Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-22
WOMAN ADMITS
FOR GIN c NAME
OF /. W. HELLMAN
Pleads Poverty as Her
Excuse
Three Checks Passed Bearing Name
of Dead Banker, and No Difficulty
Was Experienced in Cash.
ing Them
Forced into forgery"

Forced into forgery"
That is the explanation Eunice He'll
man, pretty young stenographer en-
ployed by C. M. Simpson, an attorney
of Pasadena, gave last night to account
for her arrest on a criminal charge.
Driven by press of debts and other
expenses which her meager pay as
stenographer could not meet she de-
scended to writing the name of dead
man, H. w. Hellman, to bank checks
to meet her board bills, her laundry and
milliner and dressmaking bills and all
other kinds of bills which a young girl,
all alone in the world and with no re-
sources except her individual effort, Is
compelled to meet.
Eunice Hellman is pretty girl. She
came to Southern California two or
three months ago from her home in
Vermont because she had weak lungs,
and 1t was deemed advisable that she go
to some milder climate than the rugged
green hills of her native state presented.
She came to Los Angeles. She had been
a school teacher back in Vermont and
during her course at the normal had
learned typewriting and shorthand.
When she came to Southern California
she found that these accomplishments
y.
She told the following story to the
police:
She did not get along as we'll as she
expected and jobs were not plentiful.
Finally she secured a place in law
yer's office in Pasadena. The salary
attached to the position was not enough
to pay Miss Hellman's board, laundry
and other little expenses that attaches
to every bachelor girl in the country
b
face with an attachment suit for her
meagre wages. By reason of her con-
nection with an attorney she got wind
of this before 1t was served and she
stopped 1t.
Admits Forging Check
Her name is Hellman. She is justly
entitled to the cognomen. according to
her statement, and the fact that 1t was
the same as that of H. w. Hellman, a
great banker of Los Angeles, gave her
inspiration. She did not know that H.
w. Hellman was dead and admitted to
the police that she used his name at
the bottom of check for $50, which
she had no trouble in cashing. This
relieved immediate necessities.
Another press of circumstances came
along and another $50 check with H.
w. Hellman signed to it was floated.
This check, as was the first one, was
not heard of and when two days ago
the manager of the Hotel Marengo,
where Miss Hellman lived, presented
his bill for board she gracefully gave
him a check for $25 In payment of the
same with the same signature Of H.
w. Hellman attached to the bottom.
What became of the other checks is
not known. The last check, however,
was sent from the bank to Marco H
Hellman, the son of the dead banker,
and he at once pronounced the check a
forgery.
Later warrant was issued for the
arrest Of the young woman and last
night she was taken into custody at
the Hotel Marengo by Detective Tala-
nantes and brought to this city and
lodged in Jail with the charge Of for
gerry opposite her name.
In a statement made to Detective
Sergeant Kelley last night the young
woman acknowledged that she had
written, signed and passed all three
of the checks enumerated. She stated
that it was press of poverty that had
driven her to the commission of the
acts.
She stated that she realized that she
had done wrong and also that she was
willing to make any reparation in her
power. She stated that forging checks
was easier than living life of poverty,
but that she did not realize the enor-
nifty of her crime until she was ar
rested.
The only mystery in connection with
the case that is bothering the police
is how anybody came to cash checks
with the name of the dead banker to
them when they bore current dates.
~$-