The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-05-22
Especial to The Herald.)


Ogden, May 21.-Alice SHIRLEY. 10
year-old girl and pupil in the eighth
grade of the Gordon school. left home
last night. Her grandmother. with
whom she lived. supposed she had gone
10 stay with a girl friend. but today a
letter came from her as follows:
/ ogden, May 20. 1S97.-To my Dear
Friends: This is a very painful task,
but it cannot be helped. for 1 love him.
l am sorry 10 disgrace you ALL but l
will be happy. 1 go TO join A j. H.
Holmes tonight No, he is not in Cali
fornia. but 1 cannot tell you where We
go. BY the time this reaches you
will probably be married. Vida, you
will hate me. l can now tell YOU /
love him, and Vida, try to forget me.
for you are the one girl 1 hate to dis
grace besides Jennie. for you two have
been my best friends, and I hope that
you will never have to do what l will
now. Grandma, you will not miss me,
but you nave been a mother 10 me, and
l appreciate you more tonight than
ever. / know you do not like him. To
my dear father, sister and brother, |
have nothing to say, only that / hope
you will forgive me, though I know it
will be hard. Harry, am sorry that
we have not been better to each other,
duu W III Sdy lONt you DGlleT lHdH
/ ever did before when l must leave
you. To Aunt Celia and Uncle Adler
and Mary Dee, l must say goodbye
for ever. You have all been so good to
me. The only thing I hate to leave Og-
den for is my dear loving mother. and
when YOU decorate her grave in the
name of holiness put some on for your
loving, but unwise, ALICE"
'P. 81 am very sorry l cannot
graduate
The Holmes referred to is a young
electrician who lived in Ogden up to
few months ago, and who has been
writing friendly letters to the girl from
California. Mrs. Heath, the grand
mother, does not think he has anything
10 do with the case, but that the let
ter is blind. She thinks the girl has
been decoyed from home BY Mrs. Gra-
ham, who was employed as coon by
her in her lodging house. This Mrs
Graham left Wednesday night-the girl
on Thursday. Her husband had gone
few days previous, saying he was going
to Leadville. Mrs. Graham got let
ter and two kilograms which seemed
to excite her. and she left 20 minutes
after receiving the last one. When the
girls trunk was orened il was found
20 be empty, and it is thought Mrs.
Graham had taken the things for the
girl. AS Alice had no money. Mrs. era
ham must have paid her fare.
James Conlisk, when shown the girls
picture, identified her as one who had
bought a ticket for McCammon, Ida,
on Thursday night. paying lbs for it.
The man Graham had been working as
a section hand for a week or two be-
fore his departure. He had always
professed TO be a hypnotist. Harry
SHIRLEY, a brother, went north in
search of the girl last night. William
Best. the step-fa.her, travels for a
jewelry firm, and has been sent for.
The greatest surprise is expressed by
the girls friends and teachers. She mas /
always appeared a modest, reserved, /
studious girl except within the past
week she has been careless as to her 1
school work. Her girl friends are ]
among the mos fashionable people CT I
Ogden Mrs. Heath, the girls grand I
mother keeps a boarding house on /
Lincoln avenue, near Twenty-fourth !
street She is we'll nigh frantic with /
grief. The girls friends are sure she /
has been unduly Influenced to leave |
home, but do not think Holmes is in |
any way connected with it, II IS quite |
possible TO Intercept her before she /
meets the Graham people and every 4
eesort is being made 10 do so.