The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-10-14

The trial of Mrs. Myra h. Atkinson,
on charge of forgery is one of the most
remarkable-on record. She is the rich
wife of George Wesley Atkinson, Cover
nor of West Virginia, and has been prom
inent socially for many years, not only in
West Virginia, but in Washington.
Mrs. Atkinson has powerful influences
beh nd her, for aside from her own wealth
it is said she can command mi lion
through her sister, Mrs. Golf, a relative
OF Judge Nathan Golf of the United
States District court.
As if this were not enough to ena BILE
her to put up a strong defense, she can
also command political influence that
might prove more potent than mere
money. Her position seems almost i'm :
pregnable, when 1t is considered that be-
sides all this she is the wife of the Cover
nor, who has the pardoning power in case
of conviction, though he says he has never
given the idea place in his mind and
neither has his wife.
Mrs. Atkinson was thrice married, and
each time it was to her benefit AS a
poor and obscure girl she first marie
DR.. Ed Davis. a man of promin ent fami-
ly, in 1875. DR.. Davis drank lye for
whiskey in the dark one night and died.
In 1888 the widow married Judge Glide
on Draper Camden, the most prominent
and wealthieSt member of the famous
Camden family, that numbers Senators,
Governors and nillionaires in its list of
notables. She was then thirty eight, hand
some, Vivacious and lively-iust the sort
OF woman to attract millionaire widow
er of seventy-five; and that he was at
tracted and that the widow was not with
out business sense, is proven by mar
rage contract that gave her 100000 for
marrying him and caring for him in his
old age; also by the will, that gave her
all OF his estate except few $500 legacies
he left to his children and grandchildren.
AT fifty two, when Mrs. Camden mar
ried Gov. Atkinson, last summer, she
was still well preserved, and retained
much of her youthful spirit and vigor.
She and the Governor had known each
other for years, and had always been
good friends After the Governors peri
cd of mourning for his wife, who died in
1894, it was noticed that he was often at
Clarksburg, Mrs. Camden's home, and
that she often entertained him, not only
there. but when they might chance to be
in Washington, where Mrs. Camden
maintained an elaborate establishment on
U street
The forgeries Mrs. Atkinson was al
legged to have committed were in connec-
ton with the property left by Judge
Camden.
And it was through these that she was
alleged to have secured control of and to
have turned into cash thousands of dol
lars worth of property now claimed by
others of the Camden heirs. ~. efst.
Judge Camden was weak for long
time before his death, but up to the last
he insisted upon transacting his own bus
mess. Physically incapacitated he was
unable to do this satisfactorily, and he
left many things half DONE
The charge against Mrs. Atkinson was
that she took advantage of this, after
Judge Camden's death, to get control OF
the estate of S112, 900 he left, or, at least,
converted it into cash. The method she
adopted, it was claimed, was to sell the
land cheap, and by means of forged let
tiers antedating the death of Judge Cam
den, intended to prove that the business
transacted had been carried on and con-
cluded before the Judge passed away.
Thus the money paid for the land would
go to her directly and the other heirs
would see none of it. 1t was with these
letters and contracts that the prosecution
hoped to win its case
The arrest of Mrs. Atkinson caused q
profound sensation from which the ma
6ives OF West Virginia have not vet re-
covered. 1t was given a political signif
canoe that, perhaps, it did not merit.
Some Of the governors friends went SO
far as to charge that the case was brought
10 injure his chances for the seat in the
United States Senate now occupied by
Senator Faulkner.
The fact is, Mrs Camden cher name
before marriage to Gov. Atkinson, a short
time ago.. was under Indictment before
her marriage, and the movement to indict
her was begun before it had even been
limited that love affair between them
existed. The announcement of their en-.
gagement last June was, in fact, more OF
a surprise than the announcement that
Mrs. Camden had been indicted.
After the Indictment Mrs. Atkinson
steadily insisted on her innocence and in
the statement that she would be exon
era ed and honorably discharged In that
she wa Imported by her friends, of whom
she Las a legion.