Evening star., 1949-01-25
Red Dress Helps Trap
Woman Held in S40O
Bad Check CHARGES

BAD meek lndrgeS
A woman with a yen for stylish
clothing was behind bars today,
Invested of bright red suit which
police said she purchased during q
round of shopping with worthless
checks totaling more than $500,
1t was the red suit that led to the
downfall yesterday Of Mary Stuart
Hayes, Is. OF the Alhan Towers,
a706 Massachusetts, avenue NV
the suit and alertnesS of q group OF
Connecticut avenue shop owners,
She was charged today with ferg-
Ing and uttering in connection with
q STATS check passed last August 81
on Anne Payson Of the Yarn and
Woelen shop, l4l9 Wisconsin ave-
nue. NV. Police said there we're at
least six other worthless checks at
trihuted to her.
OF Yesterdays activities, police
told this story:
She made the mistake of showing
up shortly after 2 pm. at the Anna
May Nichols dress shop, 260l Con-
nectieut avenue NV, and buying q
suit and scarf costing sl2S.
Name Rings Bell"
Writing out check for $l31a5,
she told clerk she wished to open
. charge account and purchase an
ether suit. But when the check and
application was presented to the
owner. Leland S. Mccarthy. the
name on the check rang bel" :"
He said he remembered a warning
from the Credit Bureau that q
woman using that name was preying
on dress shops in that vicinity.
While he called the Credit Bureau,
the lady in red" departed. EN-.
ployes at the store began calling
other shops, warning them. Across
the street at 1926 Connecticut, Miss
Beatrice Kann. owner of the Beatrice
Shop. threw up her hands.
She recalled that q woman who
dropped in short time before and
talked her into accepting q s14,9s
check for q sweater. The customer
had wanted to cash q S2S check
and take the difference in cash, but
Miss Kann said she had baked at
that.
The aroused shopowners went to
Connecticut avenue and Calvert
street NV, where Pvt. D. w. Moore
was directing trafiic.
A lady in reda
Pvt. Moore remembered seeing
one, distinetively red-garhed, moving
from Connecticut avenue toward
Calvert street few minutes before.
Neighborhood Searched.
On the scent now. the policeman
began scanning the neighborhoed,
and was rewarded q few minutes
later when a woman in red emerged
from the Shoreham hat shop, 1928
Calvert street NV. She had looked
over the stock, but had made no
purchases. Pvt. Moore arrested her.
For Identification on her tours
sinee early December, police said,
the suspect had used a drivers
permit and AAA registration card
which had been stolen from the
home of Morris Baverman, 3s07
Fourteenth street NV.
She signed herself as Mrs. Baver-
man, but yesterday she was careless
enough TO- write the first name
morris" one time and "Mauricen
another on the same check she tried
10 pass at the Anna May Nichols
shop. Mr.. Mccarthy said. +~'
In their search for the suspect,
police had shown shopowners q pic
ture of the woman made when she
was arrested in 1s47. But none rec
egnized her Later, 1t was deter-
mined that her new upsweep hairdo
and new lock" dresses had deceived
the owners.
Victims Are Listed.
Named among the check artists
victims, and the description of the
checks and transactions were:
December 6-Menty's Dress Shop,
1927 Connecticut avenue NV, $62, 80
check for $40 dress, drawn on Lin
coin National Bank,
December 18- Sears -Roebuek's
Wisconsin avenue store, SIS, made
to cash, on Lincoln National Bank.
January 10-Leeds' Liquor Store,
<20l Wisconsin avenue NV. $50,
paid &i2 fer two bottles of whisky,
took the remainder in cash; drawn
on Hamilton National Bank.
January 17-Peek ~ Peck, 1919
Connecticut avenue NV, $a9 9s5, for
purchase of red gabardine suit,
drawn on Riggs National Bank.