Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on April 1, 1966.
Filed Under ‘I’ For ‘I Want This’
By ADA CADDELL
An attempted purse snatching occurred at the Porter county jail this morning, but was solved quickly and the purse returned to its owner within minutes.
The purse had been left on the table in the office when its owner was offered a cup of coffee in the kitchen.
The whole thing appeared to be a scheme planned by two women, reportedly known as matrons. One of them has been showing a deep interest in this particular purse.
When the owner of the purse returned to the office, the purse was gone.
Playing it cool, the owner calmly sat down in a complete panic. The purse-snatcher hadn’t even left lunch money. When the owner began to cryーthe purse was one of her prized possessions and so was the lunch moneyーone of these matrons who had been so generous with the coffee began acting suspiciously.
Again, calmly the victim screamed, “Give me my purse.”
Faced with such a swift, calm unperturbed accusation, the purse-stealer returned the item in question after retrieving it from its hiding place in the filing cabinetーfiled under “I” for”I want this.”
No charges were filed because the matron who wanted the purse fell to the floor in a tantrum, kicking and screaming and it was impossible to get her name. It's something like David or Davies, the first name Laverne or Yvone or something. Her husband, who claims he’s a deputy, has a first name something like Jerry or Jesseman. It is believed they reside in Wheeler.
The victim of the purse-snatching scheme later said she felt this day in particular was no day to file charges. They might not be taken seriously. And who would believe that a nice old lady (not too old) would be victimized at the sheriff’s office?
