The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-02-04
MALICE HER MANIA
Clara Holland, Anonymous
Letter Writer, Said to Be
Mentally Affected.
NO DISCERNIBLE MOTIVE
The New York Stories About
Social Aspirations, Mere
Fiction.
DISCHARGED BY Mr.. FISK
Her Late Employer Convinced OF
Her Guilt and Overwhelmed
With Grief.
A SOCIAL REIGN OF TERROR
The ygoEnan,s Unique Opportunities
Enabled Ezer TO wound Her
A SOCIAL REIGN OF TERROR
The woEnan,s Unique Opportunities
Enabled Eser TO wound Her
victims to the quick.

The arrest and subsequent liberation
on Saturday of Clara Holland, a type
writer, employed in the law office OIL
Fisk & Parmly, brought to climax
scandal that has agitated Jersey CITY So
ciety since last June. The woman was
accused of writing some seVenty-ilVe
ANONYMOUS letters of a libeious cnar-
acter to about twenty-five prominent
pecose. men and women. When Hrst
arrested she Indignantly denied the
charge When overwhelmed with PROOF
of guilt, she confessed and begged lot
mercy. She was liberated and those VINO
had taken the foremost part IN her oe-
lection agreed to drop the matter. 10
day. at least one of her victims refuses
to be bound by this promise and threat
ems prosecution, though the statement
made by New York paper that prosecu-
ton was resolved on at a meeting OF
victims last night. is absolutely untrue
The assertion of the same paper that
Mr.. Fisk still believed her innocent anc
refused to discharge her from the en-
pioyment of his firm is also emphatlcal-
ly denied by Mr.. Fisl1's friends and the
members of the Detective Committee.
Today it is given out on good authority
that. the girls mind is affected. 1t IS
stated that her doctor has been treating
her for nervous disorder. The wanton
and purposeless character of the persecu-
ton she carried on lends color to this
theory.
The enquiry has also developed the
astounding fact that some other malici-
Gus and anonymous letter writers are at
work in Jersey City. Several persons
have received such letters in the past
year. ghIcn are not traceable to Clara
Holland. ones.e -tbe New York hand
writing experts, too, who was consulted
told the committeeman that Jersey City
was "a perfect hot bed" of anonymous
letter writing.
CLARA HOLLAND.
Clara Holland is a native and resi-
dent of Brooklyn. She is about thirty
years old. Sne is rather plain looking
girl of medium build. with fair fluffy
hair and light grey eyes. She dressed
well, but by no means loudly. Her
manner was a trifie lofty for her position,
some people thought. She was, however,
a girl of excellent ability, a first rate
stenographer and typewriter, and
shrewd and careful manager. She was
regarded as invaluable by Messers. VIII
lard C. Fisk and Randolph e. Parmly,
who were the members of the law firm
employing her. They placed implicit
trust in her and nobody could doubt her
ability.
Her family stands well in Brooklyn.
They have many friends there. 1t Is
said she was under no real need of earn
ing her living. Her people were able to
maintain her She preferred, however,
to be busy, and enjoyed work. Mrs.
Fisk, besides, took quite a fancy to her.
had her constantly stopping at her house,
made an intimate of her and gossipped
and talked with her as she would with
any member of her own social circle.
Clara spent a portion of the summer OF
1888 and last summer at the Fisk cottage
at Brie lie. Here. it is said, Mrs. Fisk
failed to secure much social recognition
for her protege, but her own kindness
remained untiring. According to one
theory, the neglect with which the cot
tagers treated the girl was one of the
causes of her subsequent malicious perse-
cution of them. However that may be,
her intimacy with Mrs. Fisk gave her
the means of procuring the information
Which SHE used for her malicious pur-
Lboses. She heard all that. was going on
: in the best circles talked over at the
Fisl1's home. and when the spirit moved
her she embodied it in letters, sent where
they would do most harm, with wrongful
and Injurious constructions and comments
THE TROUBLE BEGINS
The trouble began last June. First one
letter was written, then another For
some time they were few in number,
though Ilatterly they became, very fre-
developed and grew with indulgence.
bitter. They ali had enough truth in
covered wide field of annoyance petty
and serious. Ladies' dresses. their per-
sonal appearance. their pets, their n.,rl-
ners, their social standing, their an
tecedents. even their moral characters
were assailed. Attacks on men were
fewer, stsll there were some. Both men.
There is no describing. the agitation
the letters, caused. The. ladies'. who. re-
cetved them instead of treating them
tents, and in some instances altered
their plans for the summer. One lady
vas warned ne aga.nst one o. her Intimate
ner with that friend. On receiving the
anonymous letter she changer her mind
and went, to place where she hoped to
City ali summer. She had been warned
not to. AnOsDeF was more lucKy. SES
was to spend the summer in Europe.
The mischief making rnissives tha. were
sent to her fell INTO her husbands hands
first He was afraid that they might in
ssfsderea ller so he did not let her see them
L until she was on the stea uler and well on
ner way across the. ocean. There was
little enioynent for the society people Of
Jersey City last summer Nearly all OF
them were tortured with fear and mis-
gi9ings. They tried to banish the thoughts
snegested by the anonymous mischief
: n1aiEer from their minds, but try as they
u Auld they could not do So, -
4 ts1lYa yer outings they were rather coni
towards each other They met as usual
at their afternoon r-as,, bus i was piain
fTfe ladies did not chat as freely. as they
used to- They weighsd we'll their words ,1
before rtterIng them, and careIvUiiy y
watched their neiChbcrs acflons- one
: rclnarl<a lle tbirg- was that there was al-