Housekeeper Faces Years in Prison Over Forged Check
A Spokane woman, pressed into service as a housekeeper for a local millionaire, finds herself sentenced to years in prison for a modest $54 forgery.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Pending an appeal in her case in court, where she was sentenced to prison for forgery, Mrs. Maybelle Cottrell, wife of a mining man of Butte, is at liberty today on bonds of $2,000. If the sentence, which was pronounced yesterday, stands she will have to serve an indeterminate term of from one to 14 years. It was charged that Mrs. Cottrell forged the name of Colonel D. P. Jenkins of Spokane, a pioneer millionaire, for $54. The check was passed in a dry goods store. On account of financial difficulties, Mrs. Cottrell was obliged to seek employment, her first place being in the home of Colonel Jenkins as housekeeper.
“On account of financial difficulties, Mrs. Cottrell was obliged to seek employment, her first place being in the home of Colonel Jenkins as housekeeper.”
This case highlights the stark consequences of poverty in the early 20th century, where a relatively small act of desperation—forging a $54 check—could result in a decade-long prison sentence for a woman with limited financial agency.
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