The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-02
SEVERAL HUNDRED
CHILDREN STOLEN
Gypsies and Other Nomads
Take and Sell Them
BANK NOTES ARE HOOKED
Ingenious Device of Bold Bank Robber
In Paris-WaIkIng Cane Gathers
Money From TeIIer's Desk.
Studies In TeIerision.
BY GEORGE DUFREsNE.

BY GEORGE DUFREsNE.
Paris, January Especial -Between
200 and 300 little children In France
are. 1t is calculated. annually taken from
their houses by gypsies and other nomads.
Not few of these children are deliber-
ately sold by their parents.
A case in point has just come to the
| notice of the police at Bellac, near Linz
oges. where a laborer named Pinaud.
aged 81, sold his 6-year-old daughter to a
family Of gypsies for Sos and a pitcher
Of wine The contract of sale was drawn
up in a wineshop A revenue stamp was
affixed and 1t was signed by two wit
| nesses.
One Of these-the woman who kept the
wine shop-was however, apprehensivs
of the legal consequences to herself. She
Immediately informed the child's uncle,
who, with the police. started of In pur-
suit Of the gypsies and came up with them
the next morning. Replying to the police
/ the child repeated the lesson she had
| been taught said that she was travelling
with her uncle and aunt, but on seeing
her real uncle, ran to his arms and
burst into tears
The father has been sentenced to
weeks Imprisonment.
| In q sort Of canvas bag gown and a
| carpenters cap Of scarlet, Marietta Wolff,
Madame Steinheils former cook, II still
plying her new trade of bfll-sticker.
| This afternoon she raided the boulevards
with her paste pot, brush, and posters,
| and nearly caused a revolution. The traf-
| nc being completely blocked. the police
ran her in, but half an hour later re-
| leased her, and she began her process
| sion again, followed by crowd shouting,
| vive Marietta Wolffi or the reverse.
She is accompanied by a younger wom-
an dressed as she is. Marietta Woln says
| that she will stick to her trade. which she
likes. but she laid down one condition
when she took the Job. She WIN paste
| up any posters except those ADVERTISING
THE Merry Widow"
The examination OF the French CO.
lonial budget of Madagascar has
brought to light an item of extrava-
gance which has scanda1ized the menu
bers OF the parliamentary committee ap-
pointed to Investigate the account.
It appears that q sofa In the gov
ernor generals palace at Antananartvo
has cost no less than $3.50 In repairs
in four years. The committee has de-
cided to ask M. Augagneur, the gov
France, to explain
Jewels belonging to Lady Wallace,
the wife Of an Irish knight, and valued
at 10000, are alleged to have been
stolen from her By German woman.
Fraulein Elizabeth Wsrfritz, who has
been arrested In Rome. She is also
charged with having robbed wealthy
American lady in Paris
al
Jewels, Frau1oin Werfritz,. with her
charming manners and cultivated styles
| secured a position at Marienbad as
companion to the American lady in
August last. They afterward came to
Paris Then the lady's jewels, worth
1920, and her companion both disap-
peared.
The lady lodged complaint with the
police, and the missing woman was
sought by detectives. First she was
traced to London then to Barcelona,
tn en- to Turin, Milan. Monte Carlo, and
eventually to Rome. She was living
under the name of "Yolande Wher" in
a family boarding house where she
was arrested.
She will be brought back to Paris
as soon as the extradition formalities
are completed and tried in the French
courts. After her eventual acquitral
or imprisonment she will be extradited
| to England for another trial.
A story rep1ets with dramatic incl
dents comes from Milan, and tells Of
| the arrest of Signor Diego Cutruferli
mayor Of Grant,, near Taormina, Sicily,
| as chief confederate In big gang OF
gentlemen" counterfeiters. For months
past the italian government has tried
to track the dissemtnators OF an I'M
mense number Of false bank notes.
tn ereby hundreds of the Sicilian peas
antry have been victimised.
whenever q suspect happened to be
taken into custody the mayor Of Graniti
would most invariably put in first rate
testimonials on behalf of the prisoner
or he would attend the hearing of the
charge in person and laugh at the stu
pidity' Of the police and demand the I'M
mediate release of tho accused.
His worship has played the trick once
too often and the suspicious Of the mag
,ntrates were aroused. The government
acting vpon secret information dispatoned
q brigadier with squad OF caraoiniero
from Palermo with Instructions 10 MAKE
q thorough search for the counterfeit
er's den.
In order to keep the townsfolk OF
the real scent the brigadisr availed HIM
self of a local tradition which says that
the notorious Sicilian bridgand, Castro,
who ended q dare devil career py muir
dering Commentators Derrari. rich
Landlord of Graniti, buried his booty
somewhere In thu neighborhood before MS
hasty flight to the United States.
The br1gadier explained that tho car
abiniere has a clue and had como 70
dis for the hidden treasure. When, how
ever, the exploration began to DO ex-
tended to the mayors own premises,
CONSERVATION was caused by the swift
d,sa ppearance of number OF leading
men in local affairs Such OF tho mayors
collea cues as remained were closely
watched by the police.
The efforts Of the diygers were soon
rewarded for, striking upon massive
marble slab that concealed the entrance
to the counterfeiter's cave, they found
4 laboratory well provided with acids.
printing press and engraving blocks ana
In fact. all the usual apparatus or me
professional counterfeiters. Twenty
thousand pounds worth of exquisiteiy
forged bank notes were ready for circu-
latton.
Many complaints having been made OF
robberies of bank notes from bank o1i-
cials here and detectives we're especial
" instructed to keep watch at the banks.
They recently succeeded in capturing
man who gave the name OF Golswey ana
sad he came from Manchester He was
caught in tho act of stealing bundle
of bank notes in a remarkable man
uer