The Washington times., 1906-02-28
WOMAN Of WEALTH
HELD FOR LARCENY
Discharged Servant SAYS
She Stole From Hotel.
MRS. CAROLINE M. FLOWER
Gotham Apartment House Owner on
Bail for Being TheIma Paul
son, Maid.

NEW YORK. Feb. 2S.--It was not
due TO the cIeverness Of detectives
that Mrs, Caroline Mabel Flower, own
eF Of the apartment house at 225 West
EIEhty-third street, faced Magistrate
Whitman in the West Side Court TO
answer the charge Of stealing table
and bed linen from the St Regis
Hotel in her employment there as
maid Under the name Of Thelna
Paulson in last December The ar
rest on Monday night had been
brought about by Mrs. Flowers form
er housekeeper. Mrs Agnes Wassell.
Mrs. Wassell now living In I49
West Tooth street, had been in charge
Of the apartment house in West
Eighty-third street, but was dis
charged by Mrs. Flower on last Fri
day morning.
Bore Hotel Marx.
SmarttnE under what she considered
unjust treatment. she went direct 10
the St Regis Hotel. with a bundle
done up in an old newspaper under
her arm Within an hour after her
dismissal. she was exhibiting the hun
dies contents TO Walter II Young.
who has charge OF the linen and table
silver in the hotel She told him. as
he was examining a napkin and ia
bic cover. that she had taken them
from the home Of Mrs Flower. where
lheTe were many more articles OF
similar character. The linen bore the
mark Of the ST. Regis Hotel woven
into the texture. and was recognized
readily as having been the property
or the hotel.
With the linen. Young went TO the
manager and repeated what Mrs. Was
sell had said An investigation failed
10 reveal Mrs. Flower as connected
with the hotel in any capacity. but
letter recommending in the highest
terms certain TheIrna Paulson. dated
early IN December of last year, and
signed by Mrs Caroline NJ Flower. Of
225 West Eighty-thiTd street. was found
in The files. With that information, the
hoiel detective went TO police headquar-
ters.
Detectives were put on the case and
arrested Mrs. Flower late last Monday
night In the West Eighty-thlrd street
house They say they procured a con-
fession from her
Owns Valuable Property.
The feature OF the case that is. battling
as II falls to furnish a motive for the
.
to all appearances in comfortable fnan-
cfaI cfTcums tances. The property in
West Eighty-thlrd street is Of large
-Ialue. 1t Is a five-story apartment
house. between Amsterdam avenue and
Broadway, containing fifteen suites. and
Mrs Wasseii says il brings in a monthly
income of more than $500.
Aside from the income derived from
this apartment house. Mrs. Flower IS
married TO @ Brooklyn man of good
financial and social standing. To in
crease stiu further the mystery OF her
alleged double life. Mrs. Flower is a
refined. well educated young woman
OF attractive appearance. To a few
pupils. she gave piano lessons, and thus
augmented her income, which was am |
Pc without II.
How woman of such character, with |
her attractions, accomplishments, and
family ties. should leopard her position /
for the sake of linen valued at SZ5, as
it is alleged Mrs. Flower did, puzzles /
the police 1t is said by them that in |
her apartment house are other articles |
from different hotels, but UP TO last |
night the only charge against her was
the one made by the st. Regis
In the basement of the apartment /
house last night a spare, STOPPING, gray /
haired woman. sixty-five years old, sat 4
in the dim gaslight. weeping bitterly. /
She said she was Mrs Thea c. PoW, OF /
p
Flower was her daughter. Tuesday !
morning she heard her daughter was /
in trouble and she hurried to the West !
Eighty-third street house She arrived j
there worn out by the walk and wor-
Fied 10 the point of distraction. Paper !
hangers We're working there, and she /
was met by the utterance: I hear your 1
daughter has been arrested and spent |
last night in the Ton Os.
Insane, Perhaps, Says Mother
Il know my girl Is innocent" she
said, keeping back the tears with dim |
Guilty. "She has always been the best /
OF daughters and was always telling /
me that she would work hard so that I,
when / got too old TO work would |
have a home and be comfortable. II
she stole she certainly was not in her
right mind.
she has never been strong since she
had scarlet fever when she was three
years old. have seen her often look
and act in a strange manner when over
worked or nervous. and IL has worried
me greatly, / feel sure she will get out
and be able to explain everything"
When Mrs Flower was arraigned be-
Iore Magistrate Whitman in the West
Side court under the name of Theima
Pautson, she refused to give her ad-
dress, nor would she plead to the charge
1t petit faTCency until she should en-
pfoy an attorney. Apparently she knew
her legal rights. Magistrate Whitman
read the complaint, in which she was
accused OF stealing linen and silver
ware belonging TO the St. Regis Hotel
to the value of less than S25.
Why, that's petit larceny, isn't it,
she asked, smiling pleasantly at the
magistrate. He said something about