The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-02-03
From the New York relegrapn.

From the New York Telegraph.
 IF MAY WILLIAMS, one of the two young women charged with dex- wallet of Banker Van Norden, is the Chicago woman of that name-as seems probable-the Chicago police can easily understand how the money was re- moved. The New York officers, and most citizens who read of the robbery, have been wondering how on earth the woman could have got Van Norden's bank roll-if she really got it. Easy, dead easy, if the prisoner is the Chicago May Williams.
 May Williams of Chicago-presuma- bly the prisoner in the Van Norden case was one of the last survivors of band which included May Keating, Dora Donegan and May Williams, besides half a dozen minor satellites. They op- erated in Chicago for several seasons, and the band finally dwindled by retire ment of some to married life, of others to the seclusion of "the stir" at Joliet, and of the remainder to other cities. All of the women were big, good looking and finely dressed. They worked, as rule, in pairs, but never hesitated to operate alone, fearlessness being one of the characteristics of every woman in the crowd.
 Versatile and ingenious, the only thing about their work that could be classed as -"coarse" was the way in which they let themselves be captured after every little affair they brought off. They did not hesitate to return to the scane of a robbery, and never ob- jected to pinch" while their game in court was to demand continuances, time and again, until the plaintin would be utterly wearied and give up the prosecution. Ruralites, of course could not spare the time or money to keep coming in from the woods in this fashion, and thus the women usually won out in the end.
 These young women had some clever tricks. and May Williams of Chicago ranked as one of the cleverest. They would coax a man into dark hallway, just for talk" and inside Of three minutes they would have his watch and wallet. They were expert dips 'pick- pocket), and could bite diafNend out of stud without hurting their teeth or arousing suspicion. As to the trick which Van Norden says was played on him-the lightning removal of his money and the replacing of his pocket book-that would be easy for May Will Hams or any of the crowd Talk about the hand being swifter than the eye those women could clean up a wallet and replace it in so short period that an ordinary individual could hardly have opened the pock etbook for inspec- tioni
 During Worlds fair year, and for some time after, few of these women ran panel houses," and it was asserted by the Chicago police that $300,000 had been stolen, mainly from >cattlemen, in one. only one, of these places. It is on record that acatt..man who had closed one of the biggest sales on record was lured into this place one evening. His wallet, duly appropriated, was found to contain N$52O, GOO In $500 and 5000 bills The sight of such fortune actually frightened the women, and, instead of dividing the plunder. they skinned off $6000, put back the rest. and slipped it into the ranohman's pocket.
 Belle Davis-ro relation to the color ed singer-was the fandsomest of thcse women. and there have, perhaps, been few brunette girls as beautiful. Belle. one night, cleaned up the pockets of Count Toulous A4aptree. the hdventurer who was for single day King of Bul- saria. and aftsfWard became the rreat-