The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-06-05
QUEEN OF PARIS CROOKS.
Beautiful Girl Living in Palace Falls
 into g Police Net.

into Police Net.
 The head of the paris murderers' and burglars trust has just been discovered, and turns out to be a woman, Mime the Baroiess de Gordoue, 21 years old.
 Ten days ago an old miser lost 75OOO francs ill Government bonds by an an- onymous midnight visitor. As he had the numbers. the papers were quickly located in a bankers office. The man of money laughed in the police lieuten- ants face. Stolen? Impossible! I bought these bonds from one of our most esteemed and highly connected customers.
 Her name? Why, of course. Madame the Baroness de Gordoue, Folie St. Cloi palace. Rue Neuilly."
 Cloi palace used to be the home of one of Marie Antoinette's favorites, and the rent amounts to more than 5000 francs per annum. Still, the lieutenant had his doubts, and decided to pursue the bird, no matter how precious the cage and how beautiful the plumage.
 An hour after midnight the lieuten- ant let himelf and F policemen into the palace by means of skeleton keyes. The vestibule was pitch dark, but sound of voices and chatter of glasses and porcelain indicated that there was high revelry on the floor above. Fol- lowing the sounds, the cops reached a double door, and without ado entered, revolver in hand. They saw an opulent- ly set table, lit up by ancient silver candelabra; empty champagne bottles in plenty, and around the festive board nine gentlemen in evening dress, who were at once recognized as persons who occasionally had their pictures taken by the police.
 The other male guest wore a work mans blouse and shabby hat, while on the back of his chair hung discarded false beard There were also two ladies, dressed in style fit for 1OO- franc box at the Grand Opera, only more decollete. While each of the police agents covered his man, the officer stepped up to the woman at the head of the table and, with polite bow asked: "The Baroness de Gordoue. I belleve?"
 "Correct" in loud voice, and in an undertone: Send away your men and everything will be satisfactorily ex- plained and arranged"
 Instead of answer the lieutenant put | his hand on madame's naked shoulder and pronounced her under arrest, but at that moment man carrying a revolver, broke from a closet: Your life if you hurt madame" The slugger was quick ly overpowered. and soon the whole gang writhed on the floor, bound hand and foot an properly gagged. i The lieutenant looked for the lockers and found one containing the Baroness S memorandum book. with a long record of past burglaries and murders, also a few affairs of that sort planned for
 the near future.
 1 They have a third, degree exmanina-
 tion in Paris as well as in the United States, and the French authorities deny it no less indignantly than their col leagues in New York and Chicago. At
 any rate the lieutenant succeeded in
 obtaining from Madame the Baroness the following admissions:
 | Age 21, real name Marie Therese ] Gordoue, nobility of her own creation,
 began her career as maid to a famous l actress, became a woman of pleasure and fell in with some of the great rogues of the day, swindlers, gamblers, later on with burglars and murderers. Attained great sway over these men by | reason of her beauty and resourcefuI mind, whereupon number of them proposed, of their own accord, that she establish herself as leader of the elite | oF o,5,,, oIo l With money gained in burglarizing a
 banking house on the Champs Elysees, | the ancient palace in secluded street was leased for term of years and fit- ted up with business paraphernalia tee- phone and telegraph--an expert crack man attended to the wires-lazaretto | depot of arms. poisons, explosives, trar l doors, secret vaults, storerooms, ac- 1 commodations for dozen of persons.
 At the same time madame established | connections with highly respectable
 banking and business houses, where she
 visited in her carriage daily. depositing
 selling and exchanging the moneys
 bonds and other articles brought in by her associates.
 The Baroness boasted-the criminals l arrested in her house corrohorated the 1 fact-that she kept her associates wei
 in leash, directing their movements and
 exacting a commission of 25 per cent from the gross proceeds of any burglar
 ry, theft, swindling operation or murder planned, advocated or merely counten.
 anced by her, for no crook durst operate on his own account.
 The police found in a secret drawe,
 a list of over 200 professional an6
 occasional criminals. with their address
 es and special quailifications.-Ch Chicago