The Washington times., 1921-01-09

swered an advertisement Of Mr.. and
Mrs. Paul Levy. of Ingieside avenue,
for nurse maid. The girl was hired at
once on the strength of her appearance.
1t never occurred to either Mr.. or Mrs.
Levy that anyone with so demure and
sweet a face could be anything but good:
The Levys have two children Robert
two and half years old. and Marcel, four
years old. The next day Ruth Jones began
work. and that night the Levys went out
for half hour They had not been gone
many minutes before a neighbor, looking
from across the street, saw a man come
out of the building where they lived He
carried two suit cases to an automobile
and placed them within It,
Zone OF the men in the building is going
away tonight" the neighbor thought. She
saw the automobile driven around the cor
ner. where II waited. Mr. and Mrs. Levy,
having finished their call, returned, and
left their automobile in a garage a half
block away. AS they approached their
home they saw Ruth Jones'" sitting In
blaze OF light in the sun parlor.
"As soon as we saw her. she rose from
the chair and walked back out Of our
sight," said Mrs. Levy. 81 thought per-
haps one OF the children had called to her"
When they reached the door Of their
apartment they found it boted. Seeming
ly the maid could not hear their pounding.
Mr.. Levy accordingly went around to the
rear. The rear door was open. Entering
he found the house had been looted.
Mrs. Levy called the police. Detective
Sergeants Joseph Connolly and William
Wragg investigated. Tramping around
the house, searching for possible clews,
asking many questions, They yet failed to
arouse Marcel, who is ordinarily a very
light sleeper.
Next day both children seemed very
drowsy. There were sleepy yawns where
childish cries had been before. Mrs. Levy
called a nurse A doctor was called and
declared that both of them had been
chloroformed.
Other reports Of robberies following the
employment of what was manifestly the
same girl began to come in rapidly. One
of these identified the chloroformer of the
children as the missing Lucille Verhoff,
the able assistant of the late burglar Har
rigan.
mo one can understand just what the
girls motive can be in chloroforming the
babies" says Detective Sergeant Connolly,
in charge Of the investigation. I'm most
OF the cases the children are too young to
qualify as witnesses. IL may be that she
began using the chloroform for safety and
finally became monomaniac on the
subject.
In explaining her experiences with the
anaesthetic. the police recall that among
Harrigans effects was found the manu-
script OF a Dose Book that he had been
compiling. II contained hundreds OF for
muas for drug compounds
THE use Of the chloroform by Lucille
Verhoff is far more likely to be symptom
of mental arrangement than a. precaution
against discovery or a closing of the eyes
and lips of childish witnesses" comments
a distinguished psychologist. Such cases,
while rare. are not unknown. The girl
seems to be of unusual education and her
photographs show none OF the stigmata or
marks OF the criminal That she loved
Harrigan deeply is shown by the lengths
she went to please him Here was an emo
tonal instability which the shock OF his
killing certainly intensified. After period
OF intense grief she reappears, carrying on
his wicked activities, and adding to them
the drug factor which, It is known, had 30
absorbed him, and which, no doubt, the
two had often discussed.
Such manias are cumulative. They go
on, mean from bad to worse Some time.
unless she is caught, the girl Will admins
ter lethal dose to child-and will do 1t
deliberately! Therein lies the horror. and
thatjs why she must be found-and soon!'