St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-05-11
SERVANTS AND SPIES.
Beginning Of the Case That
Is Expected to Prove
Their Identity.
Relation of the Tale Of the
Confession of Catherine
Johnson.
Foresters of the State Meet
and Elect Grand Court
Officers.
Annual Loyal Legion Election
and Monthly Banquet Of
Companions.

servant girl who is suspected OF being
spy, and who is suing Mrs. w. l..
Harris for defamation of character,
was in court as soon as the doors were
opened, and with her were a host of
servant witnesses and her attorneys,
SelOver & Gould. MerriCk & Merrick
looked after the interests of Mrs. Harris,
who did not appear until the afternoon
session. The greater portion of the
forenoon was occupied in selecting
jury. This proved no easy task, for the
majority of the men summoned had
read the articles printed in the GLOBE
regarding the servant spies, and the
counsel for the complainant thought it
might prejudice them against his case.
As far as the testimony of the case
was concerned, it was the Scullery and
stable against the occupants of the par
lOr. No evidence regarding the an
archistic society was brought out until
the defense put in its testimony. The
plaintiffs witnesses were George Pur-
Wis, a former coachman employed by
Mr.. Harris; Emma Johnson, girl en-
ployed to do SO-called second work."
and Annie Newman, cook. All three
testified that Mrs. Harris had told them
of napkins and children'S clothes.
Catharine told her own story, and
sniveled painfully while doing so. She
had been much maligned and injured
by the statements made by Mrs. Harris,
inaSmuch as she had not stolen thing.
Catharine is tall, angular. mild-haired
Swedish girl, and speaks with decided
dialect. She was neatly dressed, and
when the heavy veil hid her features,
reSembled anything but a servant girl.
Mrs. Clapp, who is Mr.. Harris sister,
and lives across the street from him,
testified that Mrs. Harris had told her
about Catharine's mysterious disappear
ance from the house, also about the
missing articles. She had not told her
that Catharine stole them, however.
All this while the crowd was anXiouSly
waiting to hear something about the an
archists. When Mrs. Harris took the
stand there was hum in the room and
everybody listened for something SEN
satiOnal. Mrs Harris told of how she
came to employ Catharine Johnson as
cook. and of her strange disappearance
three weeks later in the middle of the
night. The day before she bad paid
Catharne her wages in full and s. over,
suppOsing of course that Catharine was
satisfied with her place and intended to
remain. The next morning she did not
appear, and Mrs. Harris, thinking that
she was sick, went to her room and
found it empty. Catharine had skipped
by the light of the moon," taking all her
clothes with her. OF course Mrs. Harris
was out her So, and aside from that she
missed a number of articles about the
house, and concluded that Catharine
had taken them. Mrs. Harris told
several people about the matter, and
said that Catharine must have
taken the things. She said that she
did lot say that Catharine had stolen
them. Sometime afterward Catharine
came to the house with Mr.. Harris and
told Mrs Harris about the anarchistic
society. She said she was in the employ
of a secret society to act as spy upon
families, and report everything that &C.
Cured.
Mr.. Harris, who was the next witness,
gave some very interesting facts about
the society and its servant girl spies.
He told the jury that he searched for
Catharine for several days to have her
explain her strange departure from his
house. Finally he found her and sent
her a note requesting her presence at
his Office. She came, and when asked
why she had acted in such queer man
ner and went away in the night, Cath
arine told him she could not help her
self. for she was forced to leave.
I'VE got into my buggy" continued
Mr.. Harris, land started for my place
on KenWOOd avenue. l asked her what
she meant when she said she was forced
to leave our family, and she answered
that the man of the society came and
told her he had another place fo1 her.
l asked her what society she meant,
and she said she was working for a
secret society. She said: Il used to
work for the society in the shop, but
the work was too dirty, and told them
they would have to get me place in
some family, for | wouldn't work in
the shops any more. So they got me
the place in your family
1.-THE girl told me-" Mr.. Harris con-
tinued, "that there were several other
girls working for the society in the city,
number in St. Paul and number in
Chicago. Their business was to find out
everything that TRANSFERRED in the
families where they worked and report
to the society. They were to take note
of how the servants were dressed, and
whether they were made to wear uni
forms; how the family lived and what
they ate. | asked her what she was
SOluE W lCil blO OOOiOty dOOu0 Jul
family, and she said that she could not
say much aside from the fact that we
changed servants so often"
This statement caused a ripple of
mirth to spread over the audience, and
even Judge Elliot smiled. Mr.. Harris
went on:
''She told me she came to our house
on the suggestion of one of the agents
of the society. This society, she said,
paid her $40 a week. and paid her
promptly. When she was working in
the tailor shops the society paid her SIC
a week. She told me she never stayed
longer than three weeks i'll one place,
and that one of the agents came to her
when she was working for us and told
her that as she had been there three
weeks she must go to another place.
She intended, she said, to go
to Duluth, where she bad been before.
/ asked her if she liked to work fer the
society and she said she did. | asked
her what tine name of the society was.
and after good deal OF hesitation, told
me it was the one Eva Mcdonald NOW
Mrs. Valesh) had belonged to. She said
the name of it was the Junior Alliance"
The mention of Eva McDOnaldValeSh
in connection with the affair created
mild sensation, but no further evidence
in the case was taken, for it was 3
o'clock and time for the court to
adjourn, and the hearing will be contin-
ued this morning.
THE BRAVE FORESTERS.