Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1900-05-08
LAURA HILTON, BURGLAR.

Laura Hilton. Here she entertained the
policemen with marvellous tales Of her
experiences as tramp in every part OF
the United States. Her stories were told
with so much verisimilitude and circum
stance and displayed such evident knowl-
edge of the numerous states described
that they would have deceived the very
: elect There seemed to be nothing sus-
picious about the woman, and she would
have been discharged on Monday, as she
doubtless had been many times before,
but for Special Officer George A. Martin
Of the Manayunk district.
The residents of this district last fall
were harassed and plundered for weeks
by q mysterious burglar, who carried
away dozens Of small articles of more or
less value, usually Women's clothing or
jewelry. Martin investigated these ca es
carefully and came to the conclusion that
the burglar was a woman, but he could
not convince any one else of this appar-
emily improbable theory. When he heard,
however, of the woman found in the out
house in West Philadelphia, he remem-
bered the burglaries in his district and had
her transferred to Manayunk. Then he
visited some of the families who were
robbed last full, and they called at the
station and examined Laura and her be-
longings. 49,.
Miss Hannah Regan of 374 Green lane,
Roxborough, who lost many valuable ar
ticles of apparel and jewelry last fall,
promptly identified the hat, coat and
dress skirt worn by the woman as her
= own property, and Miss Mary Peale OF
476 Conroy street identified other articles.
An umbrella carried by Laura when ar
rested was found to have Miss Regan's
name on it.
:, There was a hearing before Magistrate
Stratton afterward, and Laura was
committed without bail to Moyamensing
prison for trial on charge of burglary.
Special Officer Martin took her first to
the central station, where she. was pho
tographed, and thence to the prison.
On the way to the central station the
woman confessed to Martin that there
were two trunks in a storage house in
Twelfth street containing stolen articles
These trunks she had sent there, giving
her name as Annie Miller. When arrest
ed, she had thrown away the keys and
storage receipts. She admitted that she
had stolen the articles contained in the
trunks and many more. She told the
special officer where he could find certain
articles of jewelry stolen from Manayunk
people and which she had pawned, but
she protested to have forgotten where
the rest of her plumber had been disposed
of. She denied that she had any men
confederates, and all the evidence goes to
show that this is true.
g. The trunks were got from the storage
house and taken to the Manayunk sta
tion.s They contained the most remark
able collection Of plumber ever brought
into that police station. One Of the
trunks, large one, is nearly new. 1t
was deposited in storage in September
last.
It was full of articles of ladies' apparel
and fine needlework. In one compart-
ment were articles of beautiful drawn
work. and embroideries, scarfs, doilies
table spreads and centerpieces. There
were also many expensive underskirts,
exouisitely embroidered and trimmed. On
one Of these was stenciled the name A.
l.. Wilkinson and on another Edith Nc.
Kinney. There were also a few articles
of handsome silverware, some fine toilet
pieces and three rosaries, one with black
beads, one with red and one with pearl
mounted silver, with an artistically carv-
ed pearl crucifx. There were many ar
ticles of small value, evidently taken in
a spirit Of childish wantonness.
The second trunk had been in storage
since July, 1897. It contained principal
" articles of women's outer wear-ex-
pensivc cloaks and jackets, dresses and
dress skirts and many unfinished pieces,
with the needle and thread still in the
seams. They had evidently been taken
from fashionable dressmaking establish.
ments. as all are Of fine new material and
made in the best style. There were also
: several hats and umbrellas One Of the
hats was identified by Miss Mary Roger