Evening journal., 1907-02-01
BLACK BRANDS
STORY AS FALSE
Supp Sed Prominent WOmar
ExCileS Sympathy Of Phi.a.
deIphia Police
GOT HAT WITHOUT
PAYING FOR IT

Chief Of Police Black is highly in
censed over an article that appeared
In a Philadelphia paper to-day and
brands the story as entirely false The
tenor Of the article is i'm criticism of
the methods of Chief Black in bring
ing about the arrest in the Quaker City
OF Mrs. Nora Bedden on a charge Of
obtaining goods under false pretense
from a local instalment house.
The article conveyed the information
that Mrs. Beddell was a niece of I. 7.
Parker, Lieutenant Governor Of Della
ware, and that she belongs to one Of
the best families in Delaware. 1t sets
forth that the woman was a victim of
police blunders and that Chief Black
was unrelenting in his prosecution Of
his victim" and that Police Superin
tendent Taylor. Of Philadelphia, had
expressed his indignation over the ac-
ton Of Chief Black in unmistakable
terms.
According to the Philadelphia story,
Mrs Beddell was arrested there and
spent two days in prison awaiting ex-
tradition to this State. She was ac-
cused OF obtaining a hat without pay
ing for it. which she admitted, saying
that she simply overlooked the item.
William Beddell, the article stated
held a responsible position with p rail-
road company and that the couT' lived
in a cosy little house at No. 1913 Rit-
ner street, Philadelphia.
Only in Line Of Duty.
When Chief Black was seen to-day
by reporter of The Evening Journal
he branded the story as false. Il had
no more TO do with causing the wo-
mans arrest than you did. 1 simply
followed Assistant City Solicitor Rice's
advice in the matter He ordered the
warrant Issued when the instalment
house proprietor conginced him that
he intended to prosecute the woman.
sen. the warrant to Philadelphia and
not hearing from It, went there myself
on last Friday. and as the warrant had
been pigeon-holed a duplicate was
made out in my presence, and served.
I had no talk whatever with Super
intendent OF Police Taylor and took
up the matter with Detective Crawford
and Acting Cantain Bond. Detectives
Tate and Wood had been working on
the case and in their disposition book
recorded that the charge had been
withdrawn and the warrant returned
TO Wilmington which is not true. Why
they did not want to serve the warrant
As a mystery to me-"
lnotalment Man Backs the Chief.
The proprietor Of the instalment
house verified Chief Blacks statement
concerning the manner in which the
warrant was issued and his story of the
case is also entirely different from
that which appeared in the Philadel-
phia newspaper.
IN October" said the local merchant
Mrs. Beddell obtained a suit waist and
hat from me on lease, for S26.4S. and
made a small payment on the purchase
She signed an agreement TO pay S. a
month until the bill was paid I found
that she did not live here. but was stop
ping with an aunt at No 10 Vandever
avenue and the day after making the
purchase she left the city and we To-
Gated her in Philadelphia and frequent
" received letters from her containing
various excuses for not paying the bill
and investigation made by our collector
proved most of these false Her
mother-in-law, at No. 1913 Ritner
street, Philadelphia, denied at first to
our collector that she had either a sor
or a daughter but later admit
ted that she had. As IL seemed to be
Mrs. Beddeirs intention to defraud us
we had the warrant issued for her ar
rest. Her attorney, Stanley William
son, OF Philadelphia. came to Whining
ton to get the police TO let up on his
client, and Deputy Attorney General
Hastings after hearing the case, ad-
vised the attorney to settle the account
with us, and this he did. paying us
s2l.5O. the balance due. Mr. Hastings
then ordered Mrs. Beddelrs realise in
Philadelphia"