Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-11
To the Sensational Charges Made by
Anna Dickinson.
AN EMPHATIC DENIAL OF THEM.
Susan Dickinson Tells Her Story of Their
Daily Life.
LAYING BARE MANY PATHETIC DETAILS
rsrEc1AL TELEGRAM TO THE D1sPArcH.i

mitted to an insane asylum, after having
| squandered her money. No one here be-
lieves the story. On the contrary those who
| are in position to know say that Susan
has always been most kind and devoted to
her sister. doing all in her power to advance
her interests and protect her.
Miss Susan was astounded when she read
the interview with Anna. THE DISPATCH
correspondent had an interview with Susan
to-day, in which she said that she had
directed her attorney to at once bring suit
against Dr. Seward, for damages for injury
to Anna Dickinson's mind, in confirming
her del usions, and also for malicious libel
on herself She also stated that she had
sent DIR. Seward notice of her intention.
Denying Annals Statements.
This afternoon Miss Dickinson made a
statement in reply to Annals interview, in
which she says: I'm the first place, Anna
says she went to West Pittston on account
of mothers health. and chiefly to please me,
and she adds that the expenses of the house
hold were paid by herself from start to fin
ish, which is wholly untrue.
1--WE went there because Anna had lost
the means to support mother as she wished
in Philadelphia, and my acquaint tance with
the place and the business gave me the OPP
portunity to earn the money by newspaper
correspondence to support mother and N.Y.
self, which 1 did until my mothers and my
sisters ill-health made it necessary to be
sickroom nurse by day and night for years.
The debts contracted then have been to sup
ply my sister with shelter food and medical
attention, and to pay our mothers burial
expenses, which we were unable to do when
she left us. Louisa T. Mcdonald, then
Louisa Welch, was with us only during the
last year of our housekeeping in Philadel-
phia. Afterward she was Annals maid in
travelling until 1875, and she could not
therefore know anything about nv private
affairs.
No Money Was Wasted
"As for the money. which she alleges was
wasted at ITO Locust street, 1 was her un-
saiarled private secretary and the house
keeper, and she allowed me precisely $3.50
per month, including the rent of a s., 900
house, to meet all expenses, and the greater
part of the time the house was filled with
company, who had, of course, to be provided
for. 1t was impossible, therefore. to avoid
at times the standing over of accounts until
her return home for her to settle.
81 never made an Investment OF any kind
in my life. Having use for the money as it
came, Inever bought a trinket for myself
and was not in the habit of making gifts to
other people, and the deprivation of lux
urles was never matter of the slightest
moment to ME personally. She alleges that
l have intense hatred and jealousy of her.
which has never taken any form except that
Of striving to further her interests to the
uttermost of my ability. at no matter what
cost to myself of health and strength. The
Welsh servant, whom Anna refers to as big
and coarse and entirely devoted to me, had
done faithful service in our house for SIX
years and half; was devoted to our mother
during her illness; is at least head shorter
than Anna Dickinson and slight.
Never Any Time to Visit. 81
"As for my visiting the town, there was
never any time for me to do it. having my
hands full with sickness and work at home
On Thursday, February 10 (not 20), Anna
became violently delirious, refused to come
down to dinner and frightened the girl,
Martha, SO that she declined to go upstairs
at all. 1t was 8 in the evening when she
came down stairs and ordered Martha to put
her dinner on the table, and also to give her
lamp and accompany her to the garret,
where Anna had already been screaming
and pounding on the partition walls SO as TO
alarm all our neighbors.
"The girl being afraid Of her, ran out of
the house and was followed by her. 1t was
the noise and commotion of the incident
which has been so magnified in the papers,
in spite of my efforts to prevent, as the pub
lie we'll knows. She then came back and
ate her dinner at o'clock, and she could
not have taken supper in her room later, be-
cause she had nothing to take. The story of
the cleaning white crystals in cup of
coffee is IN absolute falsehood, which only
insanity can by any possibility excuse.
Accusations Against Friends.
"For several days before she had been &C.
cusing Howe and Hummel, her attorneys,
OF the vilest ireachery In regard to her case
against the Republican National Commit
tee; an old acquaintance in Boston of plot
to ruin her reputation, and A. NJ. Palmer, of
the Madison Square Theater, and other
parties in New York of having stolen her
dialogue in the ''Test of Honor" and used it
in :"'Sunlight and Shadow" also Charles
Dudley Warner of having stolen her letters
from Colorado, and through the medium of
her former agents, Bernard and Ralph
Meeker, of having used them in his Harper
articles on Colorado.
'"These and other things might have
warned me that Annals mind was going
astray, but couldn't believe such thing
possible, although told her she was fright
ening me by her suspicious charges
of conspiracy by the Wholesale
From the Goth to the 22d of
February she ate her meals regularly. They
were carried to her on tray by servant
accompanied by me, as Martha was afraid
of her and would not go up alone. After
the Old she refused to eat at all.
"When l tried to persuade her on the 23d
she tried to get Martha in the room behind
bar of
Martha refused to go in unless 1 would hold |
the door open for her escape. Anna then
called me devil; flew at nv throat and |
tried to choke ME. Martha ran for the first
man she could get and brought in the son
of a neighbor. Anna says she did not see |
me for some days after that Naturally I |
kept out of her way.
No Food for Three Days.
son the afternoon of the 25th, as she had |
then eaten nothing for three DAYS. it became |
absolutely necessary to remove her for |
treatment to Danville, that being the only |
available place. AS stated in all the papers |
at the time, the door was forced open. She !
was not roughly handled, however Her |
wrists were not injured and her clothing |
to secure money for her was inaugurated by |
Miss Lanford and Miss Willard, without
any action or word of mine.
The first sum received, $3.50, from the
Actors Fund OF New York, was used to pre-
vent the sale of our mothers furniture and
other household belongings, which Anna
said she would never part with, and to pay
other small debts contracted by her, in
cluding her latest dressmaker's bill. The
other amount received was 1856 from Gen
eral Chrlstiansen, of Brooklyn, part of
which was used by me in securing her