New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-14
GIRLS THIEF TALE
LIE, M0THERSAYS
Better Not Have Babies
at ALL" Walls Woman Ac-
cused by Daughter.
FORCED TO STEAL,
CHILD TELLS POLICE
Parent Honest and Hard Work
ing, NeighbOrs Declare-They
Scout Amazing Story.

oAOht aiiia6iNS oaOi y
Trembling behind tbs locked doors Of
her furnished rooms, at BAT Seventh
Avenue, Mrs. Sadie Maiorca yesterday
awaited the police, who, shs had been
told, would come to arrest her at the
instigation Of ncr daughter Josephine,
fourteen years old.
"It's not true" she kept saying, re-
ferring to the statement her daughter
had made at the Children's Society
that her mother forced her and her
little brother and sister to steal.
at is better when women do not
have any babies at all to make them
sad when they grow old" said Mrs.
Maiorca. Outside her door the halls
were buzzing with inquisitive and SYM
pathetic neighbors.
Friday afternoon the little girl ap-
preached Patrolman Byrne at l4oth
Street.
please lock me up" she begged. "lf
you don't my mother Will make me
steal. She makes us all take things
me and my sister Sadie. eight years
old, and the baby, Jimmie, who is only
four"
The girl was taken to the Children.
Society. where yesterday she added
many touching details to her surpris..
ing story. As far back as she could
remember. she said, her mother had
taken things from department stores
She herself had assisted when she was
too young to know better, and now
that she would not. she said, her
mother was very cross. Four-year-old
Jimmie even had been trained to stoop
and pick up articles that his mother
carelessly showed off the counter, the
girl asserted.
Says Mother Bit Her.
az wish they would take him away
from her." Josephine had said. Then,
pushing up her cotton sleeve. she had
shown a scar on her little arm.
"My mother bit me there" she ex-
planned. 81 was here in the Childrens
Society year ago because Of it,
There were tears in the eyes OF
those who listened to her, but il oc-
Cured TO some that so good little
Elsie story Nigh, require further in
vestigation. The mother and the
neighbors were interviewed. Mrs.
Maiorca, who refused for long time
to 20 to her door, was too frightened
to do more than deny the story in her
broken English. But the neighbors
were emphatic.
'It's because the child is mad at her
mother" said Mrs. r. o. Bernstein,
proprietress Of a delicatessen store a.
BAT Seventh Avenue. "In the last three
weeks have watched Sadie-Mrs.
Maiorca-turn gray before my eyes"
Mrs. Bernstein. Mrs. Annie kache
and Dominic KEEPS, the barber next
door. all affirmed that Mrs. Maiorca was
an honest. hard working woman, who
sewed at her trade of finishing suits
sometimes till 3 o'clock in the morning
to support the three children. her hus-
band having gone back to Italy.
ats the man that has turned Josie
against her mother. so that she says
these awful things" declared Mrs.
Kache. Sure. her mother did bite her,
lar out of what Mrs. Maiorca was saw
ing by dimes and fve-cent pieces to
pay the rent"
Girl Disappears Again.
little less than a month ago. they
said. Josie had disappeared. For two
nights her mother searched for her.
not sleeping
"On Monday she told us that she had
found her" said Mrs Bernstein. "She
said that she was going TO take them
straight down TO the City Hall. so
that she could sign the papers for
Josie TO be married, since she was not
old enough When she came back she
said that Josie was married. We
heard since that the man had been ar
rested for white slavery. but we don't
know"
Afterward Josephine disappeared
again. and her mother was unable to
find her The neigEbors said the
mother had been forced by worry and
the i'll health il induced to give up
most of her work.
"She was almost crazy they said.
when we asked her vhy she did not
comb her hair, she sad Il don't wan:
TO comb my hair. and don't want to
wash myself. | don't want TO eat
Just want TO die"
During the three weeks that she had
been missing from home Josephine had
worked for a Mrs. Ingraham. in
East l9lst Street. After she left there
she rented a room on Amsterdam Ave-
nue.. near l32d Street. with money
earned by working in laundry.
The Children's Society and the Har-
lem police have the matter under in
vestigation.