New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-07-11
HER FAD TO SEE GEMS.
WOMAN PUZZLES POLICE.
Ordered Costly JeageLry Sent to
Fictitious Hotel addresses.

a woman who said she Isabelle LOOMS.
thirty-two years. Of No. West 10Sth street. was
arrested yesterday afternoon at John and Nassau
streets by Lieutenant Andrew Nugent. of the
central Office and taken before Magistrate Ker
nochen IN the Tombs police court. Lieutenant
Nugent explained 10 the magistrate that the
woman had been arrested as a suspicious person
and that she had visited number Of 1ewelTy
stores south of Fulton street and ordered Jewelry
10 be sent hotels where she said she stop
ping. She spent the night In Police Headquarters
and the magistrate remanded her there in custody
OF Lieutenant Eugent. She shuddered at the
thought Of going to the Tombs.
The woman has completely myslhed the police.
She declared she trained nurse. 4 decided
blonde, above the medium height, with a perfect,
full figure, she appeared in court in the attire in
which she had been arrested. wearing an expensive
white shirtwaist, Il blue skirt and patent leather
Oxford ties, with high heels; low white straw
hat, with few roses II, white veil and white
gloves, and she carried white parasol
When arra1gped Lieutenant Nugent said the
woman was arrested charge OF ordering
3ewelry from several downtown jewelry firms sent
to the big hotels where she not patron For
the purpose Of questioning the woman she was sent
TO Police Headquarters.
After she had been questioned at Police Head
quarters Lieutenant Nugent said:
When I asked her what she was doing this
for. she said: I just don't know why. fasci-
mated by these stones, and have to go and look
at them. OF COURSE ! don't live at any Of the
hotels that 1 ordered the things sent to- But when
l went 4hto q store ana saw tle peautiluI stones
the money they were worth simply stunned me.
Then lost my nerve, and instead of making my
self appear to the clerks simpleton. Ia Just
tell them TO send them under any old name to
some hotel.
The woman used the Hotel Astor, at Broadway
and 44th street and the Hotel Knickerbocker, at
Broadway and 42d street. her addresses. and she
also used the Mrs. j. T. Carter" and Mrs.
Benjamin Tiilman, wife Of United States Senator
T1llman."
That the woman is IN financial straits, the police
say they learned early in their investigation
The jewelry stores visited by the woman are;
Tarrant & Gismond. No 10 Maiden Lane: r. w.
Brewer & Sons, No. % John street; Ludwig MS
sen. No. ls2 Broadway and ". H Enhaus q son.
No. 81 Maiden Lane.
At the store Of Ludwig Nissen & Co. she dropped
in about $50 o'clock yesterday afternoon ana
seated herself on a stool in front of a display show
case, while a Mr.. Smonson waited on her. She
asked to be shown some rings. with diamonds set
in them. and two rings. valued at about S"' Were
shown her. Other rings she looked AT, put old
not 10 like them.
A bookkeeper, at n desk not far from where the
woman was seated. told her employer, Emil Knopf,
a member of the frm that the woman acted
strangely and several times she struck her breast
with her clenched hand. as though in pain. Then
Mr. Knopf went to wait on the woman. and MY
Simonson devoted his attention TO another Gus
toner
While Mr. Knopf was waiting on the customer
she said she was sorry she did not have the full
purchase money with her. and asked II the rings
might be sent TO the Hotel Kn!ckerhocker on Fri
day morning at 10 o'clock.
"Tu have the money ready then. The IS
Mrs J. F. Carter" said the woman, as she started
to go, and Mr. Knopf told her she might expect
them at that time and at that place.
When the woman left the store Mr.. Knopf did
Some quick work He sent Mr. Simonton and
other clerk TO follow the woman, and then he tele-
phoned TO the Hotel Knickerbocker AT tho hotel
they said the was not a patron and was
not known there Then Mr.. Knopf hurried UP TO
the corner of Maiden Lane and Broadway and got
Traffic PatrolTnan Roberts, and asked him 20 hunt
I'D lieutenant Nugent Tho latter was soon located
at John street and Broadway. and Lieutenant
Eusent and Mr.. Knopt went 10 where the two
clerks were watching the woman The clerks told
Nugent they had watched her go into the store OF
z. W. Brewers Sons, at No. 70 John street, ana
then into the next store, that Of W. II. Enhaus q
Con, at No. 81 John street
When the woman left tho latter place she walked
down John street 10 Nassau street. There Lieu
tenant Nugent placed her under arrest When told
she WIGS under arrest the woman laughed.
What have done" She asked. that was
wrong?
Lieutenant Nugent told her she was accused of
ordering 1ewery sent TO hotels where she was not
known and under assumed names
well where must I go?" tho woman asked.
The woman gave her correct address. IT de-
veloped later, and the name she gave the police
believe Is her correct name While she was ex-
peusvely dressed the woman had very little money
with her She carried q beaded purse with gold
binding which had in it only some loose change.
The police learned that the woman lived at NO.
West lO8th street, the address she gave when she
was arrested. She lives in a FIVE story apartment
house and has 4 suit OF three rear rooms on the
fourth floor. The tantress Of the apartments said
she knew Miss LOOMS by that name, but knew very
little about her. except that the woman was a
nurse and had one roomer a man
At closing time last night most OF the jewellers
in the Maiden district said they had heard OF
their places. The police will continue their inves-
tiRation to-day and try to ascertain how many
stores the woman visited
Ths woman attracted considerable attention In
court She was arraigned short affidavit and
held as "a suspicious person for hearing to-day