Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-12-15
THE JENNIE SAXTON SCANDAL.
Is the Pretty Girl in Prison sinned Against
or Shining?

u
or SHINING
BURLINGTON, VT, December 1.-THE
excitement over the Jennie SaxtOn forgery
caSe seems to increase rather than dimin-
ish now that she has been held to await
the action of the Grand Jury, and all sorts
of predictions are made as to the final
result.
Miss Saxton is apparently abOutStwenty
years of age, and is a striking type of that
beauty seen so frequently among Irish
American girls born and bred in country
village She is of medium height, and
her figure, while 1.-THE and graceful, has
been sufficiently rounded by healthful eX-
ercise in the open air TO give it that raw
ishing appearance so fatal 20 t he senses Of
the opposite sex.
In marked contrast to all this Is the ap-
pearance of Mr.. John L. Mason, who ac-
tually looks old enough TO he Miss Sax
toms grandfather. He is short, thick
set gentleman with no particular style
about him. He wears full beard, but
no mustache, and in spite of his sixty-Six
years there is yet on the crown of his
head considerable hair, which, rs well
as his beard, is snow white. He
dresses in q comfortable business suit,
usally of black, and: he might easily be
taken for a staid deacon who at some time
or other in his life experienced religion.
The girl was thrown frequently into Mr..
MasOn's company, and on his drives TO his
various farms and speculating tours she
often accompanied him. This continued
until Jennie was nearly thirteen years old,
as both sides agree, but from that point
there is startling divergence in their stO-
ries. Miss SaxtOn claims that one day in
June, 1881, while she was passing his
house he asked her TO 90 in and see how
nice they had furnished their bedroom;
that he there accomplished her ruin, and
that their criminal relations continued up
TO the beginning of the present year,
she meeting him at his own
home when Mrs. Mason WAS gone, and at
other times when making appointments
elsewhere. She says that she was kept in,
formed as to Mr.. MaSOn's whereabouts by
n system of signals from Mr.. Mason, their
dwellings being in plain sight of each 9th
er: that Mr.. Mason gave her large sums of
money and medicine whenever she was in
trouble until last June; that she gave birth
to a stillbOrn child at the residence of her
sister III WillSbOrO, y. Y; that in order
TO prevent discovery she took the remains
to jersey City, where they were buried by
James Ryan. who married her sister Mary.
She further claims that in the fore part
of last September Mr.. Mason, when ap-
preached by her for money, told her that
he had none with him, but that he had
large sum in the savings bank and gave
her authority to draw whatever sum she
needed whenever she wanted to, at the
same time giving her, in brief statement,
some idea OF an order. She presented it 10
the treasurer, {. F. Ward, when Fred W.
Ward, son of the treasurer, who, Mr.
Mason told her, had charge of his money,
could not be found. II was paid without
question, although the order tor $500 was
written in lady's hand and the signature
of John L. Mason was written in the same
hand. On November 16 she presented
another order for $500, and was arrested.
Mr.. Mason denies the charge of criminal
intercourse with Jennie, or that he ever
gave her money. He has helped her
father to q place on the Central Vermont
Railroad and secured positions with the
same company for two of her brothers,
but it was all on account of their need and
not on account of any attachment he had
for the girl. He had lent her father $40
to pay debt which Jennie had contracted,
H.. IL Il hat he ,,aiH har n
cent, though she has frequently been to
him with the request to lend heI money.
He says, and Miss SaXtOn admits, that
she went to Boston last winter with Ar
| thur Locklin, young man OF Montpelier,
under promise of marriage; that they Te
maiued there several nights, and that
! Locklin refused 10 keep his promise. He
insists that if a child was born this eSCa-
pade would account for it, and that the
copies of letters which she says she wrote
him are all forgerieS
The greatest obstacle that Mr.. MasOn's
friends have to contend against is the fact
that Miss SaXton should know his money
was not actually deposited in the Savings
hank, but WAS placed in the hands Of Fred
Ward for safe keeping instead, and this
fact is perfectly CO isistent with Jennie's
claim that Mr.. Mason told her to present
her order TO Fred Ward, with whom be
had an understanding about the matter.
instead OF TO his father. the cashier An
other unexplainable circumstance is that
shortly after the payment of the first order
Mr.. Mason withdrew his money from Fred
Wards care, where it had been for years,
although he claims he knew nothing
of the payment Of the order until
Jennie was arrested for presenting
the second order. The only reasonable
explanation Of Miss SaXton's knowledge of
affairs at the bank is that Fred Ward, who
has the reputation of being fast young
man. told her about MaSon's money. He
acknowledges having met Miss SaNtOU aud
riding on the train with her, although he
told his father, when the latter discovered
the first lorder was forgery, that he did
not know any suchperSOn. Accepting this
statement, Miss Sexton's letters and her
straightforward story in connection with
the corroboratiOn BY numerous witnesses
her having large sums OF money still de-
mond an explanation.
Anarchist Sympathirers-
New YORK, December 14.-At 4 meet