Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-09-07
CLAFLIN'S
sister Charging Her Dead Daughter

Win
NEW YORK HorLd, September 18th: Mrs.
DIR. Sparr, a sister of the notorious Tennie
Clafiin and Victoria Woodruff, and who
at present resides in Brooklyn, made a
formal request to Coroner Martin yester-
day for an official investigation Of the cir
cumstances surrounding the death of Miss
Rose Burns, her daughter by a former
marriage, who died two weeks ago while
living with the family of Mr.. De MARITIME
at No. 3l3 East Fourteenth street. Her
body at present reposes in the De MARITIME
family vault in the Roman Catholic
Church of the Nativity on Second avenue.
According to the certificate of death Miss
Burns il alleged to have died of cancer,
but Mrs. Sparr charges that her daughter
was kept a prisoner in Mr.. De Marines
house and came to an untimely end by
poison.
Rose Burns was twenty-eight years old
when she died. She had lived for eight
years in the family of DR.. MARITIME, having
fled, as she said, from the unnatural life
| in her mothers home to that of her kind
| friend.
Many years ago her mother was married
and lived for some time in the West with
| Ross Burns, q lawyer. She deserted him
afterward and, it is alleged, married DIR.
| Spar, by whom she had several children.
| She obtained possession of her two chill
| dren by Burns, and brought them up in
| the belief that their father was dead, tell
| ing them that he had run away from her
and been killed in the Indian Territory.
Mr.. de MARITIME and his daughter re-
| ceived Ross as friend. When offended
| with her mothers mode OF life she ran
away, in 1876, to earn her own living. The
two girls were of one age and ever since
have lived together as sisters. Miss Rose
sought and found employment in Sixth
avenue dry goods store as an embroiderer.
BY the aid of her friend and patron, Mr..
/ de MARITIME, she also found her father,
Ross Burns, who proved to be a prominent
and wealthy railroad lawyer in Topeka,
Kas He too had married after his wife's
desertion, but had no children by his sec
ond marriage.
He received his daughter gladly. Two
years ago they met, and it was arranged
that she should go and live with him per
manently. She went to the West, but MIR
Burns died on the 18th of June, 1882. The
bulk of his property, amounting to S25,
600 in real estate, was left to his daughter
1 Rose. The Topeka wife, however, prompt
ly began suit to assert her rights, and the
estate got into chancery, where it yet re
mains.
Miss Rose had meanwhile returned t.
New York. Here, few months later, sh'
fell i'll in the De MARITIME house, and dur
ing nine months of terrible suffering
never left her bed. Her disease was alb
dominal cancer, that from the first wa
hopeless. DIR. Mark E. Williams, OF No
257 West Eleventh street his partner, DR.
Vosburgh, and DIR. Lee, an eminent spe
cialist, who acts as surgeon in the WON
ans Hospital, saw and treated the patient
but agreed that an operation would Civ,
no relief. Two weeks ago death ende,
her sufferings. A death certificate wa
made out in regular form, giving cancer a
the cause of death, and the remains wsr
temporarily put in the vault to awai
burial.
A will was found made by Miss Burn
several months before her beath, bequeath
ing all her property to Miss Rosalie ID
MARITIME, her friend and faithful nurse dur
ing her long illness, to whose untiring de
votion and skill DR.. Williams attribute
the fact that his patients life was pro
longed months beyond the limit though
possible by him.
During the daughters illness Mrs Dr.
Sparr had called repeatedly, but had beel
refused admission, and Miss Rose decline,
to see her. Other efforts had been mad
indirectly by the Woodhulls to approach
and make peace with the young woman
Tennis Clafiin had written to Mr.. De Mar
!
see her. He had with sarcastic emphasi
refused.
When Mrs. Spar learned that he
daughter was dead she visited Corone
Martin and laid before him a story OF sus
pected malpractice that startled that off
cial. The impression was conveyed to hin
that the girl had been a prisoner in the ID
MARITIME house. Mrs. Sparr urged an oi
fetal investigation and a coroner's inquest
Yesterday the coroner visited DR.. Nagle
the registrar of vital statistics, and con
ferred with him about the matter. 1t wa
agreed that there could hardly be a question
concerning the correctness OF the facts a
set forth in the final certificate of DR. Wi
, liams, but that the body being uIIburied j
would be az well to remove it to tn
r morgue and have an autopsy made t
prove the facts. No decisive steps wer
taken to effect this, but it is possible ths
t this course may be decided upon to-da,
| Mrs. DR.. Sparr is said to be clairvoy
r ant doing business in Brooklyn. OF he
+ action Mr.. De Martaine said yesterday I
: u orid reporter: at is spite, pure an
simple. She would like to have some
! the money left to Rose by the father, an
! to...tffat end claims now to be his onl
widow, though she denied him before an
9 has since had two children by another ma
, DR.. Sparr-to whom she cannot hay
, been married. The other wife out in s
Louis is also fighting for the money, pc
haps with no more Just claim to it. !,
l for Mrs. Sparr really believing that an
! harm came to her daughter in my hous
she does nothing of the kind. She know
:, better and merely desires to annoy u.s."