San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-12-06

Out of the Prison Window.
TN fiction and in the movies we often
hear of super-clever criminals who get
into the homes of the rich and fashion
able and deity rob them under their
aristocratic noses. In the newspapers,
too, we sometimes read of such doings,
but seldom are the police able to get their
hands on one of those slippery persons
and tell us how they do such incredible
things.
By combination of hard luck on the
part of the "lady crook" and of faithful
work by the authorities, one of these
criminal geniuses has just been placed
behind the bars for ten years in New
York prison. Her name in police circles
and in the underworld is "Cat-eye Lii"
and her latest job that the police know
about was to take $4,000 worth of jew
elry from Mrs. Louis Surdam, of Buffalo,
Y.
Lii poses as model servant, and she
is one. Nobody ever "fired" Lii, nor
criticized her, nor wanted her to go. She
always left voluntarily, and with her went
all the movable valuables in the house.
"Cat-eye" got her name from the for
tunate fact that one of her hazel eyes
has peculiar marking. The two halves
of the iris are of different shades, caus-
ing a perpendicular line where they meet,
suggestive of the slit-like pupil of cat
Nature, when she planted criminal brain
in the girl, at the same time marked her
forever with warning sign which she
can neither remove nor hide. 1t has al
ways been a great handicap in her career
of crime and proved her final undoing.
In Milwaukee street car, not long ago,
rode detective sergeant who, like every
one else, glanced around to see II he knew
any of his fellow-passengers. Most people
carry in their minds pictures Of the Presi-
dent of the United States and few stage,
screen and other celebrities whom they
would like to meet. A good detectives
head is also full of pictures of celebrities
of different kind, whose faces he has
studied in the rogues' gallery.
The sergeant noted the queer eye Of a
demure and modestly-dressed woman in
that car, and II tickled his memory. When
the woman got off he followed long
enough to see her enter the home of one
of Milwaukee's wealthiest citizens. Back
to headquarters went the dick" and
found that queer eye on picture of Cat
eye Liz and read her record with awe.
II was hard to persuade "Cat-eye's" EN-
ployers that the best servant they ever
had was a renowned jewel thief. How
could this be when she came so highly
recommended? But the detective gath
cred her In, just the same.
When Milwaukee sent out word that il
had "Cat-eye," ten big American cities
began to clamor for her, but Buffalos
telegram came first and won the prize.
She of the cat-eye apparently ha6 no
claws, for she made no fuss about extra
dition and gave the Buffalo officer no
trouble as he took his prisoner home.
When Mrs. Surdam identified her former
maid. she only smiled ruefully. Nobody
would have guessed that this weak and
mild-mannered creature was watching out
of the tail Of its cat-eye for the first
desperate chance TO escape, and that she
would find two of them.
Il might seem that these wealthy vic.
tins of Lii were careless in taking into
homes filled with fortunes in jewels a
servant with such criminal record, but
let any woman consider Mrs. Surdam's
case and see if she would have done any
better.
Mrs. Louis Surdam is the wife of one
of the Woolworth "five-and-ten' execu