The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-07-23

Nellie Spillner. PIT Branner street
who Thursday afternoon confessed to
the police that she had cashed so
many worthless checks that she could
not remember them all The woman's
the memory of the police. who esti-
mate that she passed Approximately
seventy five checks aggregating $1,000
in value.
Mrs. spillner is 40 years old and the
mother of eight children, the oldest
girl of fourteen. She told officers
that she cashed the checks to get
things which her husbands pay checks
could not provide for. Spillner is a
mechanic in the Santa Fe shops, and
wife declared. The police today had
the names of fifty Topeka merchants
who have been victimized and new
complaints were coming in steadily.
Women Remembered Her.
The purchase of string of imita-
ton pearl beads a few days ago at
the Wolf Jewelry store, 725 Kansas
doing. She bought the beads and gave
Miss Helen Decker, clerk, a check for
SIS. The check was found to be
worthless. Mrs. Hazel Markley, an
other clerk in the store, recalled that
she had seen the woman sitting on the
porch of a house on Branner street.
Two days later a girl came in the
store and asked to look at beads.
Picking up one string, she remarked
that a girl friend had d string just like
them. given her by her mother. a Mrs.
Spillner. There were only two strings
of beads of that kind in the store.
Miss Decker recalled the woman who
cashed the worthless check and, be-
lieving she had obtained the correct
name, notified the police.
Broke Down and Confessed.
George Frost, chief of detectives,
went to the womans home with Miss
NJ. l. Adds, another jeweler. from
whom she had also obtained a string
of beads, but Miss Adds failed to rec
ognize her. Miss Decker and a clerk
from the Tucker Electric company
were then taken to her house Thurs
day noon and expressed the belief that
she was the woman wanted. Mrs.
Spillner emphatically denied the accu-
sations. Thursday afternoon Frost and
Chief G. G. Hannah went to her home
and in the course of an hour she broke
down and admitted her guilt.
Mrs. Spillner began her forging
operations last March, according to
the police. The first check. for SIS,
March II, 1920, and signed Mrs. Jen-
ME Smith, 81 Oak street. In most
cases the woman would enter a store
after banking hours, order some goods
delivered at a fictitious address and
give a check on which she received
of the addresses given were on the
East side. She used several different
names in signing the checks. Most of
the checks varied in amount from
$3.50 to $50. Several were cashed on
the North side.
Descriptions of the woman had
been in the hands of the police sew
eral weeks but they had been unable
to locate her until the incident in con
nection with the beads led to her
discovery. Merchants today seemed to
desire that she be arrested, sentenced
and paroled. On account of the eight
children, the youngest of whom is a
baby six months old, it is not believed
that drastic action will be taken.
Large Number of Stores.
Among the stores which cashed
worthless checks for Mrs. Spillner are:
Warren NJ. Crosby Co., Crosby Broth
ers, Wolf Jewelry Co., Morehouse Jew
Brothers, Williams's Second Hand
store, the Reed store. Crockett Mer-
camille Co., White House Meat Mar
ket, Gibbs Clothing Co. Scrinopskis
Furniture store, Kitchen & Marburg,
Variety store, Paxton & Paxton, Scott
Brothers. HARLAN Furniture Co, Con-
nors Furniture Co., Dibble Grocery
Co. D. o. Coe Feed store. Rowley
Drug Co, Diment & Klein, Stansfield's
Drug store, the Fair store, August
Brothers, Voiland-Engel Clothing Co,
Payne Annex, Adds Jewelry Co.. Pei
letters, Klingaman & Hoover, Purdy
grocery, Robert Gathers grocery,
Nussbeck Hardware store. Guild Mu-
sic Co, TulIy- Mcfarland Drug Co,
Topeka Millinery Co., Robinson Broth
ers' Shoe store, Arnold Drug Co.
George B. Emery, dentist. ]. K. Jones
Paint Co., Palace Clothing Co, and
the Fernstrom Shoe store.
Her Many Addresses.
Among the names and addresses
which the woman affixed to her
checks are: Mrs. r. H. Jones, route 2;
Mrs. c. NJ. Allen, 634 Hancock street;
Mrs. J. H. Becker. APT Chester street;
Mrs. c. NJ Harrison, APT Lake street;
Mrs. J. B. Anderson, 427 North Bran
ner street; Mrs. Grace Connors, APT
North Branner; Mrs. J. B. Miller,
route 2; Mrs. J. B. Stevens, 81 Oak
street.