The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-01-03
Supposed to Have Eloped With
a Philadelphia Waiter.
THE GIRLS LETTERS
Are Given Out by the Wife of
the Runaway Man.
Her Reason Appears to Be That
She Was Lonesome.

nave DS0n searching lOI 4MlSo 1NOOOAl e-
De Janon. the young heiress of this
city, who disappeared from the palatial
apartments of her grandfather in the.
DEMONSTRATION hotel here last
Wednesday about the same time that
Ferdinand Cohen, waiter at the hotel,
was reported missing, sent word here
today that they believed they have
found the couple in Lancaster, Pa, and
expect to make an arrest in few
hours. As soon as the information was
received W. Atlee Burpee, personal
friend of Robert Buist, the millionaire
grandfather of the missing girl, left for
Lancaster. Another young woman is
said to be with the couple.
A series of letters written by Roberta
DeJanon the 17-year-old granddaugl1-
ter and heiress of Robert BUST, to
Ferdinand Cohen, give a touch of
pathos to the strange romance. The
young girl, though surrounded by all
wealth of her grandfather practically
at her disposal, with a home in the
Bellevue Stratford, the most splendid
| hotel of Philadelphia, was simply girl
ishly lonesome.
Ready to Give Up Everything.
Judging from the letters which she
penned to the man of middle age and
low degree the child was ready to give
up her kindred, her riches, her life, in
her hunger for companionship and SYM
pathy. She poured forth her heart to
the only person who she felt, would
take her away from the solitude that
had been hers since the recent death Of
her mother.
Her grandfather. the millionaire seed
merchant. was devoted to her. Her
would tell him of. But in the stately
rooms of the great hotel she was for
the most part alone with her sorrow.
She did not see that the courtesy of
Cohen, the waiter. was merely profess
sional. She trusted him and at last
conf1ded in him. And the man did
not undeceive her.
The letters were given out by Mrs.
Julia Cohen, the wife of the man who
was being hunted in Reading, Pa,
by detectives from Philadelphia. A
brakeman had told of seeing a man
and a girl answering the description
of the clippers on the Reading Express
Wednesday evening. Mrs. Cohen
made the following statement which
embraces the letters:
The Letters.
81 need scarcely make any COM
ment, as the love letters that 1 found
in one of my husbands coats shows
the progress of the affair that result
ed in his elopement with Miss De-
Janon. Just read this:
Dear Fred: am determined not to
go out to that school and, therefore.
l must leave home. Since mamma
died looked upon you as my own
dear friend, even though I have papa
and grandpa-but they are so cool
to me and know I never could live
with either one of them.
Now. Fred, 1 have a great favor
to ask of you. and if you will do as
say. you will not only prove to me
that you are really my true friend.
but you will also save my life. You
have often remarked that you wished
you had daughter like Newell,
why cannot I be your daughter? We
could both go away together, perhaps
to Europe, and I know I would be
satisfied with my new papa for really,
Fred, care for you great deal, and
would like to have YOU for my father
and friend.
weeks from today, and wish to leave
Philadelphia before then, and I have
no place to go to- and could not go
| away by myself. Will you not please
take me with you? If you refuse to do
as 1 ask, will positively kill myself.
| So think it over, and give me an ans
wer when you bring the ice water in
This note is in girlish hapdwrit-
ing, and is not signed, but. it could be
/ from none other than Miss DeJanon.
Was Good to His Wife.
'For fourteen years, since our mar
riage, he had treated me in. the gen
tlest manner possible never wanted
| for anything. 1 had the best cloth
ing and food, and he took me to the
| theater and places of amusement.
"In October he went to work in the
| Bellevue-Stratford hotel in Philadel-
| phia at a time when 1 lowered be-
| tween life and death. About the mid
| die of October, when l had partly re-
covered and was able to sit up in bed.
my husband met Miss DeJanon, and
| then my sorrow began. He did not
treat me the same; he began to rave
about some girl. 1 did not know who
! she was then, and 1 was convinced
| that he considered running away.
| Mr.. Cohen at first told me that he
did not love Miss De Janon, and that
she was only a fiirt- He once said that
she would fiirt with anybody, but he
| soon took a deeper interest in her af-
| fairs and increased his neglect of me.
He told Ezy brother, Smithfield F.
| Martin. who lived with US, a great deal
more than he did me.
Here is another letter:
| 81 bought the trunk this afternoon.
| 1 did not see w in fact, 1 went out of
| my way so that I would not see him.
I also went to see about the light wig
| and 1 saw one that think will answer
the purpose and am going to buy it
tomorrow. Are you satisfied that 1
| mean business?
Il don't think that I had better meet
i.-ou tomorrow morning as L am afraid
that won't have the things ready but
will give them to you Monday morning.
I am going to give you a mustache this
evening and am sure you are going to
die laughing when you see it, 1 don't
think you will be able to disguise your
self any. It is too bad we will not
be able to have a. little chat. but grand
pa is to blame for that So long, papa,
dear"
Here is another one. written on a
| small piece of paper that looks as if it
might have been a hyleaf in a book:
Il am sorry my poor papa is so wor-
ried, and I only wish 1 could comfort
you Do you think that the things you
have on your mind will interfere with
US going away together That has been
r..c,,.1.,-iracr cxrer since read vn1Ir let