The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-01-17
GIRL caxrs TO aergr.


victoria Humbertson, q pretty girl OF
twenty summers. leff home of peace snd
quietness in Somerset county and came to
the city for a life Of turmoil and excite
ment Of metropolitan existence. says
the Pitsburg Commercsal-Ciazstte Of Sat
urday last That was in last September.
Last night the girl occupied cell In Con-
tral station with a charge of larceny hang
ing over her. Her father. q respected bus
iness man Of Sonerfield, will be in the
city this morning. II is not probable the
prosecution viii be pushed against her.
Her father viii make An effort TO take her
back to the home with which she had be-
| come discontented, and the police and
those who are alleged to have been the
victims of her crime have hopes she viii
learn a lesson from her arrest and here
amer lead better life.
Miss HENDERSON was arrested by De
tective William Elmore in Penn avenue
restaurant yesterday morning. A few
hours before her trunk had been searched
in the home of Thomas Rees, 226 North
Negiey avenue, East End, by Detective
George Miller. In it were found silks,
laees, insertion. jewelry. photographs and
many other household articles. Accord
ing to the stories of the police she must
have stolen indiscriminately, and the na-
tnre of the articles missed by the family
leads to the belief that she is a victim of
kleptomania.
Her father keeps q store in Somerfield.
and at home she enjoyed all of the CON-
forts OF life. The atmosphereof the coun-
try. however, was too quiet for her. She
longed for the bustle of the city, and f.
ualIy announced her intention Of leaving
home. Her determination was met with
opposition by her parents, but Victoria
was obdnrate. and one morning last Sep
tember the train bore her away from the
scenes Of her girlhood-
week after her arrival in this city she
went to live with the family of Thomas
Rees. the steamboat builder. The family
liked her. She was quiet about the house
and gave every evidence Of refinement.
She seemed strangely out of place as a
domestic, aud this fact was frequently
commented on. Sometime after her ar
rival at the Rees home little articles be-
gan to disappear. One day it would be
several yards from piece of silk which
had arrived from the store; the next il
would be portions OF lace, then insertion,
and finally photographs of friends, arti-
cles which had no intrinsic value going
along with the rest. Members of the fam
lily sent to New York for feather tips for
their hats. They were not in the house
long until half had vanished. At first
the girl was not even suspected. but the
thefSs became so numerous that suspi-
eions were finally aroused aud the bu-
rean of detectives notified.
A week ago Victoria left the Rees home
and went 10 work in a restaurant on Penn
avenue. She did not take her trunk with
her, but left it in her old room. Detective
George Miller went to the house yester-
day aud went through the trunk. In it
he found two silk skirts, shirt waist,
several crash towels, two pieces of linen,
a piece of netting. black silk. wine col
ored and white silk. two aprons. some
embroidery, lace insertion, a black enam-
eled Watch, a gold neck cnAin, pair OF
nose glasses, an umbrella and three feslh-
er tips.
Detective Miller. knowing where the
girl was working, had an information
lodged against her before Magistrate Rob
ert McGonigle, charging her with lar
ceny. Word was sent to detective head
quarters, and Detective Elmore went to
the restaurant aud placed her under ar
rest. At the police station she cried bit
terly over her trouble, said she wished
she was dead, and added that she would
commit suicide rather than have the dis
grace fall on her family. Her father was
notified and will arrive in the city to-day.
After the hearing. which, it is said, will
not be severe, her father will return with
her to her old home in Somerset county.