The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-10
KANSAS NEWS.
A Pretty lola Girl RObs Rela-
tives of About 500.
Love of Finery Was the Cause
of Her Downfall.
DIVIDED WITH A MAN.
Pretended She Was Getting the
Money from Home.
Had Found the Hiding Place or
Her GrandmOther's Fund.


for finery and the other luxuries dear
20 the feminine heart and the easy ac-
feasibility of 500, mostly in attractive
looking 20 dollar gold pieces, proved the
undoing of a pretty little 16-year-old
girl. who has returned home in disgrace
at the discovery of her deed, after hav-
ing spent several months in lola A
man who shared in the easily gotten
spoils after being compelled to return
$500 of it which he had in his possession,
has left town. Neither of the two are
likely TO return to lola
Some months ago there came to lola
to stay with her grandmother a girl of
16 The girl was pretty and ladyl1ke;
At one place she traded she complained
because she thought the young men
employed there tried to fiirt with her.
She informed the proprietor that she
was not that sort of a girl The grand
parents of the girl are two of the most
estima BILE citizens of lola.
At the home of the grandmother
boarded a young man who intruSteI 10
her 5000 for safe keeping as he did not
want to put it in the bank. Together
with 500 of her own the lady put 1t in
q supposedly safe place There was no
occasion to handle the money and 1t
was not looked at from weeks and 10
weeks end.
The pretty little girl began to receive
letters from her parents She read these
letters to her grandmother In each one
of these the mother expressed the hope
that the girl was having a good time
and to be sure of it, she enclosed, so the
letters stated. a considerable sum CT
money. These letters with their re-
mittanceS, came frequently.
The girl bought all manner of pretty
things to wear. She was one of the
best dressed girls in lola and the other
girls would have enVied her had she
not been so pleasant and so liberal with
ice cream and other good things. She
did not forget to be generous to her
grandmother. She bought many nice
presents for her and when the grand
mother said she should not spend so
much money in this way. the girl was
sure her mother would want her to get
presents for grandmother.
But the grandmother begin to grow
q trffie suspicious. The remittanceS
were becoming remarkably liberal She
wrote to the girls mother and made
few inquiries as to how much money
they were sending her. The letter came
registered so no one but the grand
mother herself could get it from the
postoffice. The girl got the notification
card, however, and this she tore up.
or more before the grandmother hap
pened in there. The letter was given
her. 1t contained the information that
no money was being sent the girl.
There was an investigation. An in
EpectiOn of the place of safe keeping
showed that the pile of twenty-dOllar
gold pieces amounting to $500, was
missing. She was so clearly caught
that the girl made a full confession of
having taken the money and told of
the various ways in which she had
spent part of it. 1t was a very fearful
and unhappy half hour for both the
grandmother and the misguided girl
the confession which was sobbed
out. contained the information that a
certain man had 5000 of the money,
that she had given it to him. The man
he =
ago and was connected with a success
full enterprise, which, while not per-
manent. would stay here a year or
more. He had been a frequent visitor
at the home t. see the girl. Somehow |
the grandmother learned that the man |
IS married. The visits were brought to |
an abrupt stop. But the visits mad not /
been stopped soon enough. He had in
gratiated himself with the girl until she |
divided her money with him.
When it was discovered that the man |
had part of the money ne was called |
to the home. He was given his choice |
of refunding the money and leaving |
town Immediately or of having the mat |
ter turned over to the authorities for \
prosecution He chose to avoid public |
ity in the matter and dug up the 5000 |
and hurriedly left town.
The girl returned the part of the /
money she had left. 1t afforded a strik- /
ing lesson in the subtraction that a
girls unbridled expenditures for a /
TO eat will make from $500 To avoid |
family scandal there was no thought |
of Prosecuting the girl. She was heart
broken from the exposure of her deed
and with fear at facing the reproaches
she would meet at home. But she was
glad to leave the scene of her wrong |
doing and its exposure.
The grandmother is nearly prostrat-
ed by the affair. She is of a proud
family and one of European lineage
which is traceable back through many
generations of people who nave played |
an honorable part in life. 1t is the first
time that any member of the family has
been implicated in anything even tinged
with diShonor.
Aside from the financial loss if is a
hard blow to her that the 5000 entrusted
70 her for keeping should have been
taken, especially by one of her own
blood OF course the loss is being made
good to the man and he will be none |
the loser by the unfortunate affair
The man who shared in the booty and
was later forced to return it. is well /
known though he had been mere but a
Few months He was a good mixer and |
very sociable. The emblem of one of
the most fraternal orders which he
wore on his lapel served as an introduce
ton to many prominent people in town |
and when there was anything doing
among a certain crowd of men he was
one of the jolliest fellows in the bunch
He posed as a single man. His work