New-York tribune., 1903-03-21
STOLE AT CHUM'S HOME.
ARRESTED HT PL1NO.
Normal School Girl Could Not Bear
Taunts about Clothes.

Charged with the theft of diamonds and jew
eiry worth 81 800 from the mother Of her chum,
Rose ChristaIli, nineteen years old one OF the
leaders of the senior class at the Normal Col
lege, was arrested last night while she sat at
the piano in the home she afterward confessed
to robbing She locked up in the West
One hundred and -twenty-ffth-st station, where
she broke down under questioning, and. Captain
Martens says, made complete confession to
him.
The complainant is Mrs Victoria L. Shelter.
wife Of Policeman Benjamin Shelter, formerly
& detective sergeant. but now doing duty In
the Alexander-ave. precinct Ever since she
started in the Normal College course the girl
and Miss Sadie Shelter have been chums, and
the prisoner has spent days at time in the
Shelter home, at No. 1882 Columbus-ave..
The theft Is said to have taken place on last
Tuesday. when Miss Christalli left the Shelter
home after a weeks stay while looking for a
new boarding place. She then took room In
a boarding house at No. 233 West One-hundred-
and-twentieth-st. She formerly boarded at No
226 East Sixty-ninth-st.
The girl is motherless. Her father, Michael
Christali is agent for an insurance company.
and lives at No. 81 Audubon-ave. The girl was
educated first at the Convent Of the Missionary
Sisters of Mercy, in Riverdale. She speaks
French, Spanish and italian, and Is a vocal and
instrumental musician.
few days ago Miss Christalli told Mrs. Shelf
fer of a quarrel with some OF the girls of her
class She said had taunted her about not
being able to wear clothes such as her friends
had. Mrs Shelter said the girl cried about this
but afterward apparently forgot the incident.
To CAPTAIN Martens last night, he says, the
girl said she could not resist the temptation to
take the jewelry; that she could not bear to be
without pretty clothing. such her friends
bod rfelt t-r1 to nIrST ~nT0a
the tempta tions that beset her.
After her arrest the detectives went to the
house In hundred -and-twentieth-st In
Miss Christallfs room. in a dresser drawer
they found $2O4 80 in cash. gold watch. new;
a small diamond brooch, and two pawn tickets
one calling for $500 and one for $50. In the
room also were TWO large bundles which had
been unopened. One was from downtown
department store. and the other from store
in West One-hundred- and twenty y-hfth~st- They
contained undergarments, pettcoatso silk
waists, gloves and laces.
When the girls father was informed Of her
arrest he became almost frantic He declared
she was not thief He said that for two years
she had suffered from nervous prostratlon
brought through overstudy and ciose ap-
nlication to her scholastic work. He said that
for g. year she had been treated by nerve
specialist for kleptomania and that last sum
mer he took her on sea voyage @ 10 [ry 10 9uI1u no
oyerstudy. He went to the station and opened
his arms without ever word The prisoner,
slight and fragile little miss slipped into the
extended arms, and cried out:
"Oh daddy, don't go back on me now
r. christalli said that he would try to save the
pIrl from prison, and would ask Mrs. Shef1er
not to press the complaint. Mrs. sheffier would
not say last night whether she would Withdraw
the charges or not.
on Tuesday evening Mrs. Shelter said that
Miss ChristaIn gave her pocketbook, and con-
p 6dentially showed her a tiny gold watch she
said she was going to give to her daughter.