The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-03-23
GIRLS SUICIDE NOTE
MAY BE CRIME CLUE
j. Frank Baxter, Whom Annie Rich
ardson Of Barre Accused, Held
on Forgery Charge.

NEW YORK, March 23.-Miss Annie |
Richardson committed suicide last |
Thursday III rooming house at 246 |
Cumberland street, Brooklyn, after writ !
ing a note to j. Frank Baxter, O sales |
man, who occupied an adjoining room, |
in which she said she had come to real |
ize that he loved aaother woman and |
was about to desert her. She could not, |
she wrote, return to face her relatives
in Barre, VT, and she accused Baxter
of running her life and killing her. She
expressed the hope that, eff there is
q just God, and | believe there is, -
Baxter would be punished for his
crime
The letter and other facts in the case
as obtained by the police received wide
publicity in the newspapers. As a re-
suit, Baxter was arrested on the charge
of having forged travellers checks for
S 900 issued by the American Express
company in January, 1915, to A. G.
Baxter, q wealthy real estate dealer of
Philadelphia.
| The checks ranged in value from $40
to $50. The company stated that they
! had been stolen and that $3.50 worth
| had been cashed, signed with the name
ga. G. Baxter and Endorsed by 81.
! Frank BAXTER Agents of the company
had obtained no tangible clue until the
stories containing Miss Richardson IS
letter were published. Then the Sixth
Branch Detective Bureau was notified
and Captain John Coughlin sent Detect
i've Blank to interview Baxter.
The detective took the salesman to
Brooklyn police headquarters, where he
was questioned for an hour. He was
then placed under arrest and the charge
Il l.. 4
name on the police blotter Bail was
fixed at $1,000, and Baxter obtained a
bondsman and was released pending
arrangement in the Adams street police
court. He denied that he was guilty
either of the theft of the checks or OF
| forgery.
One of the checks recovered wa:
, cashed by w. S. Wessen of the West
Side Y. NJ. c. A. Mr.. Wessen was un
able positively to identify the prisone
as the man who received the money. L
was stated that the man who casheC
the check had a card from the Paterson
Y NJ C. a. made out in the name o
j. Frank Baxter.
Another check was cashed by Richar,
Ravenhall, proprietor of the Ravenhal
, Baths at Coney Island, and others wer
: Ieashed at the Hotel Marie Antoinett5
/ Bustanoby's, and the Bancroft Hous
4 at Worcester, Mass.
t According to the police, the name -
!. Frank Baxter on all of the checks RI
I covered was in the same handwriting
r but they were unable last night to oh
tain q specimen of the prisoners hand
: writing In order to make eompariso
J. with the signature. The police sal
!. that A. C. Baxter of Philadelphia, t
e. whom the checks were issued original
\ did not receive them, and that his 81;
If nature on the checks was forgery. II
circumstances under which the cheel
a were stolen could not be obtained la:
~ night.
5 Baxter is 40 years old, and is Ell
4 ployed by Baxter, Kelly s. Faust, I'll
Al goods merchants of Il Mercer stree
s. When he was questioned about Mi
as Richardson S suicide he said she was
te corset filter in Fulton street depar
ID ment store in Brooklyn, and that tbs
Mt met about three years ago in a resta
is rant. Shortly after that they went
he live in a Washington avenue house
e. brother and sister. A year ago tn,
in moved to the house in CumberlaI
Va street.