Evening journal., 1903-08-07
FRIENDSHIP COST
THIS GIRL $500
Miss Annie Lawrence, of
West Fourth Street Knew =
Annie f. Sharpley
THE WOMAN HAD MANY VICTIMS
When Seen at Her Home This Morn
ing Miss Lawrence still Called the
Confessed swindler Her Friend and
Refused to Talk.

Refused to Talk.
Annie Il. Shapley the woman forger.
who was sent TO Moyamensing prison.
Philadelphia, 20 await trial for raising
postal money orders and who made a
fun confession, is well-known to at
least one woman IN this city.
The friendship OF Miss Shapley and
Miss Annie E. Lawrence. of No. 61O
West Fourth street, dates back for
sixteen years II cost her 5000. In
fact, Il sprang up shortly after Miss
Shapley came to this country from
England, and has ripened during the
long years until IL received the rude
jar occasioned by the arrest OF Miss
shapley and her subsequent confess
sion.
Although the friendship has been be-
trayed, Miss Lawrence refuses to say
anything against her friend other than
that she often visited her and had
other friends In the city Miss Law
renee was seen at her home this morn
ing by an Evening Journal reporter
and said
81 have absolutely nothing TO say
against Miss Shapley. Our transact
tions We're of n private nature and do
not concern the public. / would be
glad II YOU keep the whole matter out
OF the papers ana particularly my part
In H."
She would not even acknowledge
that the woman had swindled her out
OF 5000, although in her confession
Miss Shapey acknowledged A. Miss
Lawrence said II anything was to be
learned about the matter 1t would
have to come through Miss Shapley
In her confession at the prison Miss
Shapley said she had been in trouble
In her native England over obtaining
money under false pretenses. She ad-
! mitted operating the postofiice money.
order business since May only, hut In
that time had raised nine orders. The
Offices at which she obtained money
orders and raised them are New York.
Trenton Newark. Yonkers. Bath
Beach. n. ": Brooklyn 90 Norris
vile. Pa: Darby. New Rochelle, n. Y;
Larchmont. N. ", ana Bound Brook,
N. j.
Altogether she has raised postofilce
orders for which she paid $3.50 10
S5S2. and this did not occupy all her
time either She managed to get
pair of horses and 500 in cash from
l.. c. James g. Son. OF Chester on a
worthless check. and from Joseph Nc
Keal of this city. the sum of $3.50 on a
check which was returned marked
IN. c."
Her mode OF operating was simple,
and In its very boldness lay her se-
curity from detection. In Darby she
bought a postal order for 25 cents,
after the postmaster had tried to con-
vince her that stamps would be
cheaper and better She took the or
der to the writing desk and obliterated
the marks by means of a small bottle
Of acid, which she carried, and, with
the postmaster's pen and ink. raised
the order to $685. This was her
method OF working. she says, in all
the postofice schemes. Then she would
work of the raised orders on unsus-
2ecting people
e Besides these little affairs. Miss
b shapley has had trouble at various
\ times with the police and civil anthoFi-
T. ties. Inspector Mehary said that she
was the cleverest woman forger In the
/, country. and II she had kept away
) from the postofiice would be difficult
I to catch. Most men object to having
e people know that they have been so
easily gulled. and would not make a
formal complaint. he says. Since her
arrest many people have called at the
s federal building and told the inspector
e OF how they had been swindled by the
s clever sharper. Her strong card was
n in getting checks cashed and then
{ moving rapidly from point to point
! She would rush bareheaded into sa-
looms with check for a small amount
4, In her hand. requesting that It be
a cashed. saying that she had a grocery
e store in the neighborhOod, and that a
It customer was waiting for change. Mr..
F. Harley. of the Farmers hotel, had such
Is an experience with considerable loss.