The Washington herald., 1907-03-10
STRANGE CASE IN ILLINOIS
Helen Dixon Couldn't Resist An
peRIs of worthless Tramp, Who
Promised to Pay Back Moneys
Taken from Church Organ Fund.
She Finally Resorted to Forgery.

charging emDeZIleulchl OF ilt society
funds, larceny as baiIee. and forgery. Miss
Dixon's high standing in the community,
and especially among the members OF
the Second church. in whose activities she
was a leader, has intensified the amaze
ment caused by the revelations In the
case. Bonds were fixed at 5000. which
friends fear cannot be raised
The fact that the young woman has
made many startling conflicting state
ments In regard to various phases Of the
case will. ii is said, be used by her at
t0Tneys TO support plea Of insanity In
fact. though some Of her rather cOmph-
Gated transactions seem 20 show "a good
deal OF shrewdness at times, the general
course she pursued. which, as she admit
ted. must lead inevitably TO a speedy dis
covery. certainly indicates q strangely
peculiar state Of mind. When first ar
rested she took it all very calmly, but
has since BEEN repeatedly taken with
violent Mysteries. which left her in state
bordering on collapse. During the last
few days, however. she has partially re-
covered. People IN Bloomington are I'M
able 20 understand the mysterious silence
Of the unfortunate womans father and
sister. who are living In Chicago.
Likened To Mrs. Chadwick.
The action Il the grand jury furnished
a sensational climax 10 the first announce
ment that Miss Dixon had been unable to
produce $3.50 belonging 10 the Cleaners
Society with which she had been in
trusted as treasurer Developments have
intensified the excitement over her sur
prising actions. the authorities declaring
that there is a marked similarity between
her case and that Of Mrs. Chadwick The
/ forgery Indictment was a feature which
previously had not been considered The
Corn Belt Bank made complaint in this
case.
Some time ago she appeared at the
bank with the announcement that she
wished TO deposit a $500 draft, which.
she stated, she had just received, as she
was The beneficiary of Insurance carried
/ by her brother. who had been killed I'm
wreck. She fumbled in her pocket for the
paper and suddenly exclaimed that she
/ had lost IT, The cashier was sympathetic
and urged her to look further She re-
turned a few days later. stating that the
graft could not be found ana asked for
I loan of SIS pending the arrival OF a
duplicate draft The bank complied.
How Bank Was Duped.
+ a few weeks later she reappeared. say
ing the draft had not been received ana
T that she needed another SIS. To cover
both loans she rendered a note for $3.50
which. she said. had been given to her
by friend, Minnie Lemme. The indors-
/ ers were John and Margaret Lemme. The
note appeared TO be genuine. and was ac-
csptcd The bank now declares that the
signatures are forgeries. and that the
( Lemmss knew nothing of such q note
Another sensation charge was that her
bank book I'm which she kept the ac-
counts OF the Cleaners Society, had been
subjected 90 forged records Of deposits.
The money iutrusted TO her care had
been raised by four years Of laborious
effort ON the part Of the society. When
( the church proposed to purchase a hand
some now pipe organ the Cleaners So
ciety took 10 upon itself 10 raise 0nc-half
/ or the money required. The society all
/ girls and women. gave periodical bazaars,
suppers. festivals, and other entertain
m,nts. Recently the organ was installed
( and the Cleaners Society was called upon
/ TO pay IT'S agreed portion. Three weeks
ago Miss Dixon was asked 90 turn over
/ the money but she amazed the members
/ by declaring that she did not have g
cent IN her possession She WAS also out
/ of employment and apparently had no
means whatever 10 remUnerate the society
/ for the funds Intrusted 10 her
/ Would Not Speak.
| She was coaxed and threatened. but re.
fused to make any statement as TO the
disposition Of the money other than that
/ il was gone After two weeks of vain
EFFORT II was decided To place her under
arrest She took her incarceration c0olly.
but il had the effect of breaking her ST.
/ lence. She said she had brother Of
whom she was very fond When last
heard from he was in Chicago. He had
written to her At intervals in the last
/ two years asking for money, stating that
/ ne was in trouble. and that a certain sum
was absolutely necessary. also promising
/ to pay her back at the first opportunity.
+ She received appeals Of this character
/ from time 20 time, she said. but never any
money back. She did not have the heart
/ to refuse him. she said and always lived
/ in the hope that some day he would pay
/ her back every cent she had advanced.
Miss Dixon feared. as time passed and
her brother failed to forward any of the
money. that exposure would come, she
/ says. She could have left before the
shortage was discovered. but decided, she
says. to remain and take what punish
ment was in store for her
/ The accused woman had been one Of the
/ leaders in the church, and also one Of the
most active workers. She is twcnty-eight
years Of age and unusually attractive.
/ She was considered refined, and while
/ she dressed neatly and perhaps expen-
sively. her attire was neither gaUdy nor
SNOWY. She was cashier in a bakery sew
eral years ago, but was ambitious. and
took a course in stenography. soon ac-
curing "a good position.
Tells How Money Went.
Miss Dixon insists that there is no
man in the case"
/ She said that the 81, 800 of the Second
| Christian Church organ fund which she
bad in her custody had simply slipped
through her fingers and had gone for her
/ personal desires. with little help from any
outside parties.
! The young woman was asked when she
/ FIRST commenced 20 spend the money be
/ longing to the church that was in her
hands. She answered that she did not
/ know just when she began, but that she
/ knew she must some time be found out
and that she had worried greatly about
! t-"abOut the money and about some
/ thing else said Miss Dixon but she de-
clined to say just what that something
/ else was.
It developed from her story that the
I brother 10 whom she at first said that she
/ had given the money is a black sheep.
1 Friends If Miss Dixon here have seen
/ him, and say that he tramps the country
and would COME here every few months