East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-08-07
Oakland Woman None Other
Than Mrs, Robert Baioey,
Check Forger.
ADMITTED TO PAROLE
BY JUDGE w. II. ELLIS
Clever Swindler and COnfederatcs
Passed Worthless Checks on Pen.
dIeton nts-IIOclSinsmlth and
Balney Broke Jail While Here, but
Were Recaptured-Woman Under
Two Years Sentence.

Mrs. Maud Myrtle Johnson, the
Queen of Fakers" arrested recently In
Oakland, Calf, for swindling a street
car company by claims regarding in
juries received is no other than the
Mrs. Bainey who was an inmate of the
local county jail some four years ago.
She was arrested here in company
with her husband and a young man
named Otto Hockinsmith, all being
charged with passing forged checks.
Hockinsmith was sentenced to the
pententiary by Judge Ellis, who was
then upon the circuit bench. How
ever he died Immediately after reach
ing the prison. Mrs Bainey was CIV
en- a two years penitentiary sentence
but was paroled by Judge Ellis Since
she has violated her parole Judge II.
j. Bean will have the privilege of or
dering her to serve out her sentence
providing he sees fit to do so.
While they were here the Baineys
and Hockinsmith made times busy at
the sherffs office. In company with
two other men Bainey and Hockin-
smith sawed their way out of jail one
night. but all four prisoners were la
ter captured by Sheriff Taylor. Mrs.
Bainey was also a troublesome pris-
oner
The following dispatch from Salem
tells of the identity of the "faker
queen"
Mrs Maud Myrtle Johnson. who in
San Francisco dispatches is called the
Queen of Fakers," on account OF
practices adopted in securing settle.
ments from street railway companies
for alleged injuries, was born and
brought up in Salem. Her name was
Maud Wagnon, and she is the daugh-
ter OF Dan II. Wagnon, now resi-
niece of Mrs. Edward Fame of this
city, and of II. d. Wagnon of Port
land.
Railroad detectives from Seattle,
Portland. san Francisco and many
other coast cities have visited Salem
from time to time within the past few
years in the endeavor to locate Mrs.
Johnson. She has various names, but
the authorities here believe the off
GERS at last have the right woman.
She is well known in Salem, and
first entered the limelight here by
starting n suit for breach of promise
against young man of this city. 9th
er women in Salem answering the de-
scripton of Mrs. Johnson have almost
been at the point of being taken by
the railroad detectives several times.
She is about 80 years of age, and sew
en- years ago married clogdancer In
this city named Robert Baney.
Shortly after their marriage the
couple, with man named Hocken.
schmidt were arrested at Pendleton |
for "laying down n number of forged |
checks on merchants of that place. |
The trio were convicted. Hocken-
schmidt died the day following his |
commitment to the penitentiary. Sem |
tence was suspended on the woman
and her husband, whom she since has
divorced. She evidently disappeared
and became a fugitive for the Pendle-
ton crime. She went East and be-
came one Of an organized gang or
swindlers who operated extensively
throughout the Middle West. She
came West recently and, with the aid
OF her eccentric methods and four
months-old-ch which she invari-
ably carried in her arms, succeeded in
blinking" several concerns out of
sums of money on "fake" injuries.