The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-02-17
LOVE BANDITS END
ROMANCE IN CELLS

! NJ w INN. 4 eD. Il - romance
that bade pretty sixteen-year-old
. Bessie Endner OF Brooklyn, steal
$4,000 pay roll money out Of her
/ fathers safe and sent her winging
with her boy sweetheart, Happy
Johnston. TO Poughkeepsie withered
and died in the Raymond street Jail
yesterday, when the boy and his
chum,. Willie Sutton, of Brooklyn,
were placed behind bars, with Bessie
accusing Johnston OF attacking her.
The happiness OF the youngsters
lasted less than a fortnight. Three
serious charges are lodged against
Johnston by Bessie's father. Alfred
Martin Endncr, a wealthy spar manu-
! factUreT. Johnston is held in $1,000
bail. Sutton is charged with abduc-
! tiOn anil burglary. He went to the
/ Raymond street Jail with Happy"
upon failure to furnish $4,000 bond.
J When the trio arrived in court, Mr..
Endner Immediately signed an affi-
daYit against the boys and engaged
Attorney Dan Mcfarland as counsel.
The case of the girl was put over.
/ Without a lawyer Johnston waived
examination and his case. will so be-
| fore the grand jury.
Bessie. whose name really is Sarah
Elizabeth, was dressed in the beauti-
fuI seal coat that she purchased with
some of the pay roll money. The
clothes that Johnston got for his
honeymoon came out of the same
bank roll. He looked younger than
seventeen, while the girl might have
been taken for twenty. She was calm
enough during the proceedings, but
after the arraignment fell in her
mothers arms and wept.
Girl Tells story.
The girl made the following explana-
ton: ION February 4 at $3.50 in the
evening William Johnston and Sutton
and myself entered the office of my
father. Johnston climbed the fence
leading to the yard where the office is
situated at the foot Of Beard street
and when he got inside he cut a hole
through the fence and Sutton and 1
entered the yard. We then broke q
window and climbed into the office.
81 opened a small safe to which I
had the combination and took from il
the keys to the big safe where the
money was kept. When we opened
the big safe we could not get into the
money compartment because the key
stuck and one of the boys took an
axe and broke it open. We took the
money and left the office the same
way we entered"
"Happy's grandfather, William
Johnston, a white haired man Of six
ty-five, charges the case against the
boy is frame-up on the part Of Mr..
End1er.
She Gave Money 70 SHapPy." :
This affair has been going on for
about a year. For nearly eight
mouths my boy has been out OF
work, and Bessie gave him money all
the time. The girls parents never
liked the match and wouldn't let Will
liam into their house, so Bessie used
to come over here. They'd be down
in the hall nights until / o'clock in
the morning, and my wife would hol-
Ter down TO have them stop their
spooning. She was always after him,
and finally six weeks ago her father
locked her in his house, but in a
week she got out, and they were to-
gether again. She then said she had
$500 in Liberty bonds and wanted to
take them and go away. with Will
liam Finally she wrote my daugh-
ter, Mrs. Mary Harding. OF Maine,
who is Williams mother, that she
would kill herself If anybody tried to
restrain her from marrying William.
Now her father is wealthy and I'm
not, and I haven't money 10 defend
the boy. But know my grandson is !
honest, and I'm going to gee il can't |
do something for him. II the boy had /
been crooked he could have stolen !
that $4,000 from Bessie any time 1
while they were together"
There is some doubt whether the /
were married in Jersey (
City by justice of peace, as Bessie I
claims. There is no doubt but that |
they tried to get married several /
times. Letters addressed to the boy
as far back as last summer were
wiley, Bessie"
Called Him Hubby" :,
An the letters were Of the same \
tenor. She had two fears, first, thai Il
Happy would be stuck on some
other girl" and. second. that he would 4
saloons.
The Endners close their Brooklyn Il
residence in summer and live at II
Scoviue walk, Sea Gate. AL the let
tiers written from there in June ad-
dress Happy" as Hubby" Il
please keep away from other girls.
Hubby dear, and wait for nc, as /
am waiting for YOU" she wrote in
one. and in another: 4
i've got the wedding ring and viii
bring it up 10 tire house tonight. We
can see If IL is OF any use" The last
one ended with tfty-tWo "N's' crossed |
all over one sheet and all the rest /
am going TO give you when I sec you.
Hubby"