American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-04-27
NUMBER 10.
From the New York Home Journal.
A Confidence Woman.

Our Western exchanges contain lengthy
accounts of a young married woman nam
ed Mrs. Van Vleet, who has been swind-
ling the people of Michigan and Illinois.
The annals of female crime and fraud du-
ring the past quarter of century scarce
ly present a parallel. case. Her opera
| tions have been distinguished by bolds
ness, dash of romance, and, until recent
ly, by an unvarying success at once sur
prising and evincing talent of high or
der, worthy of better use. She is de-
scribed as young in appearance, not over
thirty years of age, of handsome and pc
culiarly attractive manners. She dresses
with exquisite taste, and moves in good
society with all the ease and self-possess-
ion of a travelled woman of the world
She has resided from childhood in Mon
roe county, and, until her recent arrest,
has moved in good circles, where her res
pectability has been undoubted. 1t is
said that she has realized untold sums from
her swindling operations during the past
seven or eight years. During this period
she has absented herself from home fire.
quently weeks at a tisne, returning as mys-
teriously as she disappeared. While at
home, she lived in style of luxury and
maghifcence that has been the envy of
- s"
her friends and acquaintances. =. During
some of these periodic excursions Mrs.
Van Vleet played the literary role, and
claimed to be authoress of Rutledge"
Soon after the appearance of " Rutledge'
she made her advent in the quiet East
ern city of -. Here she sought out
prominent real estate agent, and conf
ded with him the important information
that she was woman of means, and de-
sired to purchase residence in the Vi
cinity. The confding man Of real estate
was flattered by the prospect Of selling
property to the authoress of " Rutledge,"
and in Difference to her literary fame, in
yited her to home in his family. Her
Establishments secured her an introduc-
tion to financial men, and she was ena-
blod to get a check for two thousand five
hundred dollars on Boston bank cashed.
II was altered from twenty-five dollars to
two thousand five hundred dollars. This
fraud was soon discovered, but not before
the fair swindler had escaped. She is
said to have operated extensively in mi
nor swindles in the East, many of which
transactions will probably never see the
light. She has at different times person
ated Mrs General Van Vleet, and it is
stated that not lsag since she put on q
brigadier's uniform and went to Chicago,
where she had the audicity to personate
General Van Vleet himself. Sometimes
she made her husband put on the uni
form, and the pair travelled as General
Van Vleet and lady. The arrest Of this
woman at Dundee, Michigan, has caused
considerable excitement and gossip in the
neighborhood where she is known, and all
kinds of stories are ahoat. One is to the
effect that she donned the uniform Of
lieutenant, and by her dashing and brill
liant appearance, won the affections of a
young lady, married, and then cruelty de-
serted her. She has young child about o
year old, which gossip says she has alb
Quoted in some of her wanderings.
Her husband is said to be an molten
sive man, and has been used as the tool Of
this artful and designing woman. She
took her arrest with the utmost sang frosa,
and said to female acquaintance as she
was about to leave with the officers for
Chicago, that she had " escaped from
good many worse scrapes than this" Her
arrest and exposure will probably close
career of crime that has been as romantic,
as successful and remarkable, as anything
of the kind we have ever been called up
on to record.