The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-28
.LOvELED THE WAY
The Flower BIOssOmed Under
Eyes of the Jailers.
Identity of Jennie May EckWOrth
Is Revealed.
HER NAME is SHORT.
Left Home in Philadelphia
Under a Cloud.
John Wilson, Former Prisoner
Ministers to Her Wants.

Love laughs at locksmiths" and at
jailers.
A blossoming romance has been
nurtured right under the eyes of
Sheriff Lucas in the county Jail.
In this case the wooer and the
wooed were both behind the bars
when the romance started.
One day a prisoner serving time In
the county Jail saw a dashing, buxom
blonde in charge of the officers led
past his cell door to the cell where
she should be locked up.
1t was love or infatuation at first
sight on the part of the prisoner who
had begun his term before the woman
came into his life and into the jail.
1t was Jennie May Eckworth,
charged with stealing a $500 seal skin
cloak from John Petrizilik, who was
led past the cell occupied by John
Wilson who was caught at Red Oak,
Iowa, on the charge of passing a
forged check on E. Ulamperl, the East
Fourt street merchant.
Wilson confessed that he was guilty
of the crime charged and months ago
he began serving his time. He
served the tune out and is now free
led past his cell door is still in Jail.
Wilson has been quite attentive to
her. He took her good things to eat as
she wanted viands more delicate than
Wilson provided Jennie May Eek
worth with cakes and goodies from
the uptown bakery shops. Sheriff
Lucas and the jailers knew OF this but
was there any harm in allowing John
Wilson to provide Jennie May Eek
worth with edibles?
There seemed to be no harm and
then the officers thought that the old
ing the one who should unwittingly, or
Willingly, deliver the information the
officers might like to know, should be
changed and in this case the man
Of Jennie May Eckworth should be
discovered
The officers at the Jail usually know
more about the past condition of
servitude of every prisoner than they
tell broadcast and now they know
about Jennie May EcKworth.
John Wilson tried to smuggle up to
Miss Eckworth a letter but as one of
the rules of the Jail is that all letters
to prisoners must pass the scrutiny of
the Jail censor Sheriff Lucas appre-
hended the latter. Then the past of
Jennie May Eckworth began to reveal
itself.
John Wilson failed to secure a reg
istered letter at the postoffice for Miss
Eckworth. The postoffice authorities
demanded that Miss Eckworth sign for
the registered letter. AS she was
locked up in the county jail she could
not go to the postoffice, so like Mo-
hammed, she called for the postoffice
to come to her.
A postman appeared at the Jail with
registered letter for "Mrs. M. D.
Drexel'' and it was from sd. S. Short,
Philadelphia, Penn" 1t so happened
that Mrs M. D. Drexe1'' and Miss
Jennie May Eckworth are one and the
same person.
Then the sheriff communicated with
Captain John Taylor, of the PhiladeI-
phfa police, and the result was this
information:
That Mrs. NJ. d. Drexel or Jennie
May Eckworth is really Anne Short
and D. S. Short is her father The
father understood from his daughter
that she was about to be married and
he sent her $40 as a wedding present.
Anne Short left Philadelphia under
a cloud, says Captain Taylor, and he
next heard of her at Leadville, Col.
where she was arrested on the charge
of robbing hotel guests of jewelry.