Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-09-04

Prom the New york Herald Today
Proceedings have been commenced in the
sixth district court to dspossess q woman
known as Sister Beatrice May from the house
No. Livingston place for non-psyment Of
rent. amounting TO about Ss75.
Under that name and long string OF other
aliases the woman has for several years been
masqueradng a sister OF charity. She and
others whom she has associated with her have
gone about in the garb OF nuns and have
solicited money and provisions from all sorts
and conditions of persons 60 help support Q
pretended charitable Institution called tho
ST. Stephens guild. which il said 60 be located
at No. Livingston place. As long ago NJ lss2
the Herald made an exposure Of the so-called
charity. That was before the headquarters
were located in the fashionable neighbour hood
at the easterly end OF Stuyyesant park
Within the past few weeks the officers OF the
charity organization OF the city OF New York
have been collecting evidence against Sister
Beatrice in the hope that she might be prose-
cuted as a swinder. In the course OF their in
vestlgations they have discovered what seems
70 be a clue 10 the identity of the woman They
are satisfied that she is none other than the no.
torious Mary +. Oliver. who figured SO dis
gracefully IN great scandal which created Q
sensation in the National capital
THE oLIvER-oAMERoS SCANDAL
In March, 1879, there was begun in the city
VI tne trlal OF n case IN which
Mary E. Oliver was the plaintiff and the late
Simon Cameron, then United States Senator
from Pennsylvania, was the defendant The
suit was for breach Of promise and the damages
were laid at $4,000. The trial lasted two
weeks and the details Of il were printed ell over
the world
Senator Cameron was one Of the "visiting
Statesmen" who tried 10 FIX up things for the re-
publcans in the south after the presidential
election OF 1876. While in New Orleans he
made the acquaintance OF the Oliver woman.
An intimacy which was formed then led TO her
following the Senator TO Washington and his
securing for her in 1877 an appointment 20 a
good paving clerkship in the Treasury depart
ment Her conduct caused gossip and she was
either removed or requested 10 resign. She
harassed Mr.. Cameron to such extent that
he put 81 900 in the hands of Mr. A G. Riddle
for her. Riddle Was TO get a receipt from the
woman for all demands against the Senator,
but she refused and demanded marriage She
claimed that the money was to defray her ex-
penses during her illness while at the fremont
house in Washington.
On the trial she produced four letters pur-
porting to have been written her by the de-
PENDANT expressing the devotion of a lover OF
nineteen. These letters were believed TO be
forgeries.
AN ADVENTURES.
Gen. Benjamin +. Butler was counsel for
Senator Cameron and drew forth admissions
which stamped her as an INSCRIPTIONS adven-
turess. A verdict was given against the woman.
Alter the conclusion Of the case the Oliver
woman left Washington and came TO this city,
but was afterward heard of in Philadelphia and
Boston. For the past eight years her identity
seems to have been concealed
In a very curious way the charity organize
ton people were first led TO believe that Sister
Beatrice May Mary L. Oliver in disguise.
man who gave his name as J. S. Thompson
and said he was a lawyer at No. l62 Broadway,
called at the headquarters Of the society. he
said the right name of Sister Beatrice was Mary
Il. Oliver, Of Washington notoriety. He prom
lsed to give lot of information that would
lead to her conviction a swindlcr. When
Robert w. Hebberd, a special officer OF the
charity organization, recently commenced to
hunt up evidence against Sister Beatrice
he became convinced that Thompson was an
alias OF a man named Jackson, who ran away
from his wife and children in Chicago some
time ago. He lived for while in q boarding
house in a good neighborhood on the west side
with a young woman whom he introduced as
his wife. Before she went TO live with jackson
this woman had been the associate OF Sister
Beatrice. When the guild" was first located
In Livingston place the lease had been in her
name, or rather one of them. for she was known
as Alice Target, Alice Hargate Sister Alice and
Sister Alicia. She used 10 dress as a sister Of
charity and go around begging either with
Sister Beatrice or on her own hook.
TEE SISTERS" oUARRELEp.
Sister Alice fell out with Sister Beatrice some
time ago and ran off with jackson. Sister Bea-
trice hunted around until she located her and
kept calling at the house where she was known
as Mrs. jackson. Although the Young woman
tried her best to avoid meeting her she finally
had to receive her visits. Sister Beatrice made
her old associate return her calls. and when
she neglected to do SO bounded her at her
boarding place. The landlady thought il very
strange that Alice should put up with SO much
and advised her TO notify the police The
young woman would not listen TO that because
she said Sister Beatrice was an old friend OF
her mother and was much attached TO her an
II she was her own child.
The landlady was Mortified one day TO find
out that Sister Beatrice had been going about
the neighborhood circulating the story that
Alice was not married to Jackson. Then the
husband of the woman who kept the house got
mad and threatened to have Sister Beatrice ar
rested. Alice begged him not to do that and
said she would have everything smoothed over
and the loquacious nun would not bother them
any more. jackson and Alice moved away
rather suddenly after that. They are supposed
to be still in the city.
IDENTIFYING BEATRICE
1t is thought that out Of revenge for the
annoyance that Sister Beatrice had given him
Jackson posted the charity organization. Off
GERS OF that society made an investigation in
Washington to see If Sister Beatrice could be
idehtlned as the Oliver woman. A lengthy re-
port on this inquiry is in the possession OF the
society and examined il yesterday. The con-
clusion arrived at is summed up in the follow
ing:
The description de- that of Sister Bestrice) is cor
rect for that Mrs Oliver in all particulars
that she has older and hardened VITA years and
wIckeGhess.
A note which was written by Sister Beatrice
and intended for Sister Alice was sent on to
Washington and compared by an expert in
handwriting with numerous specimens Of the
penmanship of Mrs. Oliver. The expert makes
this report:
The handwriting is so obviously The same that no
one would question it,
IL is unnecessary to 60 into details re garding
the methods of Sister Beatrice
The charity organization, which is very care
ful IN such matters. prOnounces her an impos-
ter. As far as its officers can find out she has
done no charitable work whatever but has gone
on collecting money and goods and stores Of
all kinds under the pretence that she has.
What has become Of the money she has raised
is a mystery.
The agent Of the Glover estate, from whom
Sister Beatrice rented the house in Livingston
place, told me yesterday that she owed four
months and half rent at the rate of $1,000 Q
year. besides what is due for taxes. She had q
ten years lease Of the property from May 1,
1856. As il was impossible 10 collect any money
from her il decided 20 begin proceedinga