Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-06-10
A MAYNARD GIRL
Goes to Industrial School in
Preference to Jail.
Has Been disappearing in Boys
Clothes, Living Wild Life.
Her Friends Willing to Aid but Unable
to Control Her.

Stoughton, Mass, June 9.-Fagrancy,
the charge against Ernestine Hamilton.
the girl who, wearing boys clothing,
was arrested in Sharon two weeks ago,
was proved to the satisfaction Of Judge
Marden in the district court here, to-
day, and the young woman was sent to
the Industrial school at Lancaster.
Persons who had received Miss Hamil
ton into their homes for the purpose Of
adoption were present, today, and gave
evidence which Contradicted the very
sensational accounts which the defend
ant herself had given of herself at vari-
Gus times since her arrest. These wit
nesses declared that they had ceased
to receive the girl only after having
failed repeatedly to do anything with
her
Miss Hamilton was arrested at Shar-
on, when suspicion was aroused after
the postoffice had been robbed, because
a strange man and boy wearing a BIZ
cycle suit had been seen lettering about
the day before the occurrence.
The next day when person answer
ing the description of the lad in the BIZ
cycle suit was seen on the streets, the
police made an arrest on charge of
Vagrancy Then it appeared that the
individual was a female wearing mas
culine attire.
AS the girl, who gave the name Lydia
Simmond. claimed to have been an as
sociate of criminals, she was turned
over to the Boston police for an inves-
tigation. She told the Boston authori-
ties a very exciting story about hav-
ing been born in Paris, brought to this
country by woman who had her edu-
Gated in a school for juvenile crimi-
nails. kidnapped by gypsies, and finally
adopted by wealthy woman of Brook
Iyn, n. Y. who on her deathbed gave
the girl a mysterious letter, which said
that when she was y she would become
an heircss to large property
a brief investigation convinced the
Boston police that the girls story OF
her connection with thieves was falla-
cious. and she was returned to the Gus
tody of the Sharon authorities. They
learned that her name was Ernestin,
Hamilton.
1t was thought that little evidence
could be obtained, but, today. when the
case was called, George II. Peabody CT
Fitchburg. and Mrs. Nose Of Cam
bridge. told of their efforts to bring W
the defendant as a respectable person.
and their failure to do so.
Mr. Peabody said that he took the
girl from the state Board Of Charity i'll
Fitchburg when she was Is years old
He sent her to school and in every way
possible endeavored to treat her as one
of his family, but she ran away. She
was next placed in the home OF Mrs
Vose of Ashburnham
Like Mr.. Peabody, Mrs. Nose desired
to make the girl her daughter. She
sent her to school to fit her for entrance
to the Ashburnham Academy. After a
while Mrs Vose moved to Cambridge
and last March the young woman DIS
appeared Mrs. Nose said, today. that
she was not willing to take back the
defendant.
AS it appeared that she had no
known relatives. the judge offered the
prisoner the choice between going u
iaiI or passing her minority in the In
dustrial school at Lancaster. she eX-
pressed A preference for the school ana
sentence was pronounced.