New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-11
Death Threats
Forced Her to
Rob, Says Girl
Jean Cunningham, Weeping,
Charges Man She Loves
With Directing Thefts
of $4,000 in Jewels
Youth Held ON Her Story
Elwood Adams, Stepson of
Physician, Has Confessed
Grimes, the Police Assert

Elwood Adams, twenty~two-y ear-old
stepson of DIR. Charles B. Adams, of al
Irving Place, was arrested yesterday
and identified by Jean Cunningham as
the man who had inspired and bene-
fitted by her numerous jewel thefts.
Although the young man gave the name
Adams" and said he was accustomed
to use his stepfather's name, his real
name, he said. was Cox.
The Cunningham woman, who is
twenty-sever> years old and expectant
of motherhood has admitted thefts
aggregating more than $4,000, the
police say. She was held yesterday in
Yorkville police court and sent to Black
wells Island, pending further examina-
ton tomorrow.
According to the police she has ad-
mitted stealing jewelry valued at $4,000
from the home of Lawrence Crawford,
125 East Fifty-sixth Street; $4,000
worth of jewelry from Mrs. Mas at
Asbury Park, and other valuable jew
elry from a Mrs. Brown. living in Phila-
delphia. The police say that Adams,
after being confronted with the young
woman, acknowledged completely in the
thefts.
Gained Access as Maid
In each case the young woman was
employed as a maid in the house which
she is accused of robbing, and in the
case of the Crawford robbery, at least.
the police say, she obtained the posi-
ton through recommendation fur
nished by Adams.
The young woman was reluctant at
frst to tell who her confederate in
theft was. She was arrested at 7 p. M.
Saturday when she got off a train at
the Pennsylvania Station, and for
hours Detectives Ditsch and Legion in
terrogated her without success.
They had their suspicious concern
ing Adams, who, the young woman said,
was the father of the baby she ex-
pected, but she refused to incriminate
hini until one of the detectives in
formed her that the young man had
married another woman recently Her
jealousy blazed up at this, and before
she recovered her equanimity she had
told sufficient to warrant the arrest Of
Adams.
She met him about a year ago, she
said, in Central Park, and the casual
Irritation developed into sincere affec-
ton on her part and she believed, upon
his also. He installed her in his
mothers home as maid, she said.
Says He Threatened Death
She was discharged after five weeks,
and she and Adams, she said, took an
apartment on East Sixteenth Street
Later. on a recommendation which she
said Adams supplied, she got the post
with the Crawfords. 1t was at Adams S
insistence and only after he had threat
ened to kill her if she disobeyed, the
Cunningham woman said, that she stole
Mrs. Crawford's jewelry while the lat
ter was i'll in bed and her husband was
away.
The young woman asserted that the
other thefts were inspired by Adams
also and that he frequently repeated
his threats to her, the one having the
most weight being a threat TO abandon
her utterly if she failed to do his bid
ding.
Accompanied by Detectives Muller
and Walsh, Ditsch and Layden called
at the home of DR.. Adams. They were
informed, they said, that the young
man they sought was not there, but
they forced their way in and discovered
him in the back yard.
He denied any knowledge of the
thefts or of the young woman under
arrest, the detectives said, until they
took him to Blackwell's Island and
placed him in line Of men from whom