New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-30
WOMAN SOUGHT IN
WALES FETE' FRAUD
Mrs. Berthe PrenilS Gone
and Prosecutor Bares
Many Complaints.

Following the announcement printed
yesterday that the Prince Of Wales had
instructed the British Amba ssador 10
make it known that h. would not al
low his name 20 be u5ej in connection
with the so-call'! Prince OF Wales Re
lief Fund bazaar to be held at the ilo-
tel Biltmorc Ncvembcr . to . under
the management ~ Mrs. Berthe Prem
It's, statement Wa made yesterday
by L. ". Stuart Wortle, treasurer for
the Ame-tceu branch II the Prince of
Wales National Peii,f Fund. repudiat-
ing Mrs Permits aid denying that she
had any authority - collect fund.-.
Artku. Train, Assistant District At
tore: said yesterday that Mrs. Prem
tis'S astivitios had been called 10 his
attel tioh and that the matter had been
referrei to Police Commissioner
Woods The ball and bazaar have been
postponed indefinitely, arG the where
abouts u Mrs. Prentis are q mystery.
"The frst time heard Of Mrs Prem
It's" saii Mr.. Wortley yesterday at his
Office. % Broad .t., was SIX weeks ago,
when was asked by Brooklyn Motel
manager If I knew Mrs. Prentis. he
said She had solicited from MIN the
use Of d room for an Office Tor her re
Lief WORK, but when il cane time he
found she only wanted sleeping accom-
motstions for herself and husband.
shortly after this O. woman came TO
ny Office and said she Vas Mrs. Prem
tbs. recently from Canada, and at she
wanted 70 DO relief work. ne eN-
planned her plan 70 get up bazaar,
and when ! asked her il She nad social
connections 10 give character - such
al event she said she hau OF. shortly
sIterward talked g the Bi',morc
people over the telephone and told
them Mrs. Preutis was not authorized
10 represent the fund.
Later letter came from Lady
Drummond. in Canada, saying she had
sent SO 20 the fund, care OF Mrs.
Prentis. but never got any acknoWi-
edgrneEt. The money has never beer
turned in here. 4 bootma6er said he
gave $40 and told Of other contrlbu-
tons from dealers amounting to some
thing like 500. FINALLY me Retail
Trades Protective Association appealed
10 me with the statement that Mr..
Prentis vas trying to obtain credit
about town. | then seat 2 statement TO
the British Embassy in Washington,
and the announcement that the Prince
Of Wales would not stand sponsor for
tae ball resulted
Mr.. Wortley said he had private
detective agency Investigate Mrs. Prem
It's and had learned that she was d
Belgian by birth, her maiden name
being Berthe Arlois. and that she had
married an Englishman. MOntrea! rel
erences the woman gave we're looked
up and proved TO be unsatisfactory.
In The announcement Of the bal.
printed in the calendar of the current
issue Of Town and Country the al
fair is described as d benefit for the
refugees Of all nations, under the aus
pieces Of the Prince OF Wales Relief
Fund. among those on the commit
tee of arrangement the notice says,
are Mrs. Berthe Prentis, Mrs. James K.
Bartholomew. Mrs. Russell Law, Mrs.
Walter A. Crosse. Oliver MorOsco, Harry
Frazee, Walter Scott, John +. Medium,
Gustav Dutout, Hiram Walker, Mrs.
Helen Hartley jenkins. Mrs. Winifred
Harper Cooley, Miss Neysa Moran Nc
Neir. Miss Mary Shaw. Miss Rita Joli-
yet. Mrs. Charles II. lsraelS and Mr..
Charles Winch.
As many OF these g. could be COM
municated with yesterday asserted en-
phatically that they had not given con
sent for the use Of their names on the
committee. saying they knew nothing
of Mrs Prentis.