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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
NOTABLE INMATES

Nebraska penitentiary has had its share of criminals of fame and also some peculiar characters. Years ago when the territory of Wyoming sent their prisoners here, they sent a Chinaman, who by the way, was the only Chinese ever received here. Shortly before his time expired, another prisoner slipped up behind him and cut off his queue. "Morphine Annie" was also a guest of the institution some years ago. On the outside she was a snake charmer of some reputation. One of the most unruly women ever received was "Fainting Bertha," who has served in many prisons and was once a beautiful woman, but much "dope" and many years behind the bars have caused Bertha's beauty to fade away. Her method was to locate a gentleman with a diamond stud. She would stumble against him, act as if she was fainting and in some way get his diamond.

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As soon as she got the stone, she revived. Bertha played her last trick of that kind, in Lincoln and received a sentence of five years. Shortly after coming to the pen, she became unmanageable and was put into a room by herself. This did not suit Bertha; she sent for the warden and told him that she was going to tear the sheets to pieces and hang herself. She was then locked up in the bath room; but soon she notified the warden that she was going to drown herself in the bath tub. She was then taken to the insane asylum at Hastings, where she lingers now. Some years ago "Bert" Martin was received here from Keya Paha county for horse stealing. "He" came in men's clothes, was supposed to be a man and remained for seven months in the men's cell building until a jealous inmate went to the warden and reported "Bert" to be a woman in man's attire. "Bert" had won the love of many of the boys, even of one of the guards, and among the many admirers had rejected the

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one who "squealed." The prison physician was called in and examined "Bert," and found him to be a person possessed of both sexes. It was thought best to transfer "Bert" to the female department; but up there the same story repeated itself. All the girls fell in love with "Bert" and there was much hair pulling and many fights for possession of "him" or "her," or whatever would be proper to say. Finally Governor Savage was called upon for assistance and he pardoned the prisoner.

Recently there was received into the prison one Bertie Jessie Lee Willoughby, from Omaha, for grand larceny. This young fellow had a smooth face and looked, talked and walked like a woman, and was an expert at fancy needle work. He became a trusty and worked about the officer's rooms. One afternoon he donned a suit of pale blue silk underwear belonging to Doctor Humphrey, the assistant surgeon. The suit was sent the Doctor by a college

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chum who toured the Asiatic countries and brought it from China. He then put on a suit of clothes belonging to Steward Robb, appropriated my overcoat, walked out of the prison and took a car for the city where he caught a freight train for Fairbury and disappeared into Kansas. We afterwards learned that he had served in several other pens and was wanted by the federal authorities for desertion from the navy and also for forgery in St. Louis. He is in the west at the present time and some day he will be brought back.

Another notable was "Count" Max von Werner, claiming to be a scion of a noble German family. He was sent from Madison for obtaining money under false pretenses, and was to serve from one to five years. He was a very accomplished musician and soon gained the confidence of the officers, all except one, myself; for never did I believe that he was a "Count," nor that he was a university graduate. It happened that