The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-08
Large Sums Donated to Aid in
Procuring the Release of
Mrs. Maybrick.
CONVERTED TO OTHER USES,
Swelldom in Many Western Cities
Robbed by a Clever Female
ImpoStor.

PORTLAND, Or, June About a
fortnight ago Mrs. Alma Sturveysant of
New York came to Portland, bringing a
letter of Introduction to prominent So
ciety lady. This letter represented Mrs.
Sturveysant as one of the accredited col
lectors of the National Maybrick Fund
Association" with headquarters in New
York City. Mrs. Sturveysant was about
twenty-eight years of age, decidedly pre-
possessing in appearance and talked like
book" upon all subjects. Her pet topic,
however, was the philanthropic mission
upon which she was bent. The object OF
the ASSOCIATION represented by her, she al
legged, was to raise a colossal sum OF money
from American women to secure the re-
lease from prison of Mrs. Maybrick, now
serving a life sentence in an English
prison for supposedly having poisoned her
husband.
Mrs. Survey SAINT proved so charming and
pleasant that the lady to whom she
brought the letter, without considering
the absurdity of the proposition. con-
tributed $50 to the "NationaI Maybrick
fund" She introduced Mrs. Sturveysant
to a number of other ladies belonging to
E-J
waited by Mrs. Sturveysant's fascinating
manner and they also contributed to the
fund without seriously reasoning that no
sum of money could accomplish the pur-
pose of this association. In three days
time the charming collector" succeeded
in gathering in almost $500 from Port
lands swelldom, and on the fourth day
she left for San Francisco, armed with two
letters strongly recommending her mis-
sion to moneYed set there. And now
there is mourning in Portland, for those
who contributed learn that they were
duped
The letter Mrs. Sturveysant brought was
from Mrs. G. f. Milton, Salt Lake friend
OF the Portland lady. There also the COL
lector was quite successful in enlisting
metallic sympathy for innocent, fmprls-
oned Mrs. Maybrick. On Wednesday last
the Portland heroine of this episode was
startled by the receipt of another letter
from Mrs. Milton. in which Mrs. Survey
SAINT was denounced as an unmitigated
imposter. Mrs. Milton declared that this
fascinating female philanthropist came to
her with letter from an Omaha friend.
The latter's suspicion became aroused
some time after Mrs. Sturveysant left
Omaha, and upon communicating with
prominent New Y ork friends she was APP
prised that the 'Maybrick Association
was myth.
Judging from the tenor of Mrs. Milton s
letter Mrs. Sturveysant was quietly ex-
posed as a fraud more than six weeks ago,
but the people among whom she has been
working are so exclusive and can so easily
afford to lose the money out of which they
were duped that they are indisposed TO
publish their gullibility to the W orld.
This accomplished and intrepid impos-
tor has for some time been working west
ward from New York City. Mrs. Milton
has begun tracing the impostor's letters of
introduction to their fountain head, and
in such way, if possible, hopes to estab-
fish the woman's identity. Mrs. Survey
SAINTS principal Portland dupe lost no
time in warning her San Francisco friends
by wire Immediately after the receipt OF
Mrs. Millions letter, and if the impostor
has not left that City she may be appre-
hended there by the police.