Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1911-05-03
BADGER GIRL ON TRIAL.
Florence Knott Went on Witness stahu
in Washington today-Niay be Par0ied

in Washington today-Aiay be par0ie'
Washington, May 3.-Strikingll
beautiful in gown which she hat
pawned herrings to buy, oi'
Florence Bennett Knott, the badger giri
went on the witness stand today an(
sobbed out every detail Of how sh'
ured Charles Rosenthal, a local mer
chant, to her fashionable apartmcn
aud played with him as cat with
mouse, while her husband, James B
Knott, photographed him through
holes bored in the apartment walls. lh'
photograph were made the basis Of :
demand on Rosenthal fOl 50, ,Uut
black mail
James Knott, his brother Beniamir
and his friend Albert H. Armstrong
pleaded guilty to having planned and
executed the badger game. Judge
Wright, however, declared the state
merit made by Benjamin Knott indi.
Gated that he was innocent and ordered
him tried BY jury. The sentences in
the other cases was postponed but it be-
lieved that the badger girl will be re-
leased on parole.
Florence Knott and her husband
tried to work the old badger game with
new stage settings. For more than a
month they had lived in luxurious
apartment in the most fashlonal part
of the city and their last penny was
spent, according 10 TIE badger girl ID
keeping up appearances. Then the
husband suggested, and the wife con
sented to try the easiest way. >.
First the husband and Armstrong
bored holes in the walls OF their apart
ment, through which they could focus
camera on every inch of floor space.
Then they placed mercury lights IN the
rooms, taking them like studios.
Florence Knott then set out to looA
for victim, and with her beauty had
no difficulty in Turing Rosenthal to her
apartments. He called many times,
md On each occasion. Knott and Arm
strong using an expensive camera took
photographs Of him in more than a
score OF comprising positions.
When enough pictures had been
,aken, Knott, and Armstrong, the Tor
mer in the role of the enraged husband,
6urst into the roomy apartment while
Rosenthal was present, lied him to
chair, showed him the photographs
and then, at the point OF a revo y"r
forced him 10 write out a check Tor
$1,000. Rosenthal later stopped pay
ment on the check but told Knott t"
come to his store and he would give
him s.. 900 in cash. Knott went, and
found two detectives waiting for hIu
Mrs. Knott was arrested few hour
later at a suburban railway station.
Following her arrest, she sohbed out
her story to the police. It was the old
story OF the easiest way
She was born in Flint Michigan, she
said, the daughter Of an Indian fakIr
aud a white woman. When she was
tiileen she married a factory hand but
he match was unhappy ana few
months later she left her husband and
went to work in department store.
Il tried hard 10 be decent she sob
bed, but / just couldn't. A girl cant
live on "a week She can only exist,
wanted life. : | sold myreif.
The next few years Of my life were
4 living hell. | went from one city TO
anolher but everywhere | was social
outcast. Then | met Jimmie. and when
he offered to take me away from the
life was leading would have done
anything in the world for him. We
we're married. He told me his family
was wealthy and gave him plenty OF
money. but after little while they
stopped sending it to him and We didn't
have penny. We had to have money
Jimmie couldn't get 1t 50 | got 1t Tor
him. Maybe it was wrong hut ! would
have done anything on earth fol the
man who had taken inc away from the
horrible life | once lived.
1t was a question Of SHINING or beg
giug. and charity is worse than SIN.