Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-11-11
SHE COURTEDBY PROXY.

| A Pennsylvania Woman Taken In Badly
| by Her Clever Little Daughter.
One of the sharpest, shrewdest, and
neatest games ever played in Easton
has just come to light. Mrs. Mann. q
widow, lives on Pine street, near 5th,
and has a good-loeking daughter aged
1S. Theodore Oliver of the firm of
Oliver 4 Co.. sheet-iron manufacturers,
lives in handsome house on 5th
street, near Pine. Over year ago he
became widower. Shortly afterward
Miss Mann began visiting his residence.
A month later the girl handed her
mother letter purporting to have
been written and signed by Mr.. Oliver.
The contents were to the effect that
Mr.. Oliver had become financially en-
barrassed, and requesting temporary
loan. This was the beginning of a
lengthy correspondence. The amount
asked for was given to the girl to
deliver. In few days the girl
handed her mother another letter
written with lead pencil. From its tone
Mrs. Mann was lead to believe that
Mr.. Oliver had become enamored of
her and more bright and happy flu
ture appeared. There was nothing
suspicious about the letter, and, as has
since been said, Mrs. Mann thought as
Mr.. Oliver had but a short time before
| become widower he had taken his
method of sho wing his friendship for
her rather than call at the house until
several months had passed. Mrs.
Mann answered the letter, and gave it
to her daughter to deliver. Next week
Mrs. Mann received another letter
asking for $l5 with which to help pay
Mr.. divers employees. The money
was given the girl with instructions to
deliver it at once. The next letter, was
started by Mrs. Mann being called
"My dear wife, and the recipient
replied by calling Mr.. Oliver my dear
husband.' Several other letters came
asking for money to pay gas bill,
pay for a turkey, and for money to pay
board bill for Mr.. divers horse. All
the money asked for was given the girl
to deliver. Matters then remained
silent for a week. One day the girl
came home with gold ring, placed it on
her mothers finger. and said it was
| present from Mr.. Oliver. Mrs. Mlnn
was now sure that Mr. Oliver was sim
cercin his intentions. A subsequent
letter proposed marriage. and request
ed Mrs. Mann to see clergyman. A
| minister was visited and arrangements
made for the wedding. Mrs. Mann Or
dered bridal outfit and made other
preparations for the event. The next
letter stated that MIR. Oliver had order
ed suit of clothes at a high-toned
store, and that it would not bc ready
for some time. The next letter asked
for more money, and it was cheerfully
given, sums of money in small amounts
were also handed the girl by her moth
or on letters. The correspondence was
kept up nearly year, and still Mr..
Oliver and Mrs. Mann had not met or
spoken to each other. On several oc-
casions, after Mrs. Mann had been
away from home, her daughter told her
that "Mr. Oliver was here, and
had just gonc,' or "Mr. Oliver had
Just passed the house, aud if you had
| been here sooner you would have seen
him.
Last Friday a gentleman who lives in
the same neighborhood, met Oliver
and told him of the stories that were
being circulated concerning himself
aud Mrs. Mann. one Of which was that
he had imposed upon her by borrowing
$500 from her, and that she had given
dems to that amount to her dauy hter to-
silver to him. Oliver HAD two res
pectable citizens accompany him to
Mrs. Mann house. Mrs Mann said:
"You have deceived me, and now /
don care anything at all about you
our your big brick house. All want
you to do is to pay me back the $500
| you swindled me out of. I've got all
your letters with your full name signed
to them.' Seeing that he could not
convince Mrs. Mann of hcr error, and
! that he was not the author Of the
letters, he left the house and employed
| Detective Smmon to work up the case,
cost what it might. The officer began
his investigation. He first obtained
Mr.. divers signature, then had Miss
Mann write her name and the one she
had been forging The letters were
produced and the handwriting of The
girl was found to be the same AZ the
letter. The girl. finding herself caught
up, made full confession and wcpt
bitterly. Besides the ring she had pur-
chased vases, ETC., etc, and had her
mother belive they were presents from
Mr. Oliver. The letters written by
Mrs. Mann were destroyed Immediate
ly after giving her daughter to deliver.
After the confession Mrs. Mann plead
ed with the detective to see Oliver and
have him not prosecute her for any,
thing she said about him. Thus mat
ters stand. If Miss Mann had been ten
years older she could not have planned
and carried out her expensive schemes
in more successful manner.