The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-21
WOMEN HOTEL BEATS
GET YEAR IN PRISON
Daughter and Widow Of Penn
sylvania Manufacturer
Face Many Charges.
1000. 900 ESTATE STORY
Pair Without Money Unwill-
ing to Give Up Luxurious
Mode Of Living.

The air Of refinement and protes;a-
tions that 1t was perfectly preposter-
GUS which aided them In swindllug
availed nothing 20 Mrs. NJ I. Weaver
and her mother. Mrs Harriet y. Wells.
ln Brooklyn Special Sessions yestei day
when Justices Kernochan, Herbert and
year each IN prison as hotel beats Mrs.
Weaver testified that her father, John
e Wells OF Warren. Pa. left $1,000 o0o
when he died.
women. protesting that IL was all ut
terly absurd" were found guilty was OF
defrauding the Hotel Bosseri on Dill
for $3.50 Accordinc TO evidence pre-
sented however, a round dozen OF hotels
suffered from the unwillingness OF the
two women to give up the luxurious way
of life OF former years.
In Manhattan alone they were able
by means OF their cultured appearance
to defraud many hotels OF the better
class. The Vanderbilt lost S'l'. 1t was
said, AMI others which wished they had
taken the cash and let the credit -
were the Waldorf. The Imperial. the
Manhattan. the Murray Hli and the
st. Denis
Mrs. Weaver and Mrs. Wells ., APP
peared from testimony, had conducted
their operations for some time with re-
markable success. trading upon the''
ability 10 put up a 'front.' NJ one
time. however. they met with dithcuitI
in Imposing upon higher priced hotels
which they always sought so har,
nut TO (, were they that they were
Obliged to appeal TO the Charity or'
panization society in this city.
Miss King OF that society testlhe
that the two women. who were some
times known as Miss Virginia Wick
and Ms Harriet T.. Wells, sought ai'
from her They ,old her. she said tina
they had no money Ia pay their rent
She made no invest CATION OF their cas-
she said.
Both women went on the witnes
stand in their own defence ana en-
deavored to win over the Justices ny al
attitude somewhat similar to that whicI
had conquered so many hotel manager
and clerks Mrs Weaver testified tina
her father LEFT $4,000, ,00o when he die
( II was tied up, she said, but she laughe
I merrlly at the idea that she or he
/ mother could think OF beating anybod
I out of $3.50 or any other sum. She ~
plained that her father, John e. Well
} was wealthy boiler manufacturer wh
! had left them plenty Of money. In
| little while they would have more none
! than they would know what to do witt
Then they could easily pay those trouble
some bills of the Imperial for Sl46.2
the st Denis for S203.6l and lot 4
others.
! Mrs Weaver was somewhat discon
I certed when a letter was read from
". Frazier. manager of the Bellevue
Stratfurd, in Philadelphia, saying tina
she owed the hotel $3.50 Tor lodgin
from June 20 to July i.
Mrs. Wells. Mrs. Weavcrs mothc
was not quite so voluble on the stan'
ror quite so free with statements ;hs
It was perfectly preposterous' and u
terry absurd" She frequently plcade
loss of memory
The prosecutions exploitation OF n
sources and extent OF the income OF u
Two women who had lived so wen
hotels revealed that Mrs. Weaver g'
50 a month almony. Even that wa
assigned for some time To Mrs MI
Clurg. IL was said. although later u
assignment Of almony was Withdraw
Assistant District Attorney Cooper sal
a careful search had failed to discov'
any other income.
Mr. Cooper revealed also that the Nv
women had had abundant time to +
! themselves OF the tastes that mad u
them to make use of their appearan'
and manners to live the life of the he
hotels one OF the eXecut 'rs of the Wei
estate testified that the e,tate was clos'
tventv-fiye years ago and that the tot
proceeds were not more than $4,000, Il
stead OF the s2,000,000 of which MI
Weaver and Mrs. Wells talked.
The two women will serve their Sc
E tences in the penitentary on Blackwell
I Island.