The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-13
Mrs. Richard Mcdonald is Living
in St. Louis.
TALKS OF A CONSPIRACY.
BELIEVES HER HUSBAND INNO-
CENT OF ALL CRIME.
Her Husbands Downfall Was Caused
BY Politicians, Who Were Afraid
of the Influence Welded BY the
McDOnaIds in San FranciscO-An
Interesting Trial Looked For.

st. Louis, July 12.-Mrs. Ellie Nc
Donald, reported to have fled from
San Francisco with 100000 belonging
to her husband, Richard II. Mcdonald,
jr., now in Jail in that city awaiting
trial for forgery and embezzlement in
connection with the wrecking of the
Pacific bank, was located in this city
today. She is with her sister-in-law,
Mrs. John Carlton. 26OS north Garrison
avenue.
At first she would not admit her
identity, but after reading the report of
her alleged flight. she acknowledged
that she was the wife of Richard NJ
Mcdonald. She then said:
1.-The report that fed with my hus-
bands money is untrue. 1 have not
handled any Of his money for three
months. The amount was not more
than $1,000. This was all that was
entrusted to me for defending my hus-
band and it was all he had"
She related the story of her first
meeting with Mcdonald in 1890, and
told of their marriage in 1898. Three
months after the marriage" she con-
tinued, ''the trouble came on. Richard
H. Mcdonald, ST.. my father-in-law,
went to New York and sent for us.
When we arrived there he asked my
husband to take me and go abroad.
My husband said he was innocent and
would go back to San Francisco and
face the charges.
Then his father begged him to go
and even offered to pay our expenses.
Still my husband refused. The result
was that we went back to San Fran
1t. So
York, where he is at present. Then
followed my husbands arrest and all
this trouble, of which L know nothing.
l am totally ignorant Of my husband S
financial dealings and, therefore, not in
a position to talk of them; but / know
that my husband is innocent of the
charge against him and is the victim of
political conspiracy. That is why his
father wanted him to go abroad, as he
said his enemies in San Francisco
would resort to any means to pull him
down.
THE conspiracy, or as much as I'M
derstand of it, was this: There was a
plot gotten up by some politicians to
secure the chief Justices seat. The
McDonalds were a ruling power in San
Francisco at that time, as the Pacific
bank controlled millions and had other
dealings outside the financial ones.
These politicians set to work. and
without any good reason appointed a
receiver for the bank. They declared
it gone under through the fraudulent
dealings of the Mcdonald family. and
would have arrested my husband, his
father and my brother-in-law at once
had they not fed. Frank V. McDon-
aid, my brother-in-law,' now it is said,
took 100000 belonging to the bank.
That is false Only three months ago
I had to cable him $3.50, though he
never received 1t. One of our lawyers
received the money from me but never
sent it. Attorney Levinsch, who is as
sisting the defense, is doing so for
nothing. He simply went into the case
to try and make a reputation. This is
our side of the charges against my
husband
Mrs. Mcdonald declares she has not
got a cent outside of her actual living
expenses. She was engaged in clean
ing the house. 1T seems proba bic, .
she remarked, sarcastically. II would
be doing this, if I had 100000, doesn'
it?"
| Mrs. Mcdonald says she will leave
for San Francisco in a few days to be
present with her husband when ar
raigned for trial on July %.