The Robesonian., 1917-06-11
WOMAN CHECK FLASHER

less Checks Escaped From florence
Jail In Male Attire and Created
sensat atlon-Caught and Sent to
Observation-Disclosures OF Chech
Flashing
Mrs. o. o. Grant, alias Mrs. Z: ;.
Whitney, is held in the New Hanover
county Jail on the charge OF passing
worthless checks on Wilmington Dus
mess men. She was sent there lroni
Florence, S. c., where she. was arrest
ed. She made sensatlonai eseape
from the Florence Jail claa IN ene
iailer's 'Sunday-go-to-meetlhgs one
day last week but was caught agaan1
The Florence Times carried 'ne io'-
lowing story Of the affair:
"Florence was treated 10 l'n
and novel sensation TINS morning,
koung woman dressad IN man
clothes, fleeing from pursuing
crowd of men and children, jumping
fences with the agility OF an aero.
bat, and finally run down ana SEM
to where her offences apparently De-
gan. Nobody knows the woman ol
Il they do know her they Will mo-
tell. She is about 20 years OF age
and is supposed to be MRS. WI w mio ~,
ney, or Whitney, as the teiegi an
read said to be the wife OF an engineer
IN Wilmington, or by. others Whe
claim to know, well known woman e1l
Of the demimonde of that town: Sne 1
had been passing worthless eheoh9,
Her plan was to take a cnech "
furniture store, buy half or two tnlIus
its value and get the rest IN casn'
She got off the train at WInona yes
terday morning, got car to Florence'
went in at the front door OF ooa1u-
inghouse and out the back,got announcer
car. and went to Lake CITY, giving
the driver the slip there, also, 1t IS
said, and was finally arrested by 5ne
chief of police Of that town on oioei
from the sheriff here.
"She was brought to Florence anu
delivered to the jailer, but as she Was wa
SO lady like in her appearance Mi'
and Mrs. Bryant gave up one OF 1neli p
rooms in the Jail to her. Mr.. bry,
ant anxious about her, sat all n1gh'
on the piazza of the jail watcnlne
the exit to the room. At dawn sne
got him to call Lake City Tor heT OF
the long distance phone. and talKeo Ike
of breakfast and returning TO WI
mington without trouble, but whe1
Mr.. Bryant, the jailer, went to an.
gwer the phone from Lake City sne
dressed in the jailer's Sunday SUIT "
hat and neck tie, slipped out OF tnf
door and jumped the high fence II
the back of the Jail and made ne
way to Palmetto street, where sh'
stopped some negro cooks gong u
service and asked for car. Whll'
talking with these MIR. J. +. Justlc
suspected something wrong, and sa!
that it was woman dressed IN man
clothes, and he arrested her, but sh
broke from him and fled.
"He thought he had German sp
and starting pursuit. She leaped ov
er a fence that was one rail too mig
for Mr.. Justice but the pursuit wa
taken up by others on the other side
and after begging through recentl
drowned gardens and flying like
bird over fences and around corner
she was taken. ingloriously TAX
en-, and then like woman she crlet
and then, like men, every one wh
had caught her, wanted to help ne
run away some more, and not cate
her, or catching her, keep her ava
from the horrid sheriff for she wa
young and pretty ;but the sheriff wa
right there in the crowd and ne
mighty soft hearted sheriff, b'
he does his duty, and his duty WE
to take her back to Jail and ne dl
SO, where she was again properly a
tired and sent to Wilmington on tt
morning train"
In connection with the chase, lie
ter sent out from Charlotte to ma
prs in various towns indicates tn
possibly there is a widespread car
campaign of chejk flashing. III
letter follows:
"There is a swindling game gol1
on over this State, and am using e
cry means / can to catch the gull
parties. The game is this: A la'
goes into store to make purchas
and usually makes it suit to ma
this purchase after banking hours
Saturday afternoon; and after S
makes the purchase she remarks tn
The bank is closed ard that she has
check for thirty or forty dollars,
the case might be; she gets the me
Grant to pay the difference in ca
above what the goods cost, and
ways gives her residence number
the city she operates in, and wh
the goods are delivered they Il
that no such partX.-lives there. :
usually has the goods delivered abe
two days later in order to give I
Time to leave the city before tf
are delivered.
"She played her game here W
the Wake County Savings Bank
Raleigh, NJ c., and presume she
cured a supply of checks here
Charlotte to work the next city
may happen to visit.
"This woman is apparently alb
26 wears old, neatly dressed and v
rodest. She wore glasses and Y
medium build and medium b
nette.