The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-30
THAT WORLDS FAIR SCANDAL.
The woman in the Case Very Probably For
mer Kansas Girl,

One OF the greatest sensations of the
year at the worlds fair Was the scandal
sprung last Saturday involving o. Beeson
of FL Reno, commissioner 70 the worlds
fair from Oklahoma in what surely seems
to be very shady transaction. To be
brief it is alleged that ne was in a conspir-
acy with Commissioner Mercer OF Wyom
ing to sell awards aud medals and hon orary
mentions to foreign exhibitors for the
hard cash. The Inter-Ocean of Sunday
contained a two columa write-np of the
affair and OF course in all such affairs as
this there was woman in the case. The
woman negotiated with firm of Russian
exhibitors for the sum Of $4,000 to
secure them gold medal for
their exhibit and in the progress OF the
deal she introduced Mr.. Beeson whom she
said was commissioner who, through
his Influence, would fulfill her contract.
The exhibitors offered her a check for
$4,000, but she demanded the money,
which fact made them suspicious and the
conspiracy was exposed. The woman in
the case was arrested and she gave her
name as Mrs. E. l. Harmon Arson. After
five hours examination she was discharged
aud the Chicago police and newspapers
acknowledged that she is one of the slick
est creatures they ever saw. Iu Bee
sons examination he first denied knowing
her, but he afterwards admitted that
he had Il slight acquaintance with her at
Caldwell, Kansas. This was but meagre
Information and still the Chicago police
don't know anything about her anteced-
ents and least OF all do they suspect that
she is relative of Blossoms. Maybe she
isn't and maybe she is. Be that as it
may there was at one time a lady in Cald-
we'll named Miss Emma /. Harmon and
she was Beesou's sister in-law. The SIM
ilarity of the names is SO striking that
suspicion prevails here that Mrs. E. L.
Harmon Arson and Mrs Emma |. Har-
mon are one and the same person. There
are many people in Wichita who knew
Emma Harmo1 well aud they believe firm
ly that she is the same lady who was ne
gotiating with the Russian exhibitors.
When Beeson was appointed postmaster
at Caldwell. under Cleveland's first ad-
ministration, Emma came from Chicago
and accepted the position of money order
and stamp clerk, which she held during
the entire administration. She WAS
low in stature, was endowed with
an elegant shape, her hair was rich
blond, she was very pale. IA good talker
and many were the men who went to her
department to buy stamps when they
really ddu't want any. That was during
the cowboy days and when every cattle
man was millionaire. Miss Emma was
at one time supposed to be the aflianced of
haCo la, hn Of Z ha( or
but for some reason the marriage never
took place. She also claimed on occasions
to be private detective, had detective
badge and on one or two occasions she
was seen in strange DISCUSSES. The
women of Caldwell, as a rule, didn't like
her; some OF them because she had more
admirers per capita than they had and
some others because they regarded her a
heroine or an adventures of some kind.
She was smart and generally knew more
about what was going on in the little city
than the newspaper men, including the
Sunday Sun correspondent, but for all
that she made an elegant clerk and was
always polite and courteous. At one time
young man who lived there cast out
some insinuations against her reputation,
aud the result was that he took to the
woods for four or five days. When Presi-
dent Harrison was elected, Miss
Emma developed into strong
Republican, became candidate for
the postoffice and it was thought at one
time that the office would still remain in
Beeson's family, but it didn't. Emma
left for Chicago soon after and nothing
has since been heard to recall her TO
memory except this incident. Whether
she is the Chicago adventures or not
there is one thing certain and that is that
she was always regarded as one who would
become talented adventures if she felt
inclined to be one