Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-03-02
AFORMER BURLINGTON NURSE
Miss Amelia Leonard Charged
with Wholesale Jewel Robberies.
Was Dismissed from Mary Fletcher
Hospital ms Unreliable after
-Four Months Service There
Sensational Charges Made.

A Free Press man discovered Tues
day that Miss Amelia NJ. Leonard, who
is charged with the sensational jewel
fobberies in Boston and against whom
even sraver charges are limited, re-
ceived a part of her training Mt the
Mary Fletcher hospital in this city,
but was dismissed from that institu-
ton after brief stay when it was
discovered that she was unreliable
rital from January. 1902, until May
of the same year and during that time
committed a number of offenses OF
that nature.
Miss Leonard Tuesday waived exam
ination in the Boston municipal court and
was remanded to jail in default Of
10000 bail on the charge of stealing
iowclry and other articles to the value
Of many thousands of dollars from
Miss Mary J. Lockwood, an aged pa
tent at the Hotel Brunswick, who
Cied few days ago while under her
care. 1t is possible that the body
may he exhumed as there is a faint
suspicion of foul play connected with
her death.
While Miss Leonard was being tried,
detectives from the Wood Morgan de-
tcctive agency were searching her
apartments and found thousands OF
dollars worth of unset diamonds.
wrapped in absorbent cotton. jewelry,
rare curios, laces, silks, French lin
Eerie, porCelains, embroidery-all or
which was concealed SO cleverly that
1t was overlooked in the first search,
/ AIDE at the time of her arrest on Sat
GrdaY. \ rough estimate made of
this property places the value at S20.-
900. part of the property was
identified by relatives of Miss Lock
" God as belonging to her and more
was identified by Miss Annie ]. Peck
er as belonging to Miss Mary Pecker,
who died suddenly at Woodstock, Vt,
while Miss Leonard was with her as
a paid companion. The Boston police
are now making an inventory of a
large amount of canoes hand paint
Cd miniatures. and other property Of
value only to their rightful owners.
which 1t is hoped to discover by adj
vertising.
\ number of trunk checks and re-
ccipts were also found in The apart
ments in a mutilated condition. as
though an effort to make 1t difficult
to trace them had been made 1t was
| learned. however. that trunks con-
tanning valuables had been shipped
as far as France and England.
Some papers and lettors, found in
the rooms, divulged the fact that the
! trunk sent to France was addressed
to Horace Cooper a former Harvard
/ student, who at present occupies 4
position on the faculty of university
in bordeaux. She had. while he was
a student represented him to he her
foster brother. He. with a number
of other Harvard students. was ac-
Gust omed to visit her at her apart
ments and some of them admitted 20
the police that they had been sum
| GENTLY attracted by her to escort her
to different places.
Soon after her dismissal from the
Mary Fletcher hospital, the woman
obtained position in the Whidden
hospital in Everett, Mass. She was
also dismissed from that institution
when it was discovered that she was
in the habit Of giving the patients
drugs and then leaving them. DR.. F
:. Garrett. superintendent Of the hos
nital, stated that he did not believe
she was responsible and that her
brain had become affected by some
unfortunate experience. 1t is said
Miss Leonard was in the habit of ad-
m!nistering morphine to the patients
one night according to the report
Ia head nurseN entered tho room of 4
patient whom Miss Leonard had beer
posted to watch, with orders to main
tam n strict vigilance The patien
was dead. The body was cold anc
death had evidently occurred some
time before. shortly afterwards, Mis-
Leonard appeared and when ques
toned as to her disobcdience of or
cers, said that she had been ava!
only five or ten minutes. An inves
tiSation into other cases was ther
made and she was expelled Sh,
later saw Dir. Garrett and told pitt
full tale of being homeless in a for
eign land without meas for earnin.
o livelihood excepting by nursing an,
no then got her employment, She rep
resented herself to him and to othe
Massachusetts people as native .
Scotland.
When confronted in court with tn
testimony. Miss Leonard on the verg
II hysteria, said that she sent tn
trunk to Franco because 1t containe,
papers and books wanted by Horac
Cooper. In Boston police court, tn
: W oman gave her age as % Iut whei
In Burlington nine years ago she sal
she was 81.