Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-02

tress of one of the worst gamblers in the
town, the tragedy so stirred public sent-
ment that there seemed every probability
that Fannie Raines, in spite OF her sex,
would be lynched, but she had friends in
Sacramento, and, strange to say, she ran
across her missing sister, Sarah, there who,
after marrying men named Swartout, Nc
Cormack and Green. was then living in
California under the alias of Leah Duell.
Her friends hurried her aboard a boat, got
her away from Sacramento before the lynch
ers could find her. and she started for new
fields going first 20 Acapulco, Mexico, then
to Panama, wherd shs met Abraham Hinck-
ley of New York, who was engaged In
business there. He was infatuated with
the woman, and he took her to New York,
where he married her, and she dropped the
names Minerva Seymour and Fanny Smith
and became Maria Hnckley. She enjoyed
her second marriage but year. She visited
her husband in Panama, Travelled to Cuba
and other countries, and finally wound up
in New Orleans, where she seemed to have
grown tired of married life, for she brought
suit for divorce and got it.
Then followed a curious episode in her
life which was largely responsible for the
decision of the court giving her property
to the Brown heirs. Maria Hinckley, after
wandering around the world and changing
her name at every place to which she went
after going through the most remarkable
her original name, returned to Rome, o.,
her birthplace after an absence OF thirteen
years. She came back as respectable
and well-to-do widow, to find her mother
dead. She built a handsome and expensive
monument over her mothers grave, on
which she had carved an entire poem, writ
ten by herself. Whether she was tired of
her life of wandering and adventure and
wanted to settle down to 4 quiet, respecta-
BILE life. no one except herself could ever say.
She unfortunately got into a quarrel with
her brother in law, McVey. whose wife got
half her succession. There were recrimina-
tions and lawsuits, in which Mrs. Maria
Iinckley was generally successful, but they
so dsgusted her with her family that she
again shook the dust from her feet and
went back to New Orleans, where she
changed her name aud became Fanny
Sweet.
MASQUERADING AS 4 MAN.
1t was just as the civil war broke upon
the country. Willis G. Stevens secured the
contract from the confederate government
to supply the Transmississippi department
with gun powder. He was to buy 1t abroad
and started for Europe via Mexico, as New
Orleans was tnen blockaded. He had as
partners in the business young Fred Sweet
and a leading merchant of New Orleans.
After travelling through Texas the merchant
was surprised to find that Fred was woman,
In fact was Fanny Sweet, who found male
dress better suited to her adventures, and
who in after life went as often In trousers
as in petticoats. The confederate agents
got as far as the Rio Grande, where Stevens
was taken dangerously ILL., and was nursed
by Fanny Sweet. The nursing did not seem
to agree with him, and when he died and
Fanny came into most of his property she
was publicly accused OF numbering him;
but in thos. times of civil war the criminal
courts were practically suspended, and al
though the charge of murder was made re-
peatedly Fanny Sweet was never mOlested
She came back to New Orleans, said that
Stevens was largely Indebted to her, brought
suit against his heirs, and secured a large
part of his succession. From that time to
her death Fanny Sweet never left New Or
leans. She became part OF its criminal
history. She built on the famous shell
road just on the edge OF the city, a palatial
mansion. surrounded by the handsomest gar
dens There the widest reyelries went on,
and the police were frequently called on to
restore order, but she had friends and inhu-
ence and defed all police regulations. Moth
ing afforded her more satisfaction than to
through the city, dressed In male
attire, firing her revolver in the
air. This, however was mere
trihlng and there were several more serious
episodes In her career at the shell road
house. A young man OF conspicuous family
was murdered in her garden, but the fam
lily gladly hushed up the affair. Then a
young woman was killed there, and there
were whispers OF Fanny's Wild Jealousy
and ungoyernable temper and her quickness
to usa her gun, but II was during a period
of the grossest police corruption, and no
one cared to trlne with Fanny, and the
murder was never made public; It was
returned as a suicide.
Sixteen years ago Fanny Sweet. then well
beyond so. further astonished the world by
marrying the distinguished LAWYER William
r. Mills. The marriage shocked Mills
friends but II seems to have been a happy
one for when he died. eleven years after
ward. he left his entire property to "hls
beloved wife" whom he STYLES Fanny
Minerva Seymour Hlnekley," including q