The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-11-25
BOTH WOMEN WIRI
DOUBTLESS KILLED.
Something More of the Career
of the Missing Williams
Females.
WE'RE EVIDENTLY
DECOYED BY HOLMES.
A LETTER FROM NANNIE TO HER
AUNT LUCY.
Harry Gordon, the Alleged Husband
of Minnie, and Holmes, Were
Doubtless One and the Same Indi-
viduuI-BOgus Marriage Added to
the List OF the Crimes Of the Mod
ern Bluebeard.

o. New orleans, Nov 1t'-4h4ILAAtS L.
Williams and Mamie Williams, con-
nected with the career of Holmes, the
insurance sWindIer, were nieces of Rev.
DR.. w. c. Black, of this city, who is
editor of the Methodist Christian Ad-
vocate.
Their father was killed in railroad
wreck and their mother died soon after
wards.
This was in 1872, and the younger
sister, Mamie, was but one year old.
Their parents died poor and left them
nothing. The younger girl remained
in Mississippi with her aunt and the
other girl went to Dallas, where she
lived with her uncle DR.. Williams, who
adopted her as his daughter and edu-
Gated her in the schools of that place.
In 1885 Minnie was sent to the conser-
vatory Of eiocution in Boston where she
was graduated after a three years
course. In the meantime her uncle
died, leaving her his property, consist
ing of real estate in Fort Worth, valued
al $4,000.
Coming back from Boston, Minnie
met her sister in Mississippi, and the
two went to the home of her uncle, Dr.
w. B. Black, in Jackson, Miss, where
they were together for the first time
since they Were infants. This was in
1884. They visited Dr. Black for some
time and then went back to Texas to-
gether. Before this Minnie had return
ed to Boston to take a postgraduate
course in the New England conserva-
tory of elocution. She finally finished
this course and in 1890 went to Denver,
where she remained for some time,
alnnJItinn CHI Tod
her uncle, DR.. Black, in Jacksonville,
Miss, in 1889, she had a picture of a
young man that she had met in Boston,
whose name was Harry Gordon. She
spoke of him as Harry" and said that
she was very much smitten with him,
as he was handsome and wealthy.
In March, 1893, the elder girl went to
Chicago. The press dispatches have
stated that she was a typewriter, but
truth of that as she was fine elocu-
ZIONIST and devoted to it, giving her at
tention to nothing else.
Soon after going to Chicago she
wrote to her sister telling her about
Harry Gordon and saying that she
was going to marry him. Soon after
receiving this letter another came stat
ing they had been married and inviting
Minnie to come to Chicago. when they
would take in the Worlds fair together
The sister in Texas left for Chicago
on the last of June. soon after the
school closed at Midlothian, Texas.
On July 4, 1898, Mamie wrote the
following letter to her aunt, Miss Lucy
Marshal, in Terry, Miss. She had not
been long in Chicago:
No. 1920 Wrichtwood Street Chicago,
Illinois, July 4, 1898.
Dear Aunt Lucy:-I wrote you from
Midlothian saying I was coming here
and also as soon as I reached here, but
have not heard from you. [ have
taken i'm the fair to my hearts con-
tent, and have enjoyed it so much.
Sister, Brother Harry and myself go to
Milwaukee tomorrow and will go to
Old Orcard Beach, Maine, by way of
the lakes and the st. Lawrence T.ver.
Will spend about two weeks and tnen
will go down to New York for me to
look around about studying art. Then
we will sail for Germany by way of
London and Paris. If I like it L will
stay and study art. If not, 1 will re-
turn to New York in time to make you
a visit before beginning my work.
can hardly realize that I am to have
the great advantage for which 1 have
wished SO long. Brother Harry says
you need not trouble any more about
me financially or otherwise. He and
sister will see to me.
1 hope our hard days are over. VIII
write again as soon as we are settled.
Write me right away and address to
Chicago and the letter will be forward
ed to me Your loving niece,
MAMIE WILLIAMS
In October DR.. Black began to feel
uneasy about the two girls. as the last
heard from them was this letter. But.
thinking they had gone across the
ocean, as this letter indicated, he ceased
for time to worry about their safety.
When Mamie Williams left Midlothian
she did SO hastily, and her trunk was
to be expressed to her in Chicago. The
trunk arrived July 6 and has not yet
been taken out Of the baggage room
there.
AS the letter from Mamie Williams
was written on July 4. and as her trunk
arrived July 6, and was not taken out
of the depot, DR.. Black concludes that
the girls were probably murdered on
July 5. He has been unable to find any
record of the marriage of Minnie Will
liams to Harry Gordon in Cook county,
Illinois, and says that he has no doubt
that Gordon, or Holmes, secured a
bogus preacher and a bogus marriage
license by which he fooled the girl.
Soon after they were married, he be-
Iieves, she was induced to give a deed
to her property in Fort Worth, and after
he had murdered the girl he went to
Fort Worth and sold the property, ex-
cept one valuable lot on which he began
the erection of a house. DR.. Black says
that Holmes had no other object in view
than TO secure possession of the girls
property, and that the European trip
was proposed to the girl SO that when
she wrote to her relatives and told
about it, as she did, they would be
thrown off their guard.