The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-05
THE BLACKMAILER.
TBy NJ. Quad.l

by NJ. Quad
The career of Miss Hattie Saunders,
as she called herself, was brief, but full
of incident and the way she happened
to become an inmate of the prison I
was connected with was a fair sample
of the adventures she engaged in.
The Job" for which the woman was
convicted ana sentenced was carried
out in London. She invented excuses
TO go to the office of a wealthy broker
several times and to have him call on
her at least twice. He was a Widower,
but was soon to be married again. One
day she demanded $1,000 of him, and
de stood up and defied her to do her
worst. She was angered over his de-
fiant attitude, and made the mistake of
taking him into court. The woman he
was to be married to at once broke
the engagement, and he was the sub
ject of public and private scandal.
This made him thirst for revenge. He
won his case, but he set private detec-
tiveS at work, and in the course OF
time the girl was traced clear back to
the home from which she had run away.
Then he caused her arrest and I'M
masked her in court, and pretty soon
the doors of a prison closed on her on
a three-year sentence. At her trial a
prominent divine testified:
Il was favorably impressed with her
appearance. / neVeD saw more truth
full, honest face. Her voice charmed
z me. She was very shy and diffident
and all my sympathies were aroused.
] received her in my study, as L did all
others. She was there for about TWEEN
ty minutes and told me a story that
was false from beginning to end, but
which l Implicitly believed at the time
When she rose to go she demanded $500
of me, threatening to go before a judge
and swear out a warrant for me if l
did not hand it over. She was cool and
calm, and, while admitting my inno-
Cence, she argued that l could not af-
ford to be dragged into court and scan
dalized. The result was that 1 gave
her the money"
Prison officials are not easily beguil-
ed but [ must admit that Miss Saund-
ers pulled the wool over our eyes in
great shape. She hadn't been with us
two weeks before we began to look upon
her as Il MARTYR. She won the heart of
the matron in a month, and within
three she was being treated more as a
guest than a prisoner. Our prison was
open to the public several hours each
day, and everybody who came wanted
to see the beautiful prisoner. In one
month six different men offered to mar
~ her in case she could get a pardon
and nine-tenthS of the female visitors
gave her their sympathies. The prison
doctor, the chaplain. the warden and a
guard were all soft on her at the
same time, and yet all of them were
old prison officials and married men.
The matron had a sister living about
half mile from the prison. After Miss
Saunders had been with us for five OF
six months this sister was taken i'll. anc
the matron would go over after break
fast and after supper. One evening
was coming up from the village in {
buggy and encountered the woman OF
the highway. We nodded to each other
but after I had passed on it struck me
that the female. whose weight was l6(
pounds, had suddenly lost flesh [ turn
ed TO look, and then became certain thai
some one had borrowed her clothes
Whirling the buggy around. I overlook
her, and. behold it was Miss Saunders,
took her back to prison and made
an investigation. and it did not sur
prise me overmuch to learn that the
matron was in the plot She believed
! the girl was innocent and was willing
to help her get away. The political