The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1901-10-10
A LATTER-DAY ROMANCE
A Humorous and Mirth-Provokins Story
of Deception Practised on a
Chicago Woman.
CHICAGO. Oct, s. do you
love me deary?'

~ ~~-O NOe&Av y
You know l do. pet.'
"Well, pleasant dreams"
Sleep tight"
''Good night.
The above conversation and
yards of it has been passed up
and down plain every day tin
speaking tube in the home of
Mrs Margaret Scott Thoroman.
3021 Groveland avenue, for the
last year and a half. Mrs. Tho.
roman thought she was having
her love tested and it cost her,
according to statement made
in court to-day, something like
S40O. Kate williamson. her
maid, and her sweetheart, Johr
Barnett, a houseman, acted as
''love testers" and it might have
be9n going on yet had it not been
for the interference of Bride
well Keeper FELTON,, who says he
entered the case as a "human-
itarian." Lieut. Sullivan of the
Stanton avenue police station
says the Williamson girl has
missed her calling and instead of
beng domestic she should set
up shop and establish new sect
to coax money out Of the easily
gulled.
Kate Williamson is clever
ventriloquist and she must also
be clever in other respects. She
managed to carry on the love af-
fair of her employer for more
than a year and a half and all
that time the women who sup
posed she was conversing with
her lover was hoodwinked
into sending him three fine meals
a day and whatever money he
demanded. which several times
amounted to large sums.
Mrs. Thoroman is a slight,
frail-looking woman, who is try
ing to make a living in her
Groveland avenue home renting
rooms. According to the police
she met somewhere on the south
side nearly two years ago a fine
appearing stranger, who later
came to her home to room.
Melting glances, several squezes
of the hand and finally a supper
at one of the downtown cafes are
said to have resulted Then for
some reason the man, who was
known both as Mr.. Smith and
1.-The captain, left for parts un-
known. At this point Kate Will
hanson is said to have taken up
his part and played it to finish.
With tears in her eyes she went
to Mrs. Thoroman and told her
that ''the captain desired to test
her love and that he intended to
live in the basement of the house
apart and undisturbed and would
not see Mrs. Thoroman for a
year. Then If the test worked
all right Hymen was expected to
do his worst. Mrs Thoroman
agreed
Then it was tat the clever
young colored woman began the
carrying on of the love affair
through the speaking tube.
Each night it was Mrs. Thoro-
mans practice to go to the tube
and bid her supposed lover down
in the basement an affectionate
good night. Kate down in the
cellar at the other end of the
tube, used her powers as a vent
riloquist to play the part of the
lover, using deep basso voice.
When she got tired her sweet
heart, Barnett, took a whirl at
working the pipe. Kate said to-
day that she only got hoarse
once or twice during the whole
entire year and a half, and denies
that she ever shed crocodile
tears to make the money flow.
But Mrs. Thoroman says she
frequently came to her with flow
ing eyes and a story about "the
captains" wanting some money
to bet on the races. And she
always gave it willingly.
Mrs. Thoroman says she sus-
pected nothing and asserts that
her domestic hoodwinked her |