New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-11
'BANKNOTE' WOMAN
PROVES ENIGMA
FOils Efforts of Secret Ser
vice Men to Learn
Who She Is.

The woman arrested on Friday night
in department store as she was at
tempting 10 pass $50 banknote which
had been raised to 500 in payment for
a Sc - purchase, proved Yesterday 10
be one Of The worst enigmas with
which the Secret Service agents have
ever had TO deal. She refused to give
any further detail about herself than
that her name was Mrs. Jane b.
Brown. that she was a seamstress,
born in San Francisco of English par
ents and that she came TO New York
about nine years ago.
Through a four-hour ordeal, in whicn
Captain John j. Henry, who is in
charge of the local Secret Service office,
tried To find out where she lived and
who her associates were. she main
tained the same stoical manner.
The only sign Of emotion she showed
was when she was arraigned before
Commissioner Samuel NJ. Hitchcock
and held in $1,000 bail for examination
on Tuesday afternoon at o'clock.
When Commissioner Hitchcock ordered
her locked up in the TOmbs meanwhile
i'm default of bail, she broke down and
cried quietly for bit, but quickly re-
gained her composure and refused to
talk further TO any one.
Although when Captain Henry and
l.; ..ta oil
a week ago, they were convinced they
had a band of experienced counter
feiters to deal with, they came to the
conclusion yesterday that not only was
the woman working alone in putting
out the spurious notes, but that the al
terations in them were her own handi-
work.
Her identity is a complete mystery"
said Captain Henry yesterday. "Of
course, / suppose Mrs. Jane Brown is
an assumed name. She gave us "A num-
lived but when we looked them up
they proved to he vacant lots. churches
or public buildings. She said she has
a husband. but that he is not in New
him. but | am inclined to think she is
working alone. | know of no other
case Of a woman working alone lik.
this"
So far. eight Of the raised" notes
have been found. These were passed
in various department stores. where
their spuriousness was not noticed But
about a week ago one OF them came for
deposit into the Mount Morris Bank,
where the alterations were discovered.
Although the work on this one was
oleverly done. it was noticed that the
picture of Hugh McCulloch. a distin-
gushing feature Of the 500 denomina-
tion. appeared on the face. instead OF
the portrait of General Sherman, which
ination OF the amounts revealed the
changes.
As soon as Captain Henry was noti-
fed OF this. he sent his men 10 all the
large department stores and warned
them to he on the lookout. The result
was that Miss Catherine Blake. a clerk
in the department store in which Mrs.
Brown vas caught. vas ready for her
when she presented the note, and called
the store detective.
When searched il was found she had
forestalled any efforts at discovering
her real identity. There was not a
scrap Of anything about her to give a
clew. the only object she carried being
leather handbag containing 81. I'm
der questioning she said she was living
with "A man In i?d street. but investi-
CATION proved the address she gave to
be fictitious.
A description Of her. to be followed
by a picture, was sent 10 the Secret
Service agents in San Francisco in
hope they might be able To trace her
there.