Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-21
LETTERS FROM ALICE
Brimming Over With Love, Not Only
for Poor Freda Ward, but for
GALLANTs OF THE OPPOSITE SEX.
Strange Things She Tells to One Corre-
spondent in Pittsburg.
LILLY JOHNSON TELLS HER STORY

LILLY JOHNSON TELLS HER SToR1
MEMPHIS, July 2o.-The testimony in
troduced in the Alice Mitchell case to-day
pertained' principally to her correspondence
with her victim, Miss Ward, and severa
personally unknown gentlemen with whom
she had established acquaintanceshipt
through the medium of advertisements
Robert Mitchell was again called to the
stand to read letters The first letter wa.
from Freda Ward to Alice after the dis
covery of their plans of eIopement She
warns Alice not to write her any more let
tiers, as they won't reach her; declares hel
undying love and constsncy; swears she will
yet marry her in spite of oppofi ion, and
expresses her hatred for her brotf .r-in-law,
Mr. Volkmar, whom she says she hates
worse than poison. Other memoranda in
Alice's handwriting were read to indicate
that she was casting about for work to do
when she married Freda Then followed
another letter from Freda, the last one she
ever wrote 1t was dated January Is, 1892.
Talks Freely Of Her Proposed Marriage.
1t expresses the great regret of the writer
that she Is forbidden to speak to her Alice;
expresses undying love for her, and cautions
her to ''say nothing about that last sum-
mers elopement," as no one knew of it but
her family.
Witness had spoken to his step-sister
about her proposed marriage with Freda
She talked OF it freely She said Dr. Pat
going to St. Louis. This ended the direct
examination, and General Peters took the
witness. Witness admitted that Alice
carried on a correspondence with others
besides Freda She had corresponded with
various men, strangers to her.
A letter addressed to V. j. Ward, Car
bon, Tex, and written by Alice, was read.
She expressed her pleasure that her cores
pondent is pleased and had fallen in love
with her description, and wonders how long
it will be before he falls in love with her
She says she is writing without the knowl-
edge of her parents, and says this is the rea-
son she does not have her letters sent to the
house The letter is signed Freda Ward
One Letter To a PIttsburg Man.
Still another letter was read, dated Janu-
airy %, only three days before the tragedy.
1t is addressed to Tom l. Rieger Pittsburg,
equally affectionate with him as with "Dear
Birdie" She affects to be an actress, and
says it is told Of actresses that they can
really love- that ''they miss the prompter,"
but assures him that 'this little actress
cam She tells how a man 80 years old
made love to her last Friday.
Then comes a letter to Freda, written
August 1, 1891. 1t starts out with dearest
Love" 1t is a Jealous letter, accuses her of
loving Ashley Rosell, and SAYS she will kill
Al H.. l.
"Oh, IL i could see you once, if could
only squeeze youi Oh, you don't know how
/ love your she writes, and after formulat-
ing plans tor an elopement at some future
time expresses the fear that IL they delay
too long she will fall in love with some
boy.
Letters were read from Alice to 'Henry,"
a young man she had met at Go]ddust, in
which she refers to Alice as her sister;
another in which she speaks of her friend,
Alice Mitchell
A Minister Who Wasn't Too Solemn.
Then comes "daisy" letter to "Henry."
She tells of q trip taken under the escort of |
"a solemn old minister" She found him
along very we'll. But their baggage checks
got mixed, and afterward the parson left
her at a junction to 60 TO Iowa and she
reached her destination. She tells what
happened as follows:
''The baggage master brought out rusty
old valise for my check. Think of Tiny
blue silk and things going off to Iowa and
me left with the parsons collars, pants and
things Much good my ruffies and things
will do him."
The only thing that spoiled the story was
the assumption that the trip was myth
but was written by Alice.
q, The next witness was Miss Lilly John
son, the young woman whose misfortune it |
was to be Alice MitchelI's companion when
the murder was committed, and which fact |
has caused her joint indictment with Alice |
on a charge of murder. She testified she |
had known Alice for three years She saw |
her twice on the day of the killing-once in |
the morning and again in the afternoon.
What Lilly johnson Saw Of the Tragedy. |
She said Freda was Alice's friend. She |
always spoke of her, and was telling wit
ness how she loved Freda After that visit |
she spoke only of Freda. When she was in
Jail she could only speak of Freda contin-
ually. Alter they were separated Alice
was always crying and sick, and saying she
wished she could see Freda Then, coming
to the fatal drive just before the murder,
she told how Alice followed the Ward girls,
edN lug BIC Iuust see Ereua once more. |
When they caught up with the girls at the
Custom House, Alice said:
''0h, Lii! Freda looked at me and
smiled"
"Then, resumed the witness, "she got out
Of the buggy and said muss tell her good
by. When Alice returned there were one
or two spots of blood on her face" Witness
asked what the Ward girl had done to her
Alice said, "Let me in," and then Jumped
over the wheel into the buggy Witness
was arrested the next day and was put in
the same room with Alice.
Witness testified that lice had confided
to her that she wanted to marry Freda.
thought she had persuaded Alice
put OF attempting to marry Freda, but she
still wanted to marry her. She did not
know Alice was armed with q razor or any
other weapon on the day Of the murder
She thought she was only going to tell Freda
yoodby and kiss her.
This ended the direct examination. and
The cross-examination will be commenced
tomorrow.
George Grogan Drowned Last Evening,
George Grogan, IL years old, was drowned
L.