Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-09-13
A Now Form Of Emposture,

New 10TH, there lives young lady VINO mas
lately become the heroine OF some very peculiar
adventures. Her home is on the banks of the
Mohawk, at a point where the river battles its
way through the mountains, about mile east
Of what is called Speakers station. The neigh
borhood is exQuisitely picturesque and romantic,
and the house and mill of Thomas Stevens, the
father OF the young lady in question, Is in the
lOyelest and widest part of it, Mary Stevens is
described of bright intellect and handsome per
son. According TO the local press she 'has
taught school, writes poetry, and is a member
of the churCh-her character being in all re-
SpeCtS beyond reproach " Her family, which
consists now of but her father, her mother and
herself, has been well thought of-partly be-
cause Of hitherto irreproachable character, and
partly because of misfortune; for her only
brother was killed in the national service, and
her only sister followed him soon after to
the grave. Now, some time last spring
Mary made statement to her friends Of
remarkable nature. She said that for some
years she had been prosecuted secretly by man
whose name is "Jacie B. Rettenier" This man,
for some weeks before her revelation had wor-
ried her almost constantly, Miss Stevens de-
clared, by forcing interviews and letters upon
her She described him as Of interesting ap.
pearance, about thirty-hve years of age, tall,
and OF sOmbre and mysterious bearing 1t was
his habit to come upon her unexpectedly in her
walks about the lonely neighborhood, and the
general objects of bis viSitations was that of
=
she had firmly refused to do, and he now threat
ened to 90 to extreme lengths to compel her.
She showed some of his letters wherein the
agreeable alternative was presented to her of
becoming "the bride of Jacie Rettenier, the es-
capped convict, or the bride of DEATH" and ap-
pealed to her friends for protection. What they
did, or proposed to do, seems to have been. un-
satisfactory, and Deputy Sheriff Stafford of
Canaioharie, was called in to devise measures
to arrest Rettenier, and put an end to the annoy
ance Of the object of his affections.
Mr.. Stafford promptly went to work, pro-
vided by Miss Stevens with letters and other
facilities, to set a trap to snare his bird He
soon found, however, that he had in hand a very
difficult task. Mary protested that she had
never answered any of her mystic lovers cpis.
ties, and never otherwise given him the least
encouragement. He has surprised her in most
cases without any warning, she having met him
only once or twice by appointment, TO beg Of
him to cease his unwelcome pursuit. All that
she knew OF him was that he owned himself TO
be an escaped convict, but declared his innO-
cence of the crime for which he was condemned.
She described his person, indeed, but declared
that, as his letters attested, he had the most
wonderful power Of Disgusting his identity.
Thus, she had met him, face to face, in church,
but had not the remOtest idea who he was be-
fore he spoke That he was deeply enamOred OF
mystery as well as Of Mary was evident from
his letters, which alternate menace with gloomy
hints and occult retrospectiOns.
The deputy sheriff soon found that no signs
whatever of the eccentric and amorous convict
could be found. By some inscrutable N cans
he contrived to keep always. out Of sight, al
though, even when the search was hottest he
kept up his fire of letters to Miss Stevens, some
eXpostulatory, some atfectonate, and some de-
rlsiye of the attempts to apprehend him. One
day an idea struck Mr.. Stafford. Examining
the ink in the miller's house he found that it
was exactly like what was used by Rettenier
AF rrrrit nT1t 1n,c
a book, and the detective found the book with
the leaf torn out among other volumes belong
ing to Miss Mary. Comparing the Reuenier
letters with the manuscript of Mary persuaded
the officer that the girl had written those epis-
ties herself and, with this conviction, he aban-
doncd the search. In little while the COmmu-
nifty generally shared Mr., Stafford's belief, and,
butiOr the natural ridicule and odium the sup
posed hoax incurred, the affair seemed entirely
blown over and at an end On Wednesday, the
2Sth Of August, however, an incident occurred
that revived popular interest in most startling
way.
On that day the father (Stevens) was absent at
his work and the mother and Mary attending to
the domestic duties in the cellar kitchen. Mrs.
Stevens went TO spring for pail of water,
and while she was gone, Mary heard step
above. She assembled the stairs, and on entering
the room overhead, met Rettenier. He demanded
that she should at once marry him, and she, as
before, refused. On this he instantly shot her
and fed. The pistol was aimed at her breast,
but She turned as the trigger was pulled and re-
ceived the ball in her arm. Mary was found by
her mother weltering in blood but only super
icially hurt. The family of their only neighbor
were instantly on hand, and to one ofthem; Miss
Schenck, Mary said, There must be letter.
He generally leaves one. Won't you look for
itF Miss Schenck looked on the hall table,
aud there truly enough, was a folded paper. Ii
was addressed TO Mary's parents and was from
Rettenier. In it he explained his reason for
killing the girl. She had met him,
he said, as early as 1868, and prom
ised to marry him, and had repeated the
promise. Subsequently she had refused to keep
her word. Life without her was to him a hell
and so he was resolved to destroy her aud then
himself. Pursuit of the assassin was promptly
made, and the search has been kept up ever
since. Alarge reward is now offered for his APP
prehenson. Nothing, however, has been seen
or heard OF him, mol can a single living being
be found who has ever had any knowledge of
the man. Hence new doubt, and Mr. Stafford
does not hesitate to say that he thinks Miss
Mary inflicted the pistol wound on herself TO
make fresh sensation and relieve herself of
disagreeable suspicion. The physician, on the
other hand, DIR. Burbeck has told the reporter
Of the Troy Times that the shot must for yari-
Gus reasons have been fired by some one other
than the girl herself The matter ssaid TO have
caused great excitement in Montgomery county,
and the questionswhcther b"Rettcnier' is or is
not myth is more energetically debated than
ever.