Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-03-26
SHE ROPED EN- IN.
Startling Stories of Very Sly
Young Woman.
A VERY QUEEN OF BLACKMAILERS,

Alleged to Have Gathered Wealth from
Congress and Many Others of High Po-
sition-A Development of the Case of
FitzsimmOns, Who Proves To BE That
Rockville Heir After All-His Wife a
Bad One Also.
PITTsBURG, Pa, Myrch est has been
discovered that Fitzsimmons, the robber
and murderer, had an accomplice in this
city in the person of Miss Laura Snowden,
the stenogra pher and clerk of The Medical
Review, and detectives have discovered
enough of her career to stamp her as one
of the star adventuresses and blackmail-
ers of the country. \ search of her lux
uriously furnished apartments on Colwell
street led to the finding of her diary and
letters, which are rich in sensational in
formation. The letters showed that she
induced a friend in the same line to join
IN scheme to entrap and blackmail the
dark-skinned members of the Pau-Amer-
lean congress during their two days So
Journ in this city in 1889. She coolly used
a Pittsburg iron manufacturer to guide
at least three of the delegates to her rooms,
where in due time she made the unwilling
SoOulS sum OF
the disgrace of exposure.
Blachmail Her net, Game.
How many others she blackmailed on
this occasion she will not tell, and her
letters do not indicate Her business IN
stnct led her to keep a regular list of her
victims with their real names and address
seS. In tins list are not only the names of
PlttebUrg men prominent in the business
li.Ta
affairs of higE standing in many of the
larger cities clear across the continent
Blackmail was her pet game, and the
mystery IS how she so long escaped prison,
waiie all the time maintaining openly her
position on The Medical Review.
One of Her Supposed Dupes.
Ore of the incidents of Tuesday was the
visit of New York man who gave no
other name than James Smith, and
claimed to have come to town to ascertain
whether Miss Snowden was not the
woman he married on short notice in the
metropolis in December 1883. He says
she ran away from him three months aft
er the wedding From what he learned of
her during their acquaintance and has
read of the Suowden woman's career he
thinks the two are identical. 1t has been
learned beyond doubt that Detective Gil.
kinson's slayer, whose apprehension IS
due to Miss Snowden's disclosures, is
Frederick Z. Ftzsimmons, OF Brockvil!e
Ont. One more of Fitzsimmous' gang
was arrested Tuesday al Jefferson, ..
The Record of Fitzsimmons.
1t is learned that the discovery of Fitz-
simmons real character has caused a
great sensation in Brockville, where his
relatives are among the best people. He
Is a cOllege-bred man, aud has been a
wanderer over two continents for over a
| decade. He went south to accept a good
| position not long after being graduated,
and eloped with Louisiana planters
| daughter The two have led a wild life
| ever since, and now find themselves In
| Jail together. She is considered to be the
! schemer of the outfit and he the executor
| He never visited his home until fort.
| night ago to secure his inheritance. His
| brother is now en- route to Pittsburg to
| look after the defense