The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-13
END OF A STRANGE STORY.
FAvNYsWEETHTD RAOHEL brown
WE'RE THEY THE SAME PERSON.

v.-.. a...,,,... a. ruu Cbn,ter,
Wonsh Ao'ene'e 49,"
no.Ha'S sn' irrsSas.
succession of Fanny Sweet Mills, upon which
tho Civil District Court OF Louisiana passed
finally on Tuesday, Dec. 8; brought to lirn, a
neries OF stories so marvellous tna'a no'elISs
would be accused of sensationalism II he gave
W. 80 81. 1x,,,.-p ,,,,.,t.s,
On Jan. o. lsoo' Mrs. "iiiam W. ni'''S uieu u
one of this most distinguished members of tho
u y u 'uo'S 80 ~ - ~. ,s.,tnr
counsel in the famous Myra Clark Gaines case,
vhjoh resulted in this c,ty's paying SO. 600, 900
~ ,ha as,nss heirs. Mill,,s fee in this case
was one of the largest ever paid, and made him
,naons,d.n,Iv rich. hut he died soon after his
success, leaving all his property 10 MS "!te.
Every one in New Orleans knew who she was. tho
no,orion, FANNY sweet, who for thirty years had
notor'ous fAnny s"eeS"n ~ ~. 49, ,rhosa
been tho wiidest woman IN tne o'y' "noso
no.oriors vhose lifo had been ono long Success
notorious' Wnoso ill' " . Nv =, :.
zion OF adventure she was woman OF o.
1910 ov.r man that mi. lawyer Of ape family
e1ert.u over msn a as.nd,na MA ronr,o,ion a,
the bar made her his wife.
Oh. ga. 10 war, old when she died. and her
death was a miserable enough ending oven for
o life 90 stained with sin and crime. Mrs. Mills
So, ve,lthv woman. vet died of starvation.
Wss Nee'tuy "on".' = u'e -
She had 100000 in bonds In her armolre' but
died Of lack OF food. For three years before her
death she was blind but she was 30 hlleo WIN
fear that some enc would ROB her OF ner money
snes she hvsd Alone; sno was 'anen ns s'' a.. anu ~.
having neone '" 'ue uoo.o'
sistance or food, che lay upon the floor until she
neiEheor. Her death revealed the romance
- . - ~ n N ~ air ~ ~ MI n
Mr.. MIls, or Fanny Sweet, made q number
Nn,a g., 49,. ~. a,od In which an. I,ft
her monsy to several conspicuous men in New
orleans. Most Of them would have gladly fore
gone the money to avoid the notor'esy. She re.
voked all her Wills just before her death and
died intestate.
The State OF LOUISIANA iaia claim 10 the e.
tate and seemed likely to get it, when suddenly
wv - sSa, s.on.msn.o r.I "a Mira
epectaoie ie'VbeEo SsoF"nen'o' q Wv hi'
"a SrAry ,,atna - ,hs, NJ, AIM. ~ Fsnnv
So. 90. ,ha,- s,.,or Rach.I Rrovn I.
seemed O thoroughly improbable tale, for
an. at.te of Louisiana had traced back
y II","-- - 80 49,,
she was Minerva Seymour, an English bar
maid, born in London In 1929: The evidence
complete and indiaputabie. She herself SO de
clared repeatedly. so swore In her will. In her
MARRIAGE certificate; and In her relations. now
ever confidential with her lawyers, she told the
same story. Shs was born In London, she said.
of GOOD parentage, but had been left an orphan
when younr, had run away from her guardian,
grown mn in the slums of Liverpool, had become
q barmaid there. and finally had come over to
the United States In 1S46. when go years old.
Arriving in Now York in the ship Waterloo,
commanded by Capt. Allen. the State found
several OF her fellow travellers on the voyage
who readily identified Minerva Seymour with
Fanny Sweet. She spoke, they said, with q
marked cockney accent.
Here comes In the extraordinary and incom-
prehensibie part OF the story, for the claimants
20 the estate declare that Fanny Sw eet was their
sister. Rachel Brown. a native OF Rome, Law;
renee county. O., and descended from an old
Virginia family; and the court has decided. Ia
spite of the frequent declarations of Fanny
Sweet herself and of her friends, lawyers, and
acQuaintances, in spite Of her wills and her
marriage certificate, even in spite OF her cock
ney accent and her landing in this country from
Liverpool in 1916, that Fanny sweet was
Rachel Brown. and 1t has awarded all her
property to the California and West Virginia
claimants. The court was compelled to accept
the Minerva Seymour episode AS true-it was
&C clearly ~proved-but passed it over as mex
plicable. like the many metamorphoses which
Fanny Sweet INDUCED In later in her life.
Rachel Brown. was born in 1926 in Rome. Q.
She ran away from home when Is years old,
and was completely lost sight OF for years. but