Palisadian., 1923-09-07
16-YEAR-0LD GIRL
IN AMAZING STORY
Sets House Afire, Steals Diamond
Ring, Admits Both Crimes, Tells
zigzag Yarn About Her Career
That Is Hard to Believe.

The Hackensack police arrested
Grace Slingerlan, sixteen years old,
no home, for arson and the theft of a
diamond ring. She was committed to
the Hackensack Jail for observation
by Recorder Vanderwart
The young girl had been employed
in the home of DR.. A. B. Spiegelglass,
AIT Main street, Hackensack, for
nearly two weeks. On Saturday a fire
took place in a small room to the rear
of the house, and the fire looked sus-
picious to Chief Ziegler and the police
were called.
The only occupants of the house at
the time were the Slingerlan girl and
nurse. The police questioned the
girl, and she told wild story of a
man entering the house and setting
fire to it.
The police doubted the story, but
did not have sufficient evidence to
hold her, and on Sunday barn on
the property facing Anderson street
was the scene of a fire, and after a
stubborn fight the firemen extinguish-
ed the blaze and saved the adjoining
property.
Changed Her Story
The girl was again questioned and
told another story This story claim
ed that man robbed the house and
then took refuge in the barn and she
wanted to burn him out of his hiding
place.
In the meantime the theft of a dia.
mond ring was noted, and the girl
was questioned further by the police
and finally broke down and admitted
that she started both fires and stole
the ring
The ring was recovered by her.
She had thrown it from a window
when the police arrived.
The girl, very good looking and
we'll educated, told very pitiable sto.
ry. Her father and mother are either
dead or missing, and the foster IA
ther with whom she lived for awhile
has sent her from place to place, ac-
cording to her allegations.
institutional Life
II have lived in institutions all my
life" she told the writer, "and | am
so tired of it all. | wanted to burn
myself up on Saturday and failed and
then tried it again Sunday, but I
couldn't go through with it at the last
minute. l knew it was a sin, but, oh,
have suffered so much.
II only want a chance to get ahead
and know the companionship of other
girls of my age. l want little time
for recreation and | have never had
it.
81 have spent the greater part of
my life in hospitals and institutions
and nobody wants me. They even
sent me to the Holy Roller colony
in southern New Jersey | stayed
there for nine days and ran away.
couldn't stand them; they are crazy.
They roll around and yell and do
such strange things.
Is Fair Artist
"They even tried to have me put in
Vineland, the place for crazy people,
but they wouldn't take me. I'm not
crazy, but it's a wonder I'm not the
life I've had to lead
81 hope they don't send me to an
other institution. The girls there are
not the kind | want to associate with
and | don't want to learn the things
they talk about and discuss. Why
can't l have chance to make a good
name for myself?
81 know | did wrong the other day.
But everything is against me and I
just couldn't stand it any longer"
The girl amused herself while wait
ing for a hearing with writing poems
and drawing pictures of the police
men and Chief Ziegler of the fire de-
partment.
Her work proves that she has talent
and intelligence.
She will be kept in the Hackensack
Jail for observation.
The girl was seized with hemor-
rhage this morning in the Jail and
was sent to the county hospital
Hackensack Record.