The herald., 1898-01-10

ceived proposal from him, and after
his decease l wrote several letters to
Jones and Weller, but none to Phifer,
and answered all their questions but one,
and told them did not know whether
could answer that one or not. I asked
the parties for money for such informa-
ton as 1 might furnish them with in
these suits, and I addressed all the let
ters to Jones and Weller, except one;
that one addressed to Richard Phifer
wrote as many as three to Attorney
John T. Jones and to Jones and Weller,
and they were written between October
10 and December 26, 1897. understand
Jones and Weller to be the attorneys
of the estate of Nicholas Creede. When
wrote to Mrs. Creedes attorney on
September 20, 1897, I had received q
proposition from her husband. After his
death had no letter from Phifer, but did
receive several from Jones. 1 did not let
the attorneys Of Creede's estate know
of the proposition made by Creede him
self. When I made the $4,000 offer to
Mrs. Creede's attorney I told him that
Creede offered me $4,000, and that 1
had refused to answer the attorneys S
letters
PRICES ON A SLIDING SCALE
Intent upon blackmailing somebody,
he gave his sister-in-law, Mrs. Creede,
the first option, for the reason, perhaps,
that he and his family having been the
recipients Of her bounty for years. he
thought she might "bleed" more readily
that utter strangers would He was
mistaken, however, for she refused to
have anything to say to him, and then
White tried to hold up" the other side
1t will be perceived that he had sliding
scale of infamy, and stood ready to do
dirty work in proportion to the amount
Of the money paid over to him.
The assertion Of White that he had
corresponded with Nicholas Creede him
self is curiously interesting. When the
former millionaire was taking steps to
get divorce from his wife there existed,
1t appears. strong probability that he
would have failed to get a decree, and
from what has developed It has been
shown that Mark White was negotiating
to the end that he should furnish
Creede with evidence regarding his
wife's first marriage with Vandever, her
never having obtained a divorce, and
Vandever's being still in the land of the
living-all for a handsome considera-
ton, in order that Creede might prose
cute suit to annul his marriage.
VANDEvER AT THE WAR
AS further illumining the situation,
the deposition Of George s. Vandever
himself Is important. While the deposit
ttion Of White makes 1t appear that VAN
dever was side partner with him in
his blackmailing schemes and was to
receive half of the proceeds, it Is said
that the facts themselves do not war;
rant the assumption. He Is Campbell
lite preacher, and Is reported as being a
guileless kind of man, involuntarily
made the tool Of an unscrupulous scoun-
drel.
vandever testified that he married
Nancy L. White (Mrs. Creede) in 1858.
while residing in Wayne county, Tenn.
He lived with her until 1862, when he
went Into the army and served during
the war. When he returned he found
that his wife had disappeared, and II
was said she had skipped out with an
other man. In October. 1865, he applied
for a divorce, and decree was granted
in April, 1866. In December Of the same
year he remarked.
That is the pith of Vandever's testi-
mony In the examination of Mrs.
Creede by Mr.. Gage she was only asked
If she had obtained a divorce, and not
whether her first husband had obtained
divorce from her. If the latter ques-
ton had been put, probably some time
might have been saved, and the greedy
instincts of Mark White been checked
at much earlier stage of the game.