Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-04-11

He Acted Merely In ais Capacity OF Pas
tor TO Mary Brinkman, snd Made No
Threats-His Actions All to Prevent
Scandal

tor 10 Mnry Drtnknion, enU Mo~o ~
Threats-His Actions All to Prevent
Scandal
Special telegram to TIE Rsoistsr.
PARKERsBuRG, w. VA, April TO-
The strange story and escapades OF Miss
Mary Brinkman and Miss Sallie String
er created great deal Of talk in this
city.
Rev. Father Bauer, who was made to
figure in the character OF prosecutor,
was interviewed by the REGISTER cor
respondent to-day.
Father Bauer, who Is an assistant
priest of st. Xavier Church, felt ag-
grieved. In reply to the query as TO
how he had became connected, ii such
had been the case, in the strange affair,
he said:
ST have been grossly deceived by
those women, and their stories to the
officers and newspaper men have been
maliciously false. At first thought 1t
might be better to totally ignore the
affair, as have no idea whatever that
anyone with ordinary intelligence
would believe word of their Infamous
story in so far as am concerned; but
perhaps it would be as we'll to fully ex-
plain all that l had to do with 1t.
About two months ago Miss Mary
Brinkman, one of the women, who l
now understand is known under another
name, came to me and told me that she
and a companion-Miss Sallie Stringer
had arrived in this city short time
before. She said she hid asked a lady
to procure her a situation, and the lady
having heard rumors that her com panion
was not woman but was really man,
had asked Miss Brinkman TO come TO
me for advice. / questioned Miss
Brinkman closely and she said that her
companion was really man, and told
the following story. She said that she
met her companion first at Columbus,
Ohio. That he had been brought to the
hospital where she-Mlss Brinkman-
was a nurse, in womens clothes,
OF their having left together,
and of their marriage shortly after
ward. l asked her why her companion
had worn women's clothing, to which
she replied that he had never worn any
other clothing, and in fact had always
passed as a woman. She adhered 10 this
story, and in view of this fact, and the
peculiar circumstances Of her compan-
ion still wearing female garb, l was
we'll aware that scandal would result,
and advised them to leave the city. She
promised that they would leave that
week and l supposed they had done so.
About ten days later l was told that
they were still here. and then told an
officer confdentially the story as they
gave it to me, and asked him TO urge
them to go away to prevent scandal.
The officer went to their home, and did
not find them at home. Then called
upon them myself, and told them of the
reports which were being circulated,
and told them il they did not go away
would give the story to the officers.
Miss Brinkman still insisted that
her companion was man, and be-
lieved them"
"They say you threatened them with
all sorts Of penalties or punishments
II they did not go away?"
"That is not true. l made no threat
whatever, except that l would be com-
PEELED to tell the police what they told
me. Then both stoutly refused to
leave, and I went to Chief Heaton and
told him just what i have told you.
AS to the story of my having threat
ened to have them stoned, that, of
course, is the effusion Of vivid imag-
ination, probably of the one whose
mental faculties were deranged-as
they claim-by an operation on her
skull. They never mentioned that part
of their story to me at all. Miss Brink
man told me that her parents were
living in Ohio and wanted her
to separate and come back home, but
that she had refused to do so. The fact
was it was their own stories which had
caused people to become suspicious OF
them.
'Now, in order to explain why took
any special interest at all in them or
their affairs, it is only necessary to say
that Miss Brinkman came to me as a
Catholic. The other woman when among
Catholics also claimed to be Catholic,
and it was on that account that l,
Catholic minister, did what believed TO
be right in advising them to leave the
city in order to avoid what might be-
COMMERCIALLY has become-a scandalous
affair"