How Women Prey Upon Their Own Sex.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 7, 16 February 1907, Page 47

How Women Prey Upon Their Own Sex.

When allusion is inade to woman's fascinations the general idea is that the victim of them is always man. This is not so, for some women there are who are endowed with a special gift of ex; creising strange influence over their sisters. And sometimes this power is turned to evil account. "With the face of a saint, she is perhaps the worst woman in Chicago,” was the startling "character” given, not long since, to one beautiful young woman who at present is in prison. This girl—she was little more —had made discovery of a fact that is little suspected—namely: that there was a considerable number of women who are extremely sensitive to-the attractions of feminine beauty. Her plan was to keep migrating from one lodging or boarding house to another, until she came across a landlady who was obviously lost in admiration of the natural charms of her guest. On that l admiration the swindler traded. She paid no rent; she sent in bills to be paid by her hostess, from whom she also freely- borrowed money.’ Two or three women she completely ruined; yet when she stood in the dock the victims said: "No; being so lovely hs that, she cannot really have meant to rob us.” ’ PRETENDED TO BE LONELY’. “I have heard that you will travel to Europe’with your’little girl. I am lonely. Will you let me act as your companion?” The demure looking woman who made this appeal to a certain well known society woman ultimately received “Y’es” as her answer. And the night before the vessel sailed, from a New Y’ork hotel, the lonely one disappeared with all the traveller's luggage. Soiomplcte a sweep did she make that she even took the apparel which the little daughter had that day been wearing. Practice making perfect, this woman repeated this trick time after time, working between America ami England and other countries, sometinns taking long se.i voyages and stealing her employer’s possessions at the end of the trip. In each.' ease the victims com'issed that it was the woman's plaintive plea of being "so lonely” that had put them off their guard. t'OLLEt TING FOR ALLEGED HOMES Women swindlers who find they eau create an impression .on the sympathies of other women frequently make house-to-house donation collecting their specialty. . One of them, who got large amounts for a "home” that did not exist, systematically exploited eight different cities. She kept a notebook, andfroin that it appeared that on an average she received sixty subscriptions from every hundred women householders she succeeded in seeing. And so pleasing were her manners that from some 400 women called upon during many after*

noon* slir irc.'ivcd 166 invitation* to take tea. Slinlv of women who are atlmired and liked by other women reveals the fact that they are often of the sweet and gentle type, •'womanly*’ women, pretty lather than handsome, frequently |M?n hap* lacking apparent dash ami brillance. but generally winning, “sisterly,” and domesticated. And that is the pattern upon which she who designs to dupe other women carefully molds herself, assuming in time an artiliiial air of innoceuce that readily deceives. ’•And,” has said a famous detective, “women probably often prove readier victims than men would, for, less instructed by reason of contact with the world, they are slower to admit that fair looks and smooth words may be used to mask evil intentions.”