Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-07-03
ROTHS(H|LD FREE AGAIN.
Western Convict Liberated
From Penitentiary After Sew
eral Years Incarceration.
|X DESPERATE CRIMINAL.
Under Some Forty or Fifty Aliases
Abe Rothschild Has an Interna.
tional Reputation.

1sss," In Jsn"rson, Texas. and Escaped
Hanging by she Liberal Use of Money
-Jsw wsisrs' Protective Association Made
d Hot for MIN and lie Turned Gambler.
The steel bars which have for scv.
eral years confined Abe ROthschild In
the Missouri State Penitcntiary have
been lifted and the prisoner once again
breathes the fresh air Of freedom. Ap-
parently his freedom will be Of short
duration, as, by the terms OF his con-
victiOn, he Is required to leave theS
country Immediately upon being re-
leased or lie can be rearresied and
tried upon several other indictments
which are pending against him.
Rothschild. under some forty or fifty
aliases, has au international rrpnta-
ton. obtained while he was engaged
In acquiring other peoples property
without going through the fOrmalty
OF paying for It. He Is known all over
the civilized world as u criminal who
has had more narrow escapes from
getting his just deserts than any other
man known to the police of this cOun-
try or Europe. Rothschild has the
further distinction of having been con.
victed Of murder and escaping hang
Ing only by the liberal Use Of money
and influence upon u second trial.
He is n product OF the West, MS arc
many successful criminals, having
been born In st. Louis forty seven
years ago.
He first came into public notice In
1877. when lie married a woman
known in the West as Diamond Bcs-
Sic Moore, and induced her to go to
Jefferson. Tex, where he registered at
a hotel as "A. Monroe and wife, Gin
cinnati." They remained at the hotel
hut few days when Mrs. Rothschild
disappeared. and Abe. telling the hotel
proprietor that "his wife was visiting
friends took his trunks and went to
Cincinnati. a few days after the body
Of the unfortunate young woman was
found in the woods n short distance
from the hotel. She had been shot
through the head and stripped of dia-
monds and jcwelry.
Abe Rothschlld shot himself on the
steps OF q gambling house In Cincn-
natl on the evening OF February II,
1877. and upon his recovery from tho
wound was arrested and taken to Tex
MS for trial. The trial resulted In con-
victiOn and sentence to hang but
later it was set aside, and after an i'm
prisOnmcnt of three years Rothschld
secured his liberty and the murder OF
diamond Bessie" remained uI-
avenged.
He engaged in many swindlcs, his
usual modus opcrandl being to take
the name of prominent merchant
who was we'll rated in the commercial
agencies. Then he would seEd to other
merchants, principally diamond deal
ers. orders for goods to he shipped to
the town where the prominent mer-
chant 1i1 hustnncc Than nd
n letter to himself under the name of
the merchant he had selected he would
inclose n number of drafts for n large
amount and mail II, following the let
ter Immediately.
Arriving in the town he would ask
mt the postofiicc for the letter which he
wonld allege he expected He would
express surprise to learn of the exist
cnce of the merchant of the same
name. hut would ut once call upon him
and Introduce himself, dwelling upon
the coincidence OF the similarity of
names. Then lie would ask for the let.
ter which he had reason to believe had
been delivered to the merchant and as
the merchant would have no reason
to become suspicious. lie would turn 1t
over.
The rest was easy for n man of
ROthschilds unlimited resources. He
would ask the merchant to hold any
parcels reaching him by registered
mail which were not intended for him,
and within few days would receive
the diamonds and 1ewclry he had Or
dered and would leave the town. The
swindle would not be discovered for mt
least thirty days when the diamond
brokers who had shipped the goods
would send In their statements sand
the merchant would learn of the huge
swindle which had been successfully
perpetrated.
Tile Jewelers. Protective Association
sent circulars broadcast warning their
clients against Rothschild, but he sue
ceeded In reaplng a rich harvest bc-
fore publicity made 1t dangerous for
him to work. Then he developed into
n gambler and frequented the race
tracks. making money rapidly.
He was plunger, and several "kill-
ings" in the betting ring were engi-
neered by him. He amassed n fortune
and sailed for Europe, where he soon
became well known on all the English
and French race tracks. Luck turned
against him, though. and after n long
he became 'broke" and
again turned his attention to swim
ding. He finally fed to Ontario TO es.
cape the United States authorities.
who were hot on his tracks, but he
was arrested and taken to Missouri
where he wns wanted on several
charges.
1t was stipulated when he was ex-
that he could only be tried
on two charges, and he was convicted
and sentenced to four yenIs In the
Jefferson City Penltentiary, which
time he has served. Rothschild has
only one eve, an artificial one occupy
Ing the place Of the other which he
shot out when he attempted suicide
prior to his arrest for the killing of
''Diamond BESSIE" In 1877.
Evolution and Invoiution
They afterward thought that the Tn
1mbecile purposely directed.