Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-03-31
ABOUT THE DUCHESS
The Career Of an Adventures i'm Europe
and America.

Chicago Dispatch to the New York Times.
w. A. Pinkerton, the detective, has Nine
Ollie T. Ellis, the adventures who was re-
Gently quietly expelled from Washington, d.
C., upon his list, and is pretty familiar with her
career, particularly I'm this city. In speaking OF
her to-day Mr.. Pinkerton said that the woman S
correct name was Churnley, and that her home
Is in Cincinnati, where her father was at one
time policeman. About 1880 her sister lived
with Tom Snellbal1er, at that time chief of DO
lice in Cincinnati. He subsequently LEFT her for
another woman. few days later the discard
ed sister, with Ollie, in company with their
father and brother, boarded a street car in
which the new fayorite was riding and tore the
diamond earrings from her ears. They were al,
arrested, and while in the police station the
father OF the two sisters struck Snel lbaker i'm
the head. The latter immediately drew pistol
and shot the elder Churnley dead. The affair
created great excitement in Cincinnati at the
time.
Ollie subsequently drifted to Europe where.
IT is said, she contracted am intimacy with the
young King OF Bavaria, and II was i'm this man.
ner that she gained the nickname OF the
duchess" She returned to America i'm 1884
and entered a house of rad reputation in Chi
caso, and soon became known to detectives az
clever blackmailer and a dangerous woman
generally. When party OF New ork bankers
brokers and capitalists passed through Chicago
to witness the driving of the last spike on the
Northern Pacific railroad she captivated the
son OF one OF the wealthiest men in New York
He took her TO q prominent hotel ia this city
where she robbed him of seven-hundred-doi
lar Jurgenson watch and a five-hundred- dollar
diamond ring the articles being subsequently,
recovered, however, by Pinkerton detectives,
and the affair being hushed up on account oi
the prominence of the young New Yorker.
The next move OF the duchess was TO en-.
snare a well-known railroad man of Chicago
VINO is very prominent in society circles Wher,
he began to tire OF her she wrote him a letter
threatening 10 expose him unless he sent her a
large sum OF money. She was arrested and
locked up at the Harrison street station While
Mr.. ". A. Pinkerton and Captain Buckley were
examining he mol l.axr hold l,a
threatening letter which she wrote in his hand
THE Duchess suddenly seized it and tore il
up IN such manner as TO make il useless
against her as evidence, and shortly afterward
she was released from custody, whereupon she
began TO make preparations for suing Pinkerton
and Captain Buckley tor $4,000 Tor false i'm.
prisonment, but soon abandoned this project
From Chicago she went to New York. She is a
remarkably pretty woman, but is now about 81
her adj 0nturouS life.
A dispatch from Dallas, Texas. where the
woman is also known, says that she is only Is
years old and remarkably beautiful. Accord
ing to this dispatch notorety first found her in
Cincinnati, when her father was murdered by
the lover OF sister. The murderer Is at prese mt
proprietor OF two eastern theaters OF not the
highest order OF merit. The family soon alter
moved TO New York city, where the young girl
was given IN marriage TO "a retired millionaire
many years her senior, with the reputation OF
a roue, who acquired his fortune as proprietor
OF the first dollar store established i'm the me-
tropolis upon large scale. Within year after
the wedding a large-siZed family quarrel took
place, mutual charges of infidelity were made
and proved, and the parties separated, the
wife taking her only child--a boy. She went
from New York TO Los Angeles, Cal, where she
lived for three years the wife OF a rich res
taurant keeper of that town. Alter running him
she came TO Chicago where she was known as
Lola Elias.
The first victim she selected for her black
mailing schemes was the western head of one
of the largest corporations of this country. He
was wealthy, enjoying an annual salary of
$50, Ooo and was the mead of a family moving
in the highest circle OF exclusive society. I'M
fortunately for himself he had under his pro-
lection at the same time another woman, and
information OF this being acquired by Lola, she
called upon the gentleman at his office and de-
manded OF him as her price for keeping quiet
$4,000. She gave him q week in which 10
think ii over and raise the amount Before the
expi ration of that time she was quietly taken
from a house where she was visiting, without
warrant of arrest, and carried TO a cell in the
county Jail. Here she was soon after visited by
her victim and a detective, and informed that
she could only procure a release by signing a
document which they presented, acknowledge
ing the attempt at blackmail and the falsity of
the accusation. This she pluckily refused to do
until the third day, when she weakened, signed
and was released.