Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-10-29

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Of activity by the police has shifted Il
Baltimore. where the whole affair i
alleged TO have originated, If Their
ever was such 9 conspiracy, which
Is doubted now, as blackmRil i
suspected. Adyices from that cit,
indicate that the father-in-law OF tn,
alleged victim is A. L. Mellon
the manager Of the st. James Hotel.
one Of the most exclusive and fashiona.
bic IN the Monumental City. The mys.
terry IN the case here is as TO what was
the influence Mellon exerted over the
Mrs. Coolidge, who is the principal
consplrator involved in the singular
case. Several persons who know hel
testify that they have heard her re-
peatedlJ refer to a man named Mellon,
whom she seemed to be IN fear Of.
This afternoon Mrs. Emma j.
Coolidge, the woman in question, was
taken from the room at police hesdquAr-
tiers. where she has been detained since
Saturday, TO the Municipal Court, and
placed in the dock. The Hon. Joshua
Bennett appeared as her counsel. The
charge against her is " soliciting and To
commit murder" Mrs. Coolidge look
ed very detected and her ewes were red
from weeping. She is q large woman.
weighing nearly 200 pounds, and fair
looking. il appears that she visited
" Bose " CObb's place, on Norman
street, where the plot was arranged
three times.
Her husband. who is a reputable
police officer, had a short interview
with her to-day, but she had little TO
say. She claimed that she did not in
tend TO allow the murder to be commit
ted, but wanted TO get hold Of the
money offered for doing the job
el,000-and keep it. She did not
make q cOnfidant OF her husband
il the matter. which throws q doubt
upon the honesty OF her story.
She also claims that she was
/" dragged into it." but does not say
now. The husband knows nothing OF
the elder Mellon. and says be has no
idea how MS wife became acquainted
with him or was induced to enter the
plot. He has been married to her about
seven years, and they have one daugh-
ter. His home is now broken up and
he intends TO put the child away. It's
possible that he may enter suit for
damages against Chiei-lnspectOr Hans
com and his men for the man
ner IL which they treated their
prisoner. The law says that 8
prisoner cannot be held more than
twenty-four hours except on holidays
OF Sunday without arraignment. Mrs.
Coolidge was detained three days, and
was not allowed to have Communication
with her husband or friends. although
she desired II. it is alleged. Coolidge
supposed that his wife was out of town
visiting friends. When she left home
On Saturday afternoon she accompanied
8 lady friend to the Providence station,
and be supposed had gone home with
her.
A Baltimore special says: No story
has caused such 3 sensation IN this city
for many Q day as that published here
this morning from Boston regarding an
alleged conspiracy 10 murder the young
wife Of 8 Balrmorean. Assistant-Dis-
trict-Attorney Daoey and Police-ln-
spectoI GErraughty, Of Boston, arrived
here this morning, and all day long
have been working with the Baltimore
police authorities looking for informa-
zion. They have especially been wait
ing for the arrival Of Mr.. a. L. Mel
lon, who is asserted TO be the
principal IN the alleged conspiracy. He
has been out Of town for about ten days
on q visit TO Cambridge, Mass, with
his wife. He is tonight at the St.
George Hotel, Philadelphia, and will be
here tomorrow. Mr.. Mellon is the
manager OF the St. James Hotel, one
Of the most fashionable places Of winter
residence IN the city. Ii Is generally
closed in the summer, but families
from the North often take suites Of
rooms there for the winter. Mr.. Mel
Ion has been its manager for four
OF five years on salary. He
IS by 40 means q rich man, though
he ran the Stockton al Cape
May last summer ana made money out
Of II. lie has one son. a young man
about twenty-five years Of age, whose
name Is Edward /. Mellon, and who Is
the young man referred 10 In the Boston
dispatches. Young Mellon has been
employed at the hotel as clerk. About
two years ago he became intimate with
a young English woman, Mary A.
Somerset. who had charge Of the hotel
silverwGre. The result was a forced
marriage on April l4th last. the cere-
mony being performed by Father Al
freda Curtis. OF the cathedral. Miss
Somerset's child was then nine months
old. Young Mellon never lived with the
girl openly, but put her TO board in
rooms and frequently visited her. He
was very fond Of her. and paid her
every attention. She Is now boarding
al No. pa north Eutaw street, II TINS
city, over q grocery store. She is very
pretty. has little child about q year
old, and is in delicate health. She
spent a portion Of the summer at the
Stockton, at Cape May, and returned
from there very sick, which gives some
credence 10 the report that an attempt
was then made TO poison her. The
Boston officials who are here will not
divulge how much evidence they have
10 support the charge Of q conspiracy to
murder the girl.
The accounts Of the alleged conspi-
Yacy published in the New York and
local papers were seen to-day by young
Mellon. BE expressed the greatest sor-
row at the developments, and refuses
10 believe the stery, and says there
must be some terrible mistake in the
matter. His wife does not yet know Of
the story, and he is endeavoring to
keep il from her. lie declines 10 say
anything about the case in any form,
except 10 assert his belief in his father S
innocence Of any attempt 10 kill his
wife. His mother, who is one of the
finest ladies In this city, is ignorant, so
far as is known, OF the marriage Of her
son.