The record-union., 1891-09-12
The Police Mystifed Over the Dis.
appearance of Miss Ava.
SHE IS REPORTED TO HAVE TURNED
UP IN CINCINNATI
The Cruiser San Francisco Has Been
Ordered From the Chile Coast to
the Mare Island Navy-Yard to be
Cleaned and Painted-A Naval Off,
Ger Pays a High Compliment to the
Hospitality of Calffornians.
Special TO the RncoRD-usros.


CHICAGO, Sept. n.-No trace has been
| found of Miss Vera Ava, alleged to be a
wealthy English woman, who came here
| some weeks ago to work for the reclama-
ton of fallen women, and who suddenly
disappeared Wednesday evening. Con-
| corning her identity, an evening paper
says: Vera Ava is, it is now asserted,
none other than Ann Odelia Diss Debar,
the spook priestess of New York. She
was seen on the street and recognized by
New York newspaper woman, who
called upon the Chief of Detectives this
morning and told him Of her discovery.
Her description of Ann Odelia tallies ex-
actly with that of Miss Ava. According
to the New York lady, the notorious
Spiritualist carries stock Of wigs and
other make-ups, and has of late been
| travelling across the country swindling
gullible church people.
| The police have no doubt from the
statements furnished by the New York
| lady, that Miss Ava is Diss Debar. This
opinion is strengthened by information
| CLEANED from other sources.
1t has been discovered that a woman
answering Miss Ava's description called
at the medical college yesterday. If this
was she, it proves that she did not make
away with herself Wednesday night.
| On the day of her disappearance, it is al
| legged Miss Ava had an interview with
| Archbishop Feehan. She gave Mrs. Boil
| ton, with whom she drove to the Arch
| episcopal residence, to understand that
! she was going to see about getting some
property which is in possession of the
| Catholic Church in England; that she was
! formerly a member of that Church. and
1 hn AaTot n xy~I
Mrs. Bolton, as the Archbishop says his
| talk with her was exclusively in regard
! to her work among the vicious classes OF
this city, and was not of prsonal char
acter.
| It appears she also called on Arch
bishop Feehan yesterday. The cabman
| who drove her there to-day identified
Miss Ava's picture as that of the woman
in question. He said after she entered
| the cab he saw her take off blonde wig
and arrange her hair. About one week
ago she visited Sadler, the British Consul
/ here, and, under seal of secresy, told
! him remarkable and mystifying story,
/ as Sadler confesses, but he declines to
| give the tenor of it. She is very capti-
waiting, with full blonde wig, frizzed
and banged. and she told Mr.. Sadler she
| had lived in Chicago for ten years.
whereas she has not been here as many
weeks. Sadler says he does not believe
her TO be an English woman. She spoke
with French accent, and spoke French
! like a native.
| The wife of Rev. Dr. Bolton still holds
| to the belief that Miss Ava has met with
| foul play. She is firmly convinced that
| Miss Ava is highly educated woman
from the English upper classes. She
says that just before they went out to-
gether on Wednesday evening the miss
! ing woman showed her a wallet filled
1 4 n1Nfrn md iy, n11 n pl,< -
S400 worth of diamonds. Raising her
right hand in a dramatic manner she
said to Mrs. Bolton, Swear that if ever
/ disappear you will not rest until you
have found me, even if you have to ask
| all Chicago to join you in the search.n
Mrs. Bolton says that Miss Ava had be-
fore told her that she had enemies; that
her mother had been murdered, and she
seemed apprehensive that some such fate
would overtake her. She never said a
word against the Catholic religion, from
which she was a convert. She had spent
many happy days as religieuse, but de-
string broader scope for charitable work
left the cloister.
"The strangest thing about the case"
said Detective Lieutenant Shea tonight,
lis that this Miss Ava, who is written up
as fakir, has refused money from those
she had interested in her charitable work
A caller at the station to-day, a minister,
whose hame / cannot divulge, told me
that charitably-inclinedc church member
offered the woman 81, 900, but she refused
it, saying that she had plenty Of money!"
The woman had often stated that goods
had been shipped to her from England,
but the officials Of the Custom-h house say
no woman has ever been near there The
curious feature of the mystery is that
Miss Ava is reported to have said that she
feared she would meet fate similar to
fhnf Of Dr. Grnv Eafh Il all
whom she called just prior to her lisap-
pearance, is a brother of the man whose
arrest, in st. Louis, as Cronin suspect.
caused a sensation at the time. He was
Suddenly released, there being no proof
against him.
SAID TO BE IN CINCINNATI.
CINCINNATI, Sept 11.-Miss Vera Ava,
If her testimony is to be credited, is here
in the Cincinnati House of Detention.
She talks sometimes nationally and some-
times with wild incoherence. She says
her name is Vera Ava, her native place
London, England. and that lately she has
been In Chicago and somebody brought
her from that city to this place, but who
it was and how and when she was
brought, she seems unable or unwilling
TO tell It was nearly 8 O'Clock tonight
when this woman hailed a cabman and
ordered him to drive to the st. Nicholas.
She wore black woolen dress, was in
her stocking feet, and without hat,
From her waist to above her shoulders
her body was bare.
The st. Nicholas, Burnett and Gibson
Houses all refused to receive her. At the
Gibson House Detective Force took the
case in hand, and removed her at once to
the House of Detention. An examina-
ton there revealed the fact that she had
not cent and not scrap of paper on
her person, and that all her effects were
her black dress and her stockings
The police have been unable to ascer-
tain how she got here. When asked
about it she would say: 81 came from
behind the gray stone-wall and went up
the hill, but they pushed me down
wherever 1 went up"
Nothing satisfactory could be learned
from her. She said she had been at 800
or 400 West Monroe street, Chicago.
Some officers think her insanity is
feigned. 1t is surmised here in certain
quarters that she is Diss Debar of New
York.
Miss Ava told long story to an Asso-
ciated Press representative tonight. 1t
isquite as singular as the previous stories
about her doings. Miss Ava said she was
Roman Catholic. and was starting four
homes for homeless degraded children in
Chicago. This displeased Archbishop
Feehan, who ordered her to nunnery.
She refused to go, He then ordered her
TO appear before the council at the Jesuit
College Church on Wednesday. She went
in carriage, accompanied by Mrs. Boil
ton. On entering the church she found
Archbishop Feehan and Father Kelly
present. They presented paper which
they told her to sign. She refused. saving