The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-26
THE END OF A VERY
STRANGE STORY
Problem Of the Identity Of Fanny Sweet
and Rachel Brown.
WERE THEY THE SAME PERSON
A Louisiana Court Decides That
They Were, and Thus Fastened
Upon One woman Adventures to
Fill Chapters OF Romance and
Tragedy.


Louisiana has passed finally, brought
to light a series of stories SO marvel
Gus that novelist would be accused OF
sensationalism IL he gave them In any
romance.
On Jan. 6, 1896, Mrs. William r. Mills
died in this city at the age of 10. She
was the widow Of one of the most dis
tinguished members of the New Orleans
bar who had been the leading counsel
in the famous Myra Clark Gaines case,
which resulted In this city's paying
$2,00O,00O to the Gaines heirs. Mills's
fee in this case was one of the largest
ever paid. and made him Independently
rich but he died soon after his success.
leaving all his property to his wife.
Every one in New Orleans knew who
she was, the notorious Fanny Sweet.
who for thirty years had been the
widest woman in the city,w hose freaks.
fOllies, and wild escanades had made
her notorious. whose life had been one
long succession of adventures. She
was woman of "a when she met Mills.
but such was the power she eXerted
over men that this lawyer Of fine fam
lily and of high social standing and
reputation at the bar made her his
wife.
She was 20 years old when she died.
and her death was a miserable enough
ending even for life SO stained with
sin and crime. Mrs. Mills was a
wealthy woman. yet died of starvation.
She had 100000 i'm bonds in her armoire.
but died of lack Of food. For three
years before her death she was blind,
but she was so filled with fear that
some one would rob her of her money
that she lived alone. She was taken
sick, and, having no one to call the
doctor or get her assistance or food,
she lay upon the floor until she died
OF starvation. She was found dead by
a ncighbor. Her death revealed the ro-
nance of her life and a succession Of
tragedies.
Mrs. Mills or Fanny Sweet. made
number OF will:; lust before she died,
IN which she left her money to several
conspicuous men in New Orleans. Most
of them would have gladly foregone the
money to avoid the notoriety She re-
Noked all her wills just before her death
and died intestate.
The state of Louisiana laid claim 10
the estate and seemed likely to get 1t,
when suddenly two heirs appeared
Charles G. Brown. a respectable lawyeH
of Sacramento Cal. and Mrs. Mary
McVey, all aged widow of Huntington,
w. Va. who claimed that Mrs. Mills,
or Fanny Sweet. was their sister, Rach E.
probable tale. for the state of Louisiana
had traced back Fanny Sweets history
and found that she was Minerva Sey-
mour an English bar maid, born in
London in 1926. The evidence that Fan
ny Sweet was Minerva Seymour seemed
complete and indisputable. She her
self so declared repeatedly. so swore in
her will, in her marriage certificate;
and in her relations however contiden-
~ ~, L., .,l~. ...I H.
same story. She was born In London,
she said, Of good parentage. but had
been left an orphan when young, had
run away from her guardian, grown up
in the slums of Liverpool. had become
barmaid there. and finally had come
over to the United States in 1876. when
20 years old. Arriving in New York
In the ship Waterloo, commanded by
Captain Allen, the state found several
of her fellow travellers on the voyage.
who readily identified Minerva Sey-
mour with Fanny Sweet. She spoke,
they said. with marked cockney ac-
cent.
EXTRAORDINARY DECISION.
Here comes in the extraordinary and
incOmprenhensible part of the stogy.
for the claimants to the estate declare
that Fanny Sweet was their sister.
Rachel Brown, a native of Rome, Law
renee county, o., and descended from
an old Virginia family: and the court
dec,aro tions nf Eannv Swao, harsais
and NJ bar fri.nds iau,y,"rs ond ~
o,,aintances in snita of bar Wills ana
har roarr;o ga nar,iaoot 20, T., ,nit
of her cocknev accent and bar ,andine
in this country from Liverpool in 1916.
that Fanny Sweet was Rachel Brown.
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