The sun., 1903-12-16
MABEL PARKER'S OWN STORY.
CONFESSED FORGERIES, SHE
SAYS, TO SHIELD HUSBAND.
Declares That Peabody, Posing as Crook.
Didn't Long Deceive Her-Insists That
She's Convent Bred-Once Arrested.
but for what She Doesn't Know.

but for what She Doesn't Know.
times tearfully appealing, Mabel Parker
talked for three hours yesterday to the jury
which is trying her before Judge Cowing
in the Court of General Sessions.
Some OF the color has gone from her
cheeks since her case was begun, but she
still keeps her good humor. She devoted
herself while she was not on the witness
stand yesterday to making pictures OF
Assistant District Attorney Train, who
has been prosecuting her. Several agents
of illustrated newspapers made application
to her for the privilege Of reproducing
these portraits. but on the advice Of her
lawyer the drawings were destroyed.
Mabel said that she was 81 years old.
Her maiden name was Mabel Worthington.
She never knew her father. When she was
eighteen months old she was adopted by
F. j. Preece and his wife of Minneapolis.
They brought her up. She attended con-
vent in Minneapolis until she was IA years
old, when she came to this city and entered
the Ursuline Convent at Bedford Park
She left the convent in September. 1893.
Mabel said that she married James Par
ker in June, 1898. She lived with him until
he was arrested and was sent to Elmira
for twenty-three months. She always be-
lieved that he had made his living as gam
bier While he was at Elmira she lived
away from New York at the expense Of the
Freezes.
The woman's counsel, Charles l.. LIE
Barber, handed her the check which she
is charged with forging and uttering
Have you ever seen that before3' he
asked.
"Yes," she replied, 'but only as one Of
the exhibits at this trial here"
ais the name Alice Kauser 1.-THE signature
of the check in your handwriting7" he
asked.
NO. she said, 1T is not.
Then she told how Detective Peabody
Of the Central Office had come to her and
had told her that he was a thief who had
been locked in the same cell with her hus-
band, Jim Parker, at Police Headquarters.
She said that she believed the detective,
| who described himself as Billy the Crook"
when he said that Jim was suffering for
| morphine. She consented to go with
Billy the Crook" to Police Headquarters.
She gave the doorman at Headquarters
SO when she handed him the morphine
| package, she said.
She said that after the Headquarters
visit she recognized Peabody as detective,
restaurant for luncheon, and how his side
partner, Clark. spied upon them at lunch.
She said that Peabody told her that if
! it could be proved that Jim didn't forge
the checks Jim would be turned loose.
| Peabody said, according to Mabel:
Il don't believe that Jim forged that
! check"
"And | said" the witness went on, 4
| don't either"
! well if he didn't" asked Peabody,
| to har re, N 6idp"
i did" she replied.
| why did you say that?' asked MIR.
| LIE Barber
Because thought it would let jim out
didn't do it, and knew he was detective"
Mr. Train, cross examining, tried to show
that Mrs. Parker had been arrested for
shoplifting in Buffalo. She denied 1t. She
said that her husbands original name
was Singey, and that when she learned that
he had changed his name to Parker, she
changed too She denied that she had ever
had a lot Of blank checks and checkbooks
in her room as her boarding house landlady
testified She said that she had not used
morphine, herself.
@Wuy didn't you tell Detective Peabody
that. you suspected him of being a de-
tective?"
Because I thought that it would hurt
Jim's chance Of getting out" said Mabel,
calmly.
She said that she got part Of the money,
some $500 which she had wnen arrested
| from the Preeces. She said that there was
$500 in the roll when she was arrested
though the policeman only turned in $500.
She said that she never tried to pass a
check on the Shoe and Leather Bank.
never was in the bank and didn't know
where it was.
She went farther and said that she had
never signed any check in her life.
Assistant District Attorney Train named
number of Tenderlon resorts and asked
the witness if she had ever been in them.
She said with due show Of modest indig-
nation that she had been in several of these
places, but always with my husband"
Mr. Train asked If she were not arrested
once in the Bohemia. She said not. She
was arrested at Broadway and Twenty
ninth street, she said.
"Why were you arrested?' Mr.. Train
asked.
twas never able to find out" said Mabel.
Mr.. Train desisted.
Mr. LIE Barber summed up. Mr.. Train
will sum up this morning. and the case
will go to the jury Mr.. LIE Barber spent
most of his time discounting the testimony
Of Expert Carvalho, dwelling on jim Par
ker's confession of Mabel's alleged for
geries, and lauding Mabel's innocence
and inexperience of this wicked world.
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