The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-08-18

SHE.SlShs
New York. Aug. 17.-Declaring she was
her. Mrs James B. Singerley, Missouri
girl who. with her young husband and
James Reed, is under arrest for forgery,
walked from police headquarters to the
jefferson Market Court to-day. talking
calmly about herself and showing no indi-
cation of nervousness.
Hardly less rema rkable than the young
woman was her husband. who. while talk
ing in a room adjoining the courtroom,
frankly admitted that he was thief
The specific charge against the woman is
the forgery of checks. which. the police
say. were cashed by Charles A Keene, a
jeweler of Broadway near Maiden lane,
amounting to $3.50: r. H Macy & Co.. in
the sum of slso, and Benedict Bros, jewel
ers. of Broadway and Liberty street, 500.
All of these checks were presented to the
Lincoln National Bank.
The complaint. upon which the prisoners
were remanded until tomorrow by Magis-
trate FIammer was made out by the repre-
sentative of the bank. The police allege
that Mr.. and Mrs. Singerley have passed
other forged. checks. and 1t is expected
other charges will be formulated against
them. Singerley was arrested last Thurs
day, and when his wife called to see him
at headquarters Detective Sergeant Pea
body. who was working on the case, fol-
lowed her
He later called on the woman and gained
her confidence by saying he was a second
same cell with her husband and was anxious
to work with them. Mrs. Singerley then
wrote several Signatures for the detective
and copied his own signature so cleverly
that he rOlIld fell In from his hap ID
writing.
1t was after he had obtained full state
ment from the young woman that the de-
tect!ve suddenly dropped his stimulation and,
declaring that he was a detective, arrested
her. In court to-day Peabody said Mrs.
Singerley was the most dangerous forger he
had ever met, as she could copy signatures
with such accuracy that it was practically
impossible to tell them from the originals.
EDUCATED IN CONVENT
Aside from the reputation as a clever
forger given to her by the police, the young
woman attracted much attention in court.
She is remarkably attractive looking and
her clothing was both refined and costly.
In talking she made it apparent she was re-
fined ana educated. bearing out her state
ment that she was conyent-bred.
She wore linen crash skirt with white
silk shirt waist, white kid gloves and a
black picture hat trimmed with ostrich
plumes and band of gold braid. In apollo
giving because her waist was little sC{led,
the young woman said, with a smile:
IT the Lord would give me wings so 1
could ny through prison bars. would go
is pretty. don't you think so? No, it was
not paid fer with forged check. I paid
good green money for II.
After declaring she did not believe her
husband, who was with her in the ante
room. was bad man, Mrs Singerley told
the story of her life
Il was born in jefferson City, Mo- she
said, and my parents, Mr.. and Mrs. Thos
Worthington, still live there. When l was
Is months old | was adopted by MIR. and
firm of Preece & Durham, brokers'. at No.
Third. street, North. in minneapolis. - {
-, When lg;Ia.. was years, old was sent TO
Seton Hall. at st. Paul, and stayed there
until I was i5. My mother, Mrs. Preece,
who lived part OF the time at No. 500 Fifth
avenue, where she had apartments, then
placed me in the Ursuline Convent at Bed
ford Park.
While I was with Mrs. Preece in this
city four years ago I met Mr.. Singerley.
who was brokers' clerk, at the home of
friend. We fell in love with each other
and IT was very hard for me- at the con-
vent later when l could not see him.
finally decided to escape and elope with
him.
This I did by jumping from window
days search l found him and, on June Is.
1889. when l was only IL years old. we were
married at the Little Church Around the
Corner.
81 am sorry now that I was persuaded to
leave the ursuline Convent. The Sisters
there were so good and kind to me, and 1t
was such restful place. One did not feel
the need of morphine and other drugs there.
l never knew what such things were until
I left the convent. began on cocktails and
from cocktails got to drinking whisky and
brandy. Then these failed to satisfy; the
effect was not powerful enough, and had
recourse to morphine.
while my husband was in the Elmira
Reformatory for six months child was
born. After his release We were in the
dtrest poverty. We had left the house in
Lexington avenue. and had taken rooms In
No. 2iS West F'orty-eighth street.
DRIVEN TO FORGERY
without money or friends. we nearly