El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-07-31
FLoRENCE RTRNs.

IN 1901. in the Bedford section OF
Brooklyn, n 7. there operated a
4 group OF young men. known as the
F Bedford Gang" some Of the mem
+ bers were ix-dollar-a-week clerks,
others were the sons Of wealthy par
| ents. but all were addicted 10 flashy
. clothes and a desire for notorIety.
+ Their chief diversion was to stand
F on the street corners and try TO at
2 tract the attention OF young girls who
T were passing II the girl was foolish
/ enough TO stop, the meeting generally
resulted IN a trip TO COney Island and
the ultimate disgrace OF the girl.
Florence Burns by temperament
was untitled for the Puritanical home
. atmosphere which surrounded her. She
] longed for the bright lights on her
2 way home from school one day she
! stopped TO talk 10 the leader Of the
Bedford Gang, Handsome Harry Casey.
{ and from that time on her career was
I a checkered one
She began 10 deceive her mother
about where she had been. On vari-
F Gus preteXts she absenIed herself
I from home, and at the age OF 19
she was wei known about various
restaurants OF questionable character.
Handsome Harry introduced Flor
+ p
some 20 years. Brooks fell desper-
ately in love with her and wanted 70
marry her He introduced her TO his
parents, who were respectable people
Of comfortable means and it began to
I look as II marriage was more than a
possible outcome.
Takes Girl to His Homo.
one night Brooks brought Florence
Burns 10 his home. She appeared 10
be i'll and Brooks told his mother that
he Hu q sill
out The Brooks family cared for the
girl and during the period OF recuper-
alton overheard q converse ton which
led them 10 believe the relations be-
tween their son and Florence had not
A quarrel ensued, in which Florence
Burns asserted that her health had
been undermined" and that she did
not know what TO do Brooks told
her TO secure a position and that he
would help her out as best he could.
A day or two later Brooks was
taken very III with a violent fever
and in his delirium he kept saying
that he would not leave home"
This brought forth rather bitter I
comment from Florence and the next
day she left the Brooks house. She /
returned from time TO time. however, !
TO see how her sweetheart was get
ting on. but there was seldom any I
word spoken between her and the .
Then Another Woman.
On one Of the visits the fact was I
made plain by Mrs. Brooks that she .
would never give her consent to the .
marriage, and this ended all inter .
course between the Eirl and the
Brooks family.
In spite Of this opposition. Walter
Brooks made an attempt To get a
minister 20 marry them. but the youth
Of both parties made IL Impossible.
The members OF the Burns family,
incensed that their daughter had
wasted" so much time waiting for
young Brooks, ana in a heated argu-
ment ordered her TO leave home for
the second time.
She secured board and room in a
house IN Manhattan. where Brooks
called on her frequently. generally
going out somewhere with her. but
always returning before midnight.
Another woman entered the case.
She was Ruth Dunn, a girl Of about
the same age as Florence and her
boon companion Florence introduced
Brooks 70 Ruth Dunn and Brooks evil
IDENTIFY made quite an impression on
the girl, Tor he was with her almost
every afternoon and with Florence
every night
On Thursday. February Is. 1902 7
Florence Burns called at Broof,s-s Of
flee and left note informing him
that she was going 10 Detroit the