The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1914-09-26
HELD FOR IDENTIFICATION

In the latter part Of Angus
last letter was received ny III,
Sheriif's office warming that de
partment against a woman wh'
had left New Orlcaua fer thu
place. The letter was dated a
New Orleans, but ii waa tot eign
ed 1t gave a detailed dcEcrip
ton of the woman, J cnnl'
Bttnn As the letter did not
charge the strange woman spccl
IDEALLY with any crime, nor plead
for her apprehension u was taken
that The writer was not an official
Therefore, no great importance
was attached TO 1t at HE time aud
It was tucked away IN an office
drawer.
City Marshal Dominique. the
early part Of this week, went to
the Sheiitf's office seeking infor
nation about a female de,clict.
when he was handed his letter bv
Deputy Sheriff Mestayer, who
SAID II might help him Upon
reading the letter he ~ once plac
ed the woman it referred To-.
though she was not Ihe person he
was Immediately IN quest of. lie
resolved 10 look INTO the matter
complained Of in The lettpr. Upon
visiting the neighborEood where
she had last resided, he found
that she had moved to n qnietet
colpred settlement in the southern
pat of The town. where she was
living with a npgro bal ber, named
Chere Livingston.
In answer to questions, she said
her name ~ Thelma King: that
she waa born and raised ~ the
city of New York. where She lived
till she was 90 years old sh,
thtn went to Chicago: thence to
New Orleans, and dnally here.
She claimed her age 10 be &c
years. She also claimed to he a
negress
There was q marked retiCence
about answering questions, which
aroused the suspicious Of Marshal
Dominique TO the fact that she was
attempting TO conceal her true
identity. When told that she
WAS under arrest and that she
would be held for Identification as
Jennie Bruno, (the name given in
the anonymous letter. she broke
down and admitted that that was
her name Then by degrees The
further facts were gathered, that
she was a member Of party
which came from Chicago to New
Orleans. arriving at the latter
place October %, 1919; that sub
seguvntly the two male members
of that party were arrested under
u charge of having violated the
Mann Act against "white slav
eiy;" that they were convicted
aud sent up; that one OF them waa
convicted on her account. She,
however, refused TO reveal the
names of her old associates.
She denied any knowledge of
her fat her or mother, saying thai
before she could remember she
was adopted by John Bruno, OF
New York, who took care of her
till she was l0years of age From
that time on she claims to have
earned her own living. When
asked "why she declared herself
to be a negressF' she said Jno
Bruno had told her she was She
said che had been told that hel
mothers name was Madeline John
son She has black eyes and red
dish hair. The latter was former
ly black. She IS held for identlt-
cation.
If she Is Degress, as now claim
ing to be, it may modify he sen
tence of the man now dong serv
ice in some penitentiary on heI
account. IF, on the other hand,
she is 'white," che herself is liza
BILE to conviction and penal servi
tude for having cohabi'ed with a
negro. She says, at the trial of
the two men, the question of her
color was not raised. She was ac-
cepted on appearances. She will
be held until her true status can
be determined, if possible.