Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-22

she must have more than sloo'UV put
away
The prisoner will not discuss the where
abouts of the money. She is not even
willing TO admit that she has any. .
Always a Mystery.
Although it has been more than three
wears since Miss Caspari stepped from the
Maryland penitentiary a free woman. the
mystery which completely surrounded her
still hovers about the corridors and work
shops through which she passed, the pris-
cners gossiping about it long after. the
prison knew her no more
Even Warden Weyler-the man VINO
holds the key TO more secrets conflded 10
his care by prisoners than any other man
in the country-looked upon her as d sort
Of conundrum, and he knew just as much
about her the day that he allowed her 10
pass through the prison gates to freedom
as he did the very day that she was
brought to the penitentiary. in February,
1901. And that was precious litue.
During her Incarceration. which covered
a period of four years and two months,
the veteran warden never once was able
to break the silence which she maintained
Immediately after falling into the clutches
of the law. He tried more than once 10
pierce the armor which acted as a sort
of protection to her conversation about
herself but his questions soothingly con-
structed. invariably glanced to one SIDE
without result. Sometimes he would meet
her. and thinking that perhaps she might
be off her guard he would tall to her
about her mysterious operations. But 10
no avail No matter in what mood she
might have been when the warden ap-
preached her. any reference to hersef
always called forth that stolid indifference
which made the mystery which surround
ed her all the more unfathomable.
Said the warden yesterday:
II just could not understand her. That S
all. She was a mysterious character
quite SO; yet at the same time she was
a remarkably bright woman: in fact. too
smart to talk about herself or anything
that had the slightest connection with the
charge upon which she was convicted.
Sometimes in meeting her 1 would en-
deavor to probe down to the bottom of
her operations. but l failed miserably.
She guarded her conversation like one
would some priceless treasure. She alone
knows the secret of 1t all.
But at the same time I do not mean
to say that she would not converse about
she was unusually bright about every
thing. She appeared to be highly edu-
Gated and she had a fund OF knowledge
about almost everything you could men
ton. 1t seems to me that she might have
been capable of making living at any
thing. but she just seemed to have a sort
of mania for selling stock. That was her
weakness. and 1t seemed that she pre-
ferred to carry on such operations.
The only possible answer that / could
get from the woman was that those who
invested their money would not lose a
cent. Further than this she would not
go. 1 questioned her as to where the
funds for reimburSng the investors were
coming from. but to my questions on this
point she was num-
Miss Caspari was a model prisoner. and
We had not the slightest trouble with her
From the very first she made up her mind
to obey every rule, and she never deviated
from this course. Her work here was
perfectly satisfactory. She was employed
in the shirt factory and seemed to enjoy
the work az much as any one would in
her position
Guarded Her Secret.
Since. her release from the penitentiary
Miss Caspari has taken particular pains
to guard her secret well. and no one but
herself knows where the thousands of
dollars that she is alleged to have accu-
INFLATED in Baltimore from her unlawful
transactions went to. That her sales of
stock there amounted to considerably
more than ST. 600 was the belief OF many,
although Miss Caspari insisted that the
amount mentioned was the sum total of
all money which found its way into her
hands.
At the trial of the case. however. there
was a difference on this score. At a cru
cial period Edgar H. Cans. the attorney
who appeared for the prisoner. made some
calculations from number Of papers
that he exhibited In court. and after a
swift calculation made the statement to
the court that her Indebtedness amounted
to ISL .O91.
This was instantly denied by the pris.
oner. With look OF surprise in hel
eyes she jumped up excIaiming:
''Oh. no. Mr.. Cans: There must be
some mistake. It is not much more than
ST. -OO0,S',
Thereafter Miss caspari maintained
that $1,000 was the correct amount OF
her sales of stock. and as there was no
one to doubt her her statement was &C
cepted. Her victims and many others,
however are of the opinion that her oper-
atoms reached more than 100000. But
Miss. Caspari says not, and she is the
only one who knows.
1t was learned this morning that a male
friend of the woman dropped dead during
her trial in Baltimore. This incident is
accepted by the police as offering a par
tial explanation of the strange case. One
theory is that she was in love with the
man who dropped dead and may have
given him money. There has been nc
suggestion that since she served her time
she has even kept company with any
man. She was never seen with a mascu.
line escort by those with whom she had
business in this city.
Insanity Finds Credence.
The more the police see of Miss Caspar
the more they are convinced that she is
insane
Il have tried to induce her to tell me
something about what she did with the
money" said DR.. Charles Caspari. hei
brother She simply says she invested it
but will not say where. 1t is my opinion
a sane woman could not keep the secret
as well as she has kept it. How could q
sane woman have kept such a thing a
secret for so many years.
DR.. Caspari talked with his sister sew
eral times yesterday. She had sent him
message to call upon her at JO5 18th
street. When he reached there he was
surprised TO learn that she was in GUS
tody.
He said he was perfectly willing to dc
all in his power to aid his sister but be-
ing stranger in the city he hardly
knew just what move to make.
Three aiienists said she was insane
he stated, but the jury convicted her
II seems that a repetition of that effort
would prove futile. here
Miss Elizabeth w. Gemmill, one of her
victims. says that the reason why she
had given up her money to Miss Cas-.
pari was the latter's magnetism
Il am almost crazy" she said. II am
almost crazy from the loss of this money.
II Is terrible TO think that the little saw
ings so carefully boarded and watched
during the long years it has taken to ac-
cumulate them should be thrown away
II can't imagine why I did it. Usually
/ am careful to the degree Of narrow
mindedness. but there was ain indescriba-
BILE something about Miss Caspari that
y SNi cd WA