The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-11-09
A STAGE STRUCK
Girl Lured From Her Home by Promises
Of a Lucrative Career is
RESCUED BY THE POLICE

Was Found Travelling With Man
Who Said He Was q Vaudeville
Artist, But Who is Thought to
Be a Forger.
While her grief-stricken mother
and sisters for the past two weeks
have been making futile efforts to
locate pretty 17-year-old Lalla Voll-
mer, the girl lured by promises of a
lucrative career in the glittering
glare of the footlights, has been trav-
cling through the South in company
with Nathan C. Hill, alias N. H..
Clark, pseudo vaudeville artist.
Despite wires to every Southern
city of any Importance the mother Of
the young girl, Mrs. Virginia Voll-
mer, of 394 Piedmont avenue, At
lanta, Ca, could find not trace of her
until Tuesday night, when she re-
ceived wire from William j. Err
wing treasurer of the Lyric theatre
in New Orleans, who stated that the
! girl was in the care of his wife in
that city.
Miss Lula Vollmer, an elder sister
of the girl, Immediately made ar
| rangements to bring her back to her
| mother, and on Wednesday morning
she left for New Orleans for that pur-
| pose.
According to dispatches received in
Atlanta, Miss Vollmer was taken in
| to custody by the New Orleans police
at the request of Chief Jennings Of
Atlanta, who was acting with the
| mother in an attempt to locate the
girl. She was not held in the po-
lice station, however, but given over
| to the care of Mr.. Erwin, who had
previously received letter from. her
sister asking that he attempt to- 10
cate her. She will remain with Mrs.
Erwin until her sister can bring her
back to Atlanta.
According to the story said to have
been told the police in New Orleans
by Miss Vollmer, she had first met
| Clark or Hill through an advertise
| ment in local paper, in which he
stated that he wanted a young girl
to take a part in a vaudeville per-
formance. Miss Vollmer answered
the ad, it is said ,and Clark imme-
diately called on her at 612 Peters
building, where she was working as
a bookkeeper.
Clark made glithering offers, it
is said, saying that he needed a part
ner in the vaudeville sketch in which
| he was booked at number Of we'll
known houses. He offered the girl
$40 a week, it is claimed.
Fearing that parental objection
would thwart her cherished ambition
to go before the footlights, without
saying that she was leaving her regu-
lar work. Miss Vollmer met Clark al
the Terminal station, so she says, to
leave for her first engagement.
According to the dispatch, Clark
gave the girl drugged coca-cola, and
then took her to hotel, where they
registered as man and wife. After
that they Travelled under different
names, stopping at number of cit
les en- route to New Orleans. They
we're often in financial straits, it is
alleged, and Clark is said to have
attempted to cash number OF
checks as well prevailing upon her
to sign q check for $40, using the
name of Miss N. Clark.
Their last stop was in Meridian,
Miss, where, 50 the police are in
formed, on account of lack of funds,
Clark was forced to sleep in the park
while Miss Vollmer registered at a
hotel as Miss Clark.
On Monday it is said they scraped
together enough money to pay their
fares to New Orleans. There Miss
Vollmer is said to have left Clark
in an attempt to get work. She was
| then located by the police with the
result that she was given over to the
care Of the Erwins.
Mrs. Virginia Vollmer, the mother,
who went to Atlanta two years ago
from North Carolina. states that she
does not believe the report in full.
Lula has been stage-struck for
two years." she said, land | have
always feared that she would make
an attempt to go on the stage.
believe that even if the man did
drug her she would have come to her
senses at once and left him. Furth-
cr, believe that they have been in
New Orleans for the past two weeks
instead of travelling around the coun-
try as the report says.
always hoping for chance to
go on the stage | am sure that she
accepted the mans plausible story
at once, and fearing that | would
place obstacles in her way rs have
always been opposed TO her idea of
going on the stage, she arranged to
leave for the trumped up engagement
in the New Orleans theatre, accept
! ing the man merely as manager
through which she could gain her
cherished desire.
| al I,ln my nldnct damphtnr loft