Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-05
GIRL OWNED BY TURK
FORCED TO SUPPORT HIM |
Story of Pretty Runranian Girl
Reads Like Chapter From the
Arabian Nights.

New York, March 4.-Whcn a twen-
tieth century Scheberazadc with her Own
Arabian night tale stepped intc Gotham
police court the worthy wielders OF Dc
cideptal Justice were 50 befuddled by her
Oriental story of colorful fantasy that
they only condemned the girl to repeat
it to higher court. ~
Thus it happeps that Rebecca Ellen
boaan. afair-haired, blue-eyed RumaniaD
girl of 81, trembled at every creak of the
stair as she secluded herself today IN a
dipgy room in New York's East Side an
told all corners that by Dightfall a black
heart and a venging knife would seek
her out.
81 came to America joyfully because
/ had heard that here young girls could
not be sold on the slave block to any
man who liked their faces and had enough
GOLD, and where thought could get ava y
from Alhadoff. the Turk, and live like a
young girl again, she sobbed. But 1T is
the same the world over. Men stick to-
Qether, and even here the courts will not
help me because they do not understand
the blackness of Turks heart and what
he does to girls in his power
This is the strange story Rebecca FL
lepbogan tells: Five years ago she was
a street singer and flower vendor in Tur
kew. whittier her parents had emigated
from her native village in Rumanla.
She trembled the first time she saw Al
nadoff. because she caught him gazing
at her with a strange look IN his face as
she called her flower song through the
village market place. Soon afterward
Alnadoff called on her father and offered
large sun for Rebecca. She remembers
assrvice of mystic rites, such as the sDuffing
of candles, weird chanting, a dipping OF
the hands into warm blood and her cos
tune of gauzy wells, but never did she
hear the word marriage" or wife or
wedding" and is unable to tell the court
even now just what the strange perfor-
nance meant.
Of Turkey and either kept in solitary
confinement in a cell OF forced to dance
and sing I'D cabarets.
Then the war came. Alhadoff told the
girl they would go to America. Rebecca's
wistful face beamed at this point IN her
tale as she related simply: Il was so happy.
/ thought that America would let me
leave him"
But Alhadoff settled on the East Side
and decided that should earn money for
him to spend on chop suey in Pell street,
down in Chinatown"
Rebecca was given q supply of ttimsy
harem wells and some gorgeous Oriental
costumes and put to vending fragrant
cigarettes, pasty Turkish delight and
CAV bubbles between the tables of Fast
Side cabarets. Ahjadoff, she claims, al
WAYS took all the coins she brought and
beat her if she did not bring enough.
After few months of this life in America
she SAYS she was told that Alhadoff had
q wife in South America and resolved to
run away from him and make new life
Of her own.
Thus began her four years of flight
from one attic room to ano Their, pursued
bv Alhadoff, who had found her because
she was unable, owing to the birth of her
baby boy. to take friends warning and
fee.
There have been days and even weeks
when she thought that Alhadof had lost
the trail But always, Just as hope was
dawning, she would return from her days
factory toll to find her hiding place had
been. discovered.
It was when Rebecca had managed to
save few dollars after providing an
existence for herself and the child that she
remembered American courts as the
hope Of those who would be free from perse-
cution Yesterday her case WAS called. !
Magistrate Sweetser gaped at story
that was new even to New York Police !
Court, but decided that her remembrance |
of the ceremony which united her wit
Alhadoff is so hazy that there is no proof |
that it was not legal Roumanian-Iewish |
ritual. Neither is there proof of the |
South American wife.
As the weeping girl left the courtroom |
the Turk muttered In her ear:
''You are mine" and added, she says,
the warning, Tomorrow will show YOU"
That is why Rebecoa believes tomorrow |
will not dawn for her.