Evening star., 1925-10-23
D. C. Police Refuse to Reveal
Name of Wife Who Sur
rendered Jewels.
PROPERTY IDENTIFIED
BY NEW YORK WOMAN
"Weidemeier's" Mate Here Acts
After Reading Accounts of His
Arrest in st. Louis.

wealthy Washington woman.
through her attorney, today turned
over to the police S34.500 worth of
stolen jewelry and wearing apparel,
given her by her husband. who was
arrested under the name of John W.
Weidemeier in St. Louis last week,
and who is now under Indictment in
New York on swindle charges. He is
now under arrest in st. Louis.
The jewelry and wearing apparel
was instantly identified by Mrs. Rose
Berken Of New York, who came to
this city with Detective Curtin of
New York to claim the property.
The surrender of the property was
surrounded with deepest secrecy by
the police here. Pledges that the
name of the woman would not be
made public were exacted by her at
terney before entering into the
transaction.
Has Many Aliases.
Another spectacular angle of the
case came to light, however. when it
was discovered that Neidemeier,
whose aliases are many, had swim
died his bride here of some 0,00Q
"Weidemeier. said Inspector
Grant today. lis regarded by me as
the premier of all confidence men.
/ sent Il man up 10 Auburn in 1917
where he was in prison merely TO
have look at him. and since that
time his aliases have been DR.. Carl
Edwards. Karl Won Elder and many
other names. Probably the name
he used in Rockville. in marrying
this local woman-whose name |
would swear to YOU I don't know
was something entirely different.
Two persons outside of the wom
an herself were let into the secret
of her identity. One was her attor-
ney. The other was Detective Ira
keck
Here's how the situation shaped up.
The woman read accounts of the ar
rest of Won Edwards. Won Elder, Ed
wards or Weidemeier-aIl the aliases
were used in news dispatches-she felt
that some of the jewelry her husband
had showered upon her before his de-
parture with her $4,000 might have
some connection with the fraud opera
tions he was charged with. She was
not sure that the man arrested was
her husband. She was not certain OF
any of the surrounding circumstances,
so she went to her attorney. Her at
torney, in turn. went to Keck and.
pledging keck to secrecy as to his
identity, told him the story of the
anonymous client. He emphasized
among other things the 100000 fraud
operation. The wheels of the Police
Department began to turn.
Inspector c. l.. Grant wired the
chief of police in ST. Louis stating that
he thought it possible that a $4,000
case against this man might be pend
ing in this city and asked for his pho
tograph.
Identifies Photograph
The photogra ph came hack all right
Then the woman was given an oppor-
tunity to look at it. She identified it
as of her husband.
On some of the jewelry were the
initials "R. NJ. B." These were the
initials of Rose NJ. Berken of New
York City. who had lost $4,000 worth
of jewelry and other valuables since
tongued cavalier who had paid atten-
tions to her
So the police asked for Mrs. Berken
TO come here and see if she could
identify the property. She came.
Today, Mrs. Berken not only iden-
titled the property, but also identified
the picture from St. Louis as that of
the man VINO LOOk ner money. Inc
jewelry was turned over to Mrs. Ber-
ken.
The case against Weidemeier, or
Edwards, here will wait for the dis
position of the case in the indictment
in New York, Inspector Grant said
today.
The jewelry in the lot returned in
cluded bracelets valued at 81 500, a
two stone diamond ring valued at
So ,000 another ring valued at So 900,
! vanity case and a cigarette case,
eXpensively chased and incrusted with
jewels, and two large diamond drop
earrings valued at 81 500
Among the other things returned
were a mink coat valued at $500,
silken embroidered kimonos and other
items of feminine apparel.