The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-06-02
Mary Dawson, Who SAID She Was Me-
Caftsrtys First Wife, Q CIaimint
MARRIED IN eRETNA GREEN, she SAID
No Record Of Such q Ceremony Gould Be- Found,
but Il Was Dsoovsyd That She Had Been
Gully Of Pension Frauds.

Chicago, Ill.,, June s.--The appellate
court of Illinois has just decided in
favor OF Marian Hooper. OF Baltimore,
her appeal against Mary Dawson, who
claimed that she was the first wife
of John Mccaffery who died in Chicago.
leaving over half million OF dollars
some years ago.
John McCaffery was one OF the most
prominent men in Chicago, and "A di-
rector In the Illinois Trust and Savings
Bank. the largest trust company here.
Both continents have been ransacked
for evidence. and witnesses from New
York TO San Francisco have been eX-
amined. and the testimony OF num-
Der of important witnesses has even
been taken in England, Ireland and
Scotland. 1t is said that MIR. Beale.
counsel for Mary Dawson and others.
has travelled fully one hundred thous-
and miles in his Investigations into this
case and that Mr.. Edwin j. Farber,
OF Baltimore. who has represented Mrs.
Hooper throughout the long litigation,
has travelled fully seventy-five thous-
and miles.
few months after McCaffery's death
Mary Dawson appeared upon the scene,
claiming 10 be his first wife and al
legfng that she had eloped with him
In the year 1886. and that she had
married him first at historic Gretna
Green without her mothers consent,
and again, I'm order to please her moth
er, at Carlisle. England.
Mrs. Farber had the records investl
gated and witnesses examined both it
Gretna Green and Carlisle. and no
where did they disclose any evidence
OF such alleged marriage McCaffery
and Mary Dawson lived together soNe
years and had certain children, but in
lsis she eloped from him with a man
named William O'Daniels, who was an
employe OF John McCaffery and who
worked on his boat.
Upon O'Daniels' death. in 1863, he
having been a soldier in the Union
army. she obtained a pension as his
widow. Upon learning that John Nc
Caffery had died leaving a large for
tune. she applied for dover and a third
OF the personality forming part OF that
fortune. After Mary Dawson left John
McCaffery he married a Miss Douglas.
by whom he had two children Mrs
Marian Hooper and Henry ~. Douglas
McCaffery, the latter OF whom died I'm
infancy. His wife was burned to death
and the child Marian was burned on
:he right arm. By this scar she was
traced -1rnm- place Ito place. and finally
identified as one of the missing heir
esses to John McCaffery's fortune. and
is now living i'm Baltimore. McCaffery
later married Nancy Canoe, OF Hen-
cock. Md, who died without leaving any
children. and after her death he mar
ried again. and this wife also died some
years ago.
When Mary Dawson laid claim to
dover in 100000 worth OF real estate,
and TO a third of about 5000. 900 OF per-
sonality. the claims to both were con-
tested by Marian Hooper. who forced
the contest from the court TO court.
The government authorities at Wash
ington having discovered irregularities
in her pension matters had hs<>S' ,licted
by the grand jury of the United Statey
court in Auburn. n. Y, for pension
frauds and pension perjuries. and re-
covered judgment against her OF over
$4,000 II will be remembered that last
autumn. the case which the same pc
titoner, Mary Dawson. had instituted
for dover in $780, 900 OF the real estate
OF John McCaffery was also resisted by
Marian Hooper, who won the case.
Counsel for Mary Dawson entered an
appeal i'm the dover case. which within
the past few weeks they gbandoned
thus also deciding the dover case fip-
ally I'm favor of Mrs. Hooper.