The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-03-03
WOMEN FRENzIED
F|NANC|ERS GWEN
FIVE YEARS EACH
Girl Once Feigned Death in Or.
der to Escape From Her
Many Creditors.

London, March 2.-Violet Gordon
Charlesworth and her mother have
zach been sentenced to five years pc
nal servitude for obtaining money
by false pretenses and for fraudulently
representing that the younger woman
was heiress to a great estate.
In passing sentence the judge re-
ferred to Violet's remarkable ingenuity,
which, properly applied. might have
won for her an honorable II not a
distinguished career.
Both prisoners collapsed in the dock
on hearing the sentence.
1t was only a little more than a year
ago that the press OF the entire world
was printing columns regarding the
tragic death Of Miss Violet Gordon
Charlesworth. 1t was reported that she
had been thrown over a cliff on the
coast of North Wales into a yawning
sea. She was with her sister and a
chauffeur in q swift motor a when the
accident was supposed to have hap
pened.
"Hsadlons into the Sea-"
The sister and chauffeur returned to
the local authorities and told in great
detail of the accident. Miss Charles
worth's car had crashed into a retain
li6 W01 eAOAA8 SAO Cu80 vi S1lO III 1lu
the young woman had been hurled
headlong into the sea. A woman's hat
n handbag were found at the spot
where the accident was said to have
taken place, n the wreck Of the auto
mobile was further evidence OF the
tragedy.
Then there began to be doubts as to
examined the scene could not see how
1t would have been possible for the
accident to occur and 1t was thought
strange that the body did o come
ashore.
Suspicion was further aroused when
1t became known that Miss Charles
worth had left unpaid debts amounting
to thousands of dollars.
Had q Fierce Career.
Gradually her picturesque course
came to light. Her father was a re-
spectacle mechanic, but in some way
Miss C~harlesworth obtained a small
amount of money which she invested
in clothing and jewelry. Then she
bought an automobile on credit and
with this appearance of wealth she
succeeding in getting more credit.
She took a house in Scotland. and an
other in Wiltshire, in addition to the
which the family lived. She sp%eculated
In stocks and had a large debit ac-
count on the books of several firms.
While investigation was revealing
these startling truths some one saw on
a ferry boat the young woman sup
posed to be at the bottom of the sea.
Detectives from Scotland yard were put
on the case and On January II Of last
year she was found in Tobermory.
Scotland. living under an assumed
name.
Miss Charlesworth told the detectives
OF her movements after the reported ac-
cident. h vent directly to Tobermory
and later to Oban. Scotland. She re-
NAMED hidden in a temperance hotel
until London reporters traced her. Then
h went back to Tobermory, but was
again found. Her sister and q man
Joined her and the three went to Glass
cow and then to Edinburgh.
Enormous Fortune in Fancy.
In getting credi. with tradesmen and
brokers Miss Charlesworth invariably
told Of an enormous fortune she was
to inherit. After she was found and the
details Of her career were revealed It
was learned that she would inherit no
money from any one.
Miss Charlesworth IL only rs years
old. She had a common school educa-
ton and no particular social advant-
ages. but early developed tastes ia" be-
yond the power Of her family to graf
ify, 80 she laid her own plans to make
a position in life for herself.