Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-29
MARY, THE SERVANT,
bLACK HANDS SELF
MAKES THINGS INTERESTING FOR
POLICE
They Seuthed and They Shadowed,
but Without ResuIt-Then Girl
Confessed to Fake Bur-
gIary

| NEW YORK, Aug. 2S.-When the Pecks
first got Mary they thought they had a
treasure. This belief they began at once
to spread through their neighborhood un-
| til the women of Flushing passing by the
Peck residence, 3O7 Lincoln street, Flush
| ing on their way to the afternoon bridge
parties would observe with sigh:
That's where Mrs. Peck lives. She's
| got girl who's a perfect jewel"
Yet, excellent as she was, Mary had one
popularity that manifested itself one day
while Mr.. Peck was eating breakfast. A
| boy from a crockery store who was maxi
| ing delivery at house across the street
let his burden fall on the sidewalk before
he got to the house. Mary started vio-
lently. Mr.. Peck thought nothing of 1t
then, but he noted repeatedly that at the
| slightest sound Mary would start.
"Why what's the matter, Mary?' he
asked on one occasion; what are you
afraid OFF,
| Marys face darkened
| 'I've got good reasons to be afraid"
she said mysteriously.
| Mr.. Peck had gone to his business one
morning not long ago and Mrs. Peck had
arisen from late breakfast of poached
eggs and toast and had gone into the par
| lor when she saw lying on a table letter
addressed to Mary Hayes. care of Mrs.
Herbert Peck. The superscription was In
red ink. She called Mary.
Here's queer letter for you, Mary"
she said.
| The girl shuddered. Then she put out
one trembling hand to take the letter.
"Won't they ever let me work In a place
without threatening me?' she exclaimed.
"Who is threatening you, Mary?" asked
her mistress.
'The Black Hand said Mary in a dark
whisper.
The day was gloomy and overcast, and
| it was dark in the parlor That is why,
Mrs. Peck says, she felt nervous. She
told her husband of the occurrence. They
decided to wait. A few days went by, and
then another letter came. This, like its
predecessor, had been mailed in Flushing.
Then three other letters threatening to
cut the girl "into a thousand pieces"
! followed.
..Mrs. Peck, I'm afraid I'm going to lose
this place, Just as lost all Others" said
Mary, whose English was not correct
"I'm afraid so, Mary said her mis-
tress. "You may stay until another letter
arrives"
| No other letters, but Mary told a wild
tale of having been chased by an Italian
who had taunted her with the boast that
he had written the letters and that she
was soon to die.
This was going too far, thought the
Pecks. The poor girl who cooked them
such good breakfasts must be protected.
They communicated with the police. De-
tectives Brooks and Bolton spent several
afternoons out with Mary, looking for the
Italian. Mary could not be quite sure of
his identity, but she had suspicious, and
these suspicious she succeeded in trans
ferring to the minds of the detectives,
with the result that hitherto. blameless
Italian of family and some substance was
shadowed.
A week went by without more incidents.
Then the houses of two of the neighbors
were broken into and silverware and jew
elry taken. The police said that 1t was
an 'inside job The Pecks, however, did
not share the fear of the neighborhood
Their house would not be robbed from the
inside. They had Mary.
But one afternoon Mrs. Peck, who was
at a women's luncheon, was telephoned
for Mary wanted her at the house at
once Mrs. Peck hurried home Mary, in
intense excitement, led her TO the dlning
room
"See what saved you FROM" said the
girl. pointing to heap on the floor
Mrs Peck looked The heap contained
all of the family silver and everything
of small compass valuable in the house
that had not been locked up.
"a burglar, Mary?" exclaimed Mrs.
Peck.
HJust that See. there's where he left
the window open."
Mary indicated window in the dining
room which was wide open with the
screen removed.
"You see 1t was this way" she said
'T was upstairs in my room when the
man knocked over a clotheshorse in the
kitchen. l ran down and he jumped out
of the window. See. this clotheshorse is
knocked over"
And it was. Mary picked up the crum-
pied linen from the floor angrily.
"And I've just ironed them" she said
'He might have been more careful with
them. I'll have to iron them all over
again.
"Oh there's one thing more" said
Mary, 'that I forgot to tell you. It's the
same man that's been writing me letters"
That night while Mrs. Peck packed up
all of the spare silver ready for sending
to the safe deposit vault, her husband,
with a set of tools Mrs. Peck had given
him on his birthday in the hope that he
might be handy about the house. attached
safety catches to all of the windows and
put new locks on all the doors.
'It's a rented house and these are inn
provements that make the landlord S
property more valuable, but don't care,
he said.
MARY is a treasure. she is a Jewel
But for her we wouldn't have any silver
at all' said Mrs. Peck. Don't you
think we could pay her $5 more a month";"
Mr.. Beck thought they could.
Again the police were called in. Again
Detectives Brooks and Bolton came and
looked wise. But they made no headway.
The Pecks became disgusted and thought
of hiring private detectives.
About this time, stirred to action by the
criticisms cast upon them, the detectives
went to the italian formerly under sus-
picion Mary was now quite sure that he
was not only the man who had chased
her, but also the housebreaker. They
questioned him. The man Indignantly
denied all charges. They were loath to
make an arrest because of his evident
respectability.
While matters stood thus Mary again
came to the front. On Saturday after
noon she rushed into the house from the
yard where she had been beating rugs,
and fell in faint at Mrs. Peck,s feet
When she was revived she said that the
italian had thrown stone which had
struck her. A bruise verified this story.