Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-04-18
BERTHA
SUFFERS
FALL FROM GRACE
Notorious Woman Visits Rock
Island and Succumbs to
Temptation.
TAKES SET OF CUFF LINKS
Genes to Sell Story Of Life but Leaves
On 80 Minutes Notice With $500
Fine Over Her.

-Faintine Bertha" Liebeich. known
couuiry-wide as a diamond thief. was
,snpted by the devil at O'Clock
vss-ertay afternoon in the sewelry
s,o-e OF A. y. Re!nert. lis Eighteenth
street. according TO her story told
oaeer sehnert. who arrested her 10
minutes after Nlr. Reinert found she
had stolen q set OF diamond-studded
cuff links which lay in a tray when
Bertha entered the store.
A. police station last night she plead
With Mr.. Reiuert that he withhold the
story OF her arrest from the news
papers and offered TO give him all the
money she had in her possession. She
asserted she was converted TO a new
lie five months ago and her theft OF
Yesterday was the first Onelse since
taking the pledge before a Peoria cler-
gyman. The Peoria minister heard
her confession when she was liberated
from 3 woman-s correctional house
near Peoria I'm afraid my minister
friend viii hear OF my arrest said
Bertha
Sclln9 LIE STORY
~Faintiug Bertha" came To Rock Is
land yesterday from Davenport to can
vass the CITY for the sale OF a book
telling her life story. She visited sew
eral business houses. selling her book
IN saloons with great success. IL is
said She has prepared her life story
in pamphlet form. IN the front OF the
book her picture appears. and at the
conclusion a likeness Of the Peoria
minister who converted her is shown. Z
The book tells OF games uerpe.rated
on innocent victims in Chicago and OF 4
the deft manner in which she executed /
diamond rO55eries before her reforma- :
ton
In police court today Police Magis-
trate c. J. Smith fined Bertha 5000 on .
a larceny charge. The jewelry stolen .
was valued at s.. The fine was sus-
pended when she promised 20 leave .
the city in 80 minutes. She was in
generated az police station during the
night and is said 10 have made one at
tempt 70 leap over the bauisters on
the second floor Of the city hall after
being confined 10 the upstairs quar-
ters
Using the Telephone.
When the woman entered Mr.. Rein
ert's store. the proprietor was using
the telephone near the front window.
4 tray Of Gun links lay on the top Of
the show case. as just previous 10
BeTtha's entrance a customer had
bought a set Of links which were a du-
plica-e Of those which the woman
stole. As 3Ir. Reinert had his back
partially turned in using the phone.
she began 10 talk the sale OF her book.
Dir. Reinert did not give heed. where
upon she took the links from the tray
and slipped them inside her shirt
waist She Immediately LEFT the store.
After she had been gone 10 minutes
Mr. Reinert noticed a set OF Inks
we're missing Officers were summon
ed with the result OF her arrest.
Bertha did not deny possession Of
The stolen goods. The devil evident
y worked on me-" she said 20 Officer
sehnert. It's the first time I've taken
anything since reformed i've months
ago.
In Many Hsyluns.
'Fsinting Bertha" Liebeich has trave-
lied the country from coast 70 coast I
She has been in nearly every leading ,
insane asylum IN the country and has .
probably fooled more charitable socie-
les and ministers than any other I'M
ortunate now al large.
She was incarcerated in the Kanla-
zee state hospital for the insane for /.
ears. but made so many escapes that
ne was dismissed as a hopeless case.
IN occasions Of her escape she was in
ariably discovered through pretend j