The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-05-16
MRS. NANCY CLEM'S HISTORY.
Revelations Drawn Out after FOur Trials,
Two Convictions, and Twenty Months of
Il Life Sentence in an Indiana Penitcn-
tiary.

Revelations Drawn Out after FOur Trials,
Two Convictions, and Twenty Months oil
II Life Sentence in an Indiana Penitcn-
tiary.
The Cold Spring tragedy, or the Glenn
murder, was perpetr,:ted near Indianapo-
lis eight years ago. The death of Jacob
Young and his wife, shot down side by
side at lonely spot on the bank Of White
river; the arrest soon afterward of Mrs.
Nancy Clem for the murder, with two
male accompices. one Of them her
brother, Silas Hartman; the long series
of hard fought trials that followed, end
ing five years later in the release of the
woman after four trials for murder, two
convictions, and twenty months of life
sentence spent in the penitentiary; the
strange but incomplete revelations of
mysterious financial transactions on q
large scale which came out in these
trials; and the constantly heightening
thrill Of strange horror and mysterious
interest that first convulsed the imme-
diate neighborhood, and later spread in
continually widening circles over the
whole country, as the singular revelations
went on-all these are still too recent to
have been forgotten.
Now the mystery is coming to light in
several civil suits, in which Mrs. Clem
will figure variously as witness and party.
In one of these suits, to which she is not
a party, the court two or three weeks
since ordered the taking Of her deposi-
ton. This was done privately and at
great length, Gen. Ben Harrison, of the
counsel in the suit, conducting it. For
whole week this extraordinary woman,
who was never on the witness stand in
the whole course of the judicial proceed
ings against her, was subjected to close
examination by q skilled lawyer, and it
has been made clear that Mrs. Glen,
Young, the murdered man, Abrams, IN
accompice in the murder, and others
whose connection with these was more or
less obscure, were engaged in strange
course of dealing i'll money, which placed
them in relations of confidence and OF
large credit, without visible foundation,
with some of the strongest banks and
most conservative business men in the
city. Mrs Clem, or more frequently the
others, who acted as her agents and 60
betweens, were able to procure sums
ranging up to $4,000 from such banks
as Harrison's and Fletcher's, and from
such private parties as H. L. Wright,
then and now prominent business man:
r. S. Dorsey, and others. These loans
were without visible security, and mp
parently made by the lenders without
knowledge of the business in which they
were to be used. It seemed to be enough
for them that for time the loans were
promptly paid with gratifying usury.
This did not last, however.
When the denouement came it brought
with it not only murder, but bankruptcy
and robbery. The balances were all on
the wrong side. When Young was killed
he owed the banks and others over S4O,-
900, and his assets were not $4,000.
Also, 1000 On his person the day of the
murder disappeared from the body.
The theory of the prosecution was that
himself and wife were killed to shut
their mouths and cover up the spiriting
away of this and other large sums by
Mrs. Glen.
1t also appears that Mrs. Glen used
the money and credit of men and women
whose confidence she was able to gain
by some mysterious power-personal
magnetism, perhaps-to furnish n gang
If gamblers with means to carry on their
business, while she shared in their gains.
She was, she says, in intimate relation
with the gamblers business. At times
she cooked meals tor them. At other
times she stood guard while the play was
progressing. She was paid for all these
services. On one critical occasion she
received $500 for watching at the door.