et dtd MI. Joseph ATOGlAe.
This indeed was the straw that broke the
camePs back and proved the load too great
for the further endurance of the long
suffering bands of Kings Daughters.
Rigorous inquiries were a once institut-
ed and resulted finally in the detection of
the false pretender. Her identity was es-
tablished her residence learned and the
entire matter reported to the police Su-
perintendent Screven sent out and told
her that she would have to come TO his
office, as he wanted TO see her, and at the
same time Miss Viola Kennedy who has
been most active in forwarding the work
of the creche, and therefore most ANNOYED
by the wiles of Mrs. Welby. and several
other OF the ladies interested in the Kings
Daughters. were invited to be there and
meet her Mr. Albert Goette. who had seen
her at the time that she made her last
appeal for aid, was asked also to be pres
ent and identify the woman if she proved
20 be The one that was wanted.
Half a dozen ladies, the superintendent
MI Goette. and Morning News reporter
were IN the room when the detected
Wrongdoer entered. In her arms she bore
a babe not four months old and the child
during the scene that followed, dug it's
chubby hands into its mothers arm ana
smiled and cooed contentedly No inlxliny
of the tragedy that was going on about n
ana the effects of which il was doomed 10
1cei IA aIter me- entered the childish mind
and with bahysh innocence and glee il
seemed TO enjoy the whole affair 40 the
very utmost Outside the door a friend
OF the unhappy woman tended her other
enid, a little girl Of not yet sixteen
months.
When she entered the office of the su-
perintendent, Mr.. Goette was asked If ne
recognized her as the woman chat had
recently asked and obtained aid al his
fathers residence for the Kings Daugh-
ters and answered that he unuuestionab,v
did. Despite this recognition and the GER
tainty that she must have felt that The
tale was known, and that she had been
caught in her own trap the woman al
nrst denied the charge, aud said that She
had been collecting for the missionaries
in Mexico. Only for a few minutes did she
Stick to this statement, and when the ac-
cusatons of The ladies and the question
ing OF the superintendent, began to show
her positively that the whole thing was
up, and that she might as well confess.
she acknowledged her guilt with russ
of tears