The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-06-10

morning train from Island Pond, yesterday,
accompanied by Chief of Police Stevens of
Sacramento, and is stopping at the Preble
House. Yesterday afternoon Mr.. Spring gave
full explanation of the manner in which he
was deceived by the woman giving her name
as Oracle ST. John Clemance, and brief his
tory OF her career as far as he knew it.
The real name of the confidence woman is
Mary st. John. She is Canadian by birth,
and afterwards moved to Cleveland, O., where
she married her husband, w. III. Clemance
He was brakeman on the railroad in which
Ex-Governor Tod of Ohio, and his brothers,
were the principal shareholders 1t was
through this circumstance probably that the
woman conceived the idea afterwards of repre-
senting herself as Ex-Governor Tod's daughter.
1t was through her course of life that her hus
band became dissipated and lost his position on
the railroad. He afterwards, as has been sta
ted, lost his life on another railroad but not
until year and half ago, and at that time
Mrs. Clemance had left for California The
occasion for her departure from Cleveland is
said to have been caused by the fact that she,
with several other women, stole case of shoes
from shoe store.
MIR. Springs family first became acquainted
with Mrs. Clemance at Ophir not Grass Val
ley. Mrs. Lober, a German lady, living at
Ophir, wished to secure teacher in German
for her two little boys, and when her husband
was in San Francisco he met Mrs Clemence.
who agreed to accept the position. While she
was at Mrs. Lober's she joined the lodge of
Good Templars to which Mrs. Spring belonged,
and in this way the two ladies became init
mate. Finally she invited to come and
live at Mr. Springs. AT that time Mr.. Spring
was working in his mine, which had not been
developed, and was poor. Mrs. Clemance on
the contrary, appeared to have plenty of
money, and she would ride over to Newcastle,
not far distant, and come back with money,
and tell Mr.. Spring to pay some of his house.
hold bills with it, and repay her at the end of
the month. She stated this Cleveland proper
(which was referred to by the Press
could not be settled up until her brother, Ed
ward Tod, was q years of age; that he was
travelling in Europe; that she had a brother
William, who had property of his own, and a
sister, Mrs. Moorhouse. She transacted her
business apparently through the law-firm of
Graham q Oppenheimer, of San Francisco
bogus firm as it turned out-Mr Graham, as
she said, looking after the property in Cleve-
land himself by his presence there, and she
actually had letters constantly with the Cleye-
land post-mark telling her how things were
getting on.
When Mr.. Spring left with his family, for
the East he is now in good circumstances-he
gave Mrs. Clemance the $500 to deposit, but
not with the understanding she was to use
what she wanted. She apparently had money
enough OF her own. He insisted, however, on
her taking $50 gold piece to pay her fare to
and back from Sacramento where she was to
deposit the money in the Capital Savings
Bank. This money was given her in three
checks for $500 each. These checks were de-
posted by her in her own name, and she drew
out all the money She spent 500 of this
money in rebuilding and altering Mr.. Springs
house in Ophir. Just as soon as Mr. Springs
family left, in fact in December last she went
out of the house and went to board at an ac-
quaintances of Mr.. Springs.
Before the Springs came East, letter ar
rived one day for Mrs. Clemance, post-marked
Cleveland, and Mr.. Spring iokingly remarked
she would bet the cigars that was from her
brother William" He walked out on the
piazza and moment after heard scream, re-
turned and found Mrs. Clemance in convul-
sions, with the open letter in her hand. The
letter announced the death of her pretended
brother William Tod at Cleveland, and that
he had left her all his property, $1,000, and was
signed by the bogus lawyer Graham. She af-
forwards told Mr.. Spring that she paid Graham
$1,000 for his fees in the matter, and she had
made her will leaving Mr.. Spring and Graham
as executors, and the money remaining, $4,000,
to Mr.. Springs daughter, Ida. When, in
March, Mr.. Spring wanted Mrs. Cemance to
come on he told her to take the $500 (Which
he then forwarded herr, use $500 for her ex-
penses coming on, and invest the $4,000, if she
saw fit, with the $4,000 she had invested for
Ida, or if that was not advisable, deposit it in
the Capital Savings Bank The $500 Mrs
Clemance deposited in her own name and drew
out $500. When she went across the CONT
nent in May, she drew out the $500 remain
ing. She invited Mrs Spring to go to Europe
with her out Of the proceeds of her fathers
estate when settled, and Mr.. Spring intended
adding some money to hers for that purpose.
She also told Mr.. William Spring, who had in
tended starting livery stable at Fryeburg
that she would send on two fine horses, that
she had just got from the estate of her father
from Cleveland, and teach his little daughter
to ride and it is a fact, that this curious COM
bination of woman, did buy superb side
saddle and gold-mounted whip in Sacramento
on her late trip, which are now on their way
to Fryeburg.
Notwithstanding the many kindnesses shown
this woman by the Springs, she prejudiced all
the ladies in Ophir against Mr. Spring, as has
since been ascertained, telling them all man
ner of lies, and she also tried the same game
on her relatives here, but in such an artful
manner that they did not see what she was
driving at, and she failed in her purpose.
Chief Stevens has requisition from the Gov
ernor of California to take her to Sacramento,
and she will go in day or two Mr.. Stevens
thought he should go to Augusta last night
and show his authority to Gov. Garcelon. Mr..
Stevens was formerly Maine man, and went
to Sacramento some % years ago.
The mystery of the whole case, if mystery
there be, is simply this. Who was the person
that furnished Mrs. Clemance with the money
with which she assisted Mr. Spring, from time
to time, when she first became resident in
his family at Ophir? What object could she
have, with the means at her command, in re-
naming in a small place like Ophir, in a fami-
ly no better off than Mr.. Springs was at the
time, when an adventures would naturally
seek large field. Or may it have been that
she had hold on some other party who sent
money to her through an agent, whom she met
at Newcastle, and that this party died, or came
to grief, about the time Mr.. Springs fortunes
began to improve, and thus her attention was
turned to making money out of him?
Yesterday afternoon Mrs. Clemance sent for
General Mattocks, but he was away. She then
sent for Mr.. Webb. The latter gentleman
called to see her and then had consultation
with Mr.. Spring and Chief Stevens Mr.. Webb
stated last night he obtained more information
about the case from the papers than from Mrs
Clemance that he had not decided whether he
should act as her counsel or not; and that he