St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-03-23
A CURIOUS HISTORY.
Extract From Life Of Wandering ana
Duplicity.


tbe efforts of Mr.. Frank B. Smith Of st. Paul,
which that delectable lady seems to have
understood so thoroughly that about the only
defense she offered in her trial was that she
was the victim of a conspiracy of which ne
was the arch-fend. A reporter for the GLOBE
sought Mr.. Smith Yesterday and had con-
yersation with him about his connection with
the case. in the course of which was developed
the history of the woman, since her lndlct-
ment in Minneapolis. in her wanderngs up
and down the earth and to and fro on it,"
This history is interesting from psychological
standpoint, as showing a curious and hideous
moral perversion of nature coupled
with extraordinary powers OF hood
winking authorities and posing as the
injured and innocent victim Of malicious
persecution 1t might be promised that all
who have come in contact with the woman
since her first arrest in Minneapolis last
summer cannot but be impressed with that
fact. The fountain of her tears is very ac-
cessble and the valve works very easily, so
that the listener to her story is confronted by
that always-affecting sight-a woman in
tears.
MT. SIlJH Is u Jitd5duJ-dpptdllh Ihoh1
who doesn't look as if he would from spite
pursue poor woman to the penttentiary.
As he talked he produced a large bundle of
newspapers and letters from chiefs of police
and others, out of which he cOrroborated the
statements he made. The following is the
substance Of the story:
MRS. BURNER LEFT NINNEAPOLIs
n l. a. In
next term Of court to answer the charge of
keeping young girls for vile purposes there,
but she was too intent on the business Of
her life to wait to fairly get out of one scrape
before she was into another By December
she was at work in Topeka in the same line
she pursued in Minneapolis. Before Decem-
Der was over she found herself in jail, and
before January was half over
she had worked the ''con spiracy'' racket so
effectually that she had the sheriff of the
county zealuusly working for her release.
Before the other half Of the month had
passed, the Judge and county attorney of
Topeka were ready to do her bidding; and
after she had pleaded guilty in their court,
they kindly allowed her to depart. The peo-
pie Of Topeka were indignant toward these
officials, and freely expressed their wrath in
the newspapers.
The particular device which she employed
was that OF attempted suicide'' in her cell.
1t appears, however, that her mesmerism
could not work on the chief Of police Of that
city, who in a letter emphatically condemns
this action of the county officers. Having
thus escaped from Topeka justice, she made
her next appearance in Kansas City, where,
by
FLOODING THE NEWSPAPER OFFICES
with tears, she procured Il sympathetic publ
cation of her grievances. She ingeniously
devised a curioas scheme there which, from
its very daring nature, was not suspected as
fraud at the time, but which later investi-
CATION seems to have shown, even to its
dupes that 1t was q snare. While she was
in Kansas City a poor, unknown German
named Loose committed suicide, whereupou
Mrs Burner sat down and wrote a letter
purporting TO be his dying declaration, - and
addressed to "Nelly, my afianced wife" An
extract from the letter says: ~ learned
that she has committed suicide in Topeka
Ny God, WHY was | ever led by Smith to
wrong herr' II hardly know why was
TEN pied to him, but It was because he had
me in his power" ~ am haunted by her
face. | think It right that should die rs
she did. and so | WILL
Wcn the dead man could not deny that
he wrote the letter, and so it was n compare
lively easy matter to foist it upon an unsus-
pcctiug set Of newspaper men as genuine
production, and fully currobOrative of her
story Of injured innocence. Veil
ing herself closely It is supposed
that she herself personated the
dead mans afilguced, and foatcd the letter
into the columns of the Kansas City Times
on a food OF her ever-abuudant tears. Mem
phis was her next stand, where she repre-
scented herself to be another person, n resi-
dent of tue city, and procured publication
of the same story, with editorial comments
favorable To herself In the Avalanche Since
this publication Mr.. Smith has been in cor
respuudence with the editor of that paper,
who in letters admits that his only authority
for publishing the matter was that of a man
calling himself Heuning, or the like, accom-
panied by woman about 40 years old, peck
marked, with dark hair and ewes, etc who
represented herself 10 be n resident OF Mem
1fhis, but whom he never saw before or
Since.
THIS DESCRIPTION
of the visitor 10 the Avalanche Office CORE
spends too closely TO the appearance of
Mrs. Burner to leave much doubt
as to its actually being her
Armed with all these papers she then came
boldly 70 Minnesota 10 stand her trial.
thoroughly indicated" She tackled the
several newspapers In st. Paul and Mime
sp0lis in the same way rs she had done those
down the river, at least she came 20 the
GLOBE and endeavored to procure pubiea-
ton of the same matter, but failed. Then
follows the story Of the trial with which the
public is familiar
SMITHS STATEMENT.
Mr. Smith was asked as To the occasion of
the interest he took in the case aud replied
AN incident OF my business took me 60
Mrs. Burners house two or three years ago,
where met the little child Lottie, aud was
struck with her refined and gentle WAYS In
strange contrast with the creature who called
her daughter, though then believed she was
her daughter. mutual affection grew Up
between TIE child and nyself which has in
dnced me 10 make every possible effort to
save Der from the life of shame
TO which the woman had for,.-
ordained and dedicated her. even though
my motives were likely to be uisinterpreteG.
Il has cost rue much pain and ANNOYANCE.
NWA tue FNSNNc NA tAe C0ltV Is worth 20 all
IL cost. Is for the Sos. 900 which Mrs Bor.
ner saws belongs 70 the child. and which she
says am schemiuE 70 get. there is no evil
denee save Mrs Burners own word tba; the
child OWES 4 cent
ONE OTHER FONT
OF interesting inquiry is In regard TO the
child Lottie. who, although brought up in the
midst Of such horrible surroundings, seems
to have retained her childish purity to r.
rnarkahlc derrrc The ladies III -.