Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-03-26
CONTEST BRlNGs IT To
LIGHT.
sMeE NAME EvoLurIoNs
foNAN TIVE sTETsONs CLAIM
Shs. GEORGE JOHNSON IS.

SuS0tW" A0NoOe00hR VT.
Wards Faith In His
Cheat.
There Is now no doubt but that success
the contest for the millions left by John
ass p,5;fon, the Boston theatrical masna,e.
3fes upon a name. The claimant. Eath-
Y lit Shirley. depends for the winning of
case solely upon being able TO prove
iic oIS she is the daughter Of Kate Stokes,
l,,a uo hson's wife. and TO whom he willed his
A'"So re estate. In her forthcoming fight
~ The, e courts OF Massachusetts she Will he
. lunced a Snoddy. the daughter of
nike. lane Snoddy. who Is now alleged by the
etsons TO be Mrs. George Johnson. who
fas married TO the gentleman whose name
Aee h now bears as Gertrude Snyder.
10 LAS etated in The Journal yesterday. she
IN. x,<d johnson We're married secretly ia Chi
c' kgo and for many months the fact that
-. hey were married was known 10 only a
"a Finkw Intimate friends.
'ods. WHEN Mrs. johnson. or Gertrude Snyder,
'he was known. lived at 500 Park av-
, nnse. aoa,rN She and johnson, it is said, first
- acquainted through a business
Double wIeetion which occurred in the Metro
5sc. fdh National bank. with which he was
- - .:.lEted. and he at once became fasci-
!. 4 ;.S<ed with her. She was Il widow and he
-sS9ad passed his majority by only Il few
ne Wsears. There were frequent buggy rides.
ce I~GexchRnges of confidence and finally n muf-
.'-ined peal OF marriage bells. OF her history
S.lhe knew little and cared LEES. Some say
wv that she was a circus rider.
r.,o It IL said of her that even in recent
foods months she has boosted of her former skill
or. . a. an eauestrienne. But that was In the
ago. when Omar Kingsley was the
n anSreatest ringmaster Of his age and before
''h s1rcingies supplanted pads as the only
E~ .rAnn hnrGaA
A.. II was In Texas. according TO Mrs. John-
vI ban. that Kate Stokes gave birth TO the
babe who. now as Mrs. Katherine Shirley.
!. ~ claiming the stetson estate. The birth
by spouse OF an aunt Of Mrs. Johnson's and
I'd riEheen the babe was abandoned by the cir.
y. snen' baby for four and q half years and then
again. Johnson. who denies that she ever was
zee & ca. cared for her until She was il years
ComSen family declare is a myth. Years after
Co, Ole runaway the girl returned TO Mrs.
ass3 svenue. accompanied by a baby; hoy. about
Il y months sSir;s Old a.. Since Since then the : Originating sss hating
S' ant OF the Stetson millions.
~ Claims of the stetson..
'rf The 6tetsons. as readers of The Journal
have already been informed. dispute her
~ claim as the daughter of Kate Stokes.
claim that she is the daughter of Mrs. Ger
Il trude snoddy. the wife of L. r. Hitchcock.
whose matrimonial experiences with Mrs.
6noddy have also been related I'm The Jour
They also expect to prove that Mrs. Shir-
ley ts Mrs. Johnson's daughter. Laura
snoddy.. later the wife of her then step
I. lawrence, Is her son.. and is In no way con-
e rrscy Gted with the name OF Shirley except by
80. : cn,3s ! .f Ssa aI,e Of ,h sspn nnms by lr n'a p Ti'esr
Io S,neD On the other hand. Mrs. Johnson denies
- that she WAS ever married 10 Hitchcock.
dauies that she was ever entitled TO bear
= sey e laura y essSad "S denies .n .hat M ise i S"r.
Lawrence, In Hitchcock's son. and denies
that she ever bore a child.
Ass. sssAdy's Excisi.g Experience.
II Was in 1853 that the Mrs. snoddy in this
[ comedy drama ON which 1t seems the cur
tain win never drop. became known In this
a city 10 Mrs. J.. Il. Hitchcock. When she
eA married Hitchcock In Chicago she was "A
with two children; Tom and Laura.
Fancy r. aH Eisshc sssa. and ind r asPi'ss t 'ne . decree s,xe'f iS
Mn r'ecc me following. The decree permitied her
Price 100 In iai and iss2. according to the Kan
RON. - ely ast reSSH Of these year, m,., a r Mrs +
rice Bile authority, a directory. q Mrs. Gertrude
fast . Mrs. Gertrude Snyder and a Hattie Shir-
ley lived at 900 Park avenue. At the :ast
" and after she became the wife Of George
ya} johnson. her present husband.
lM IL was In nv That Mrs. Gertrude SEOduy,
Of l~ East Tenth street. figured In two sem
= sattonsi episodes. In March she became in
votved In litigation In Justice Hawthornes
, court and Constable Creagen visited the
house, a plain and unohtrusive frame cot
Al tage which Is still standing. and WINS met
3 y Mrs. 6nOddy. who was beside herself
with rage. She drew a pistol on the con
stGhle and attempted to shoot him. hut It
nissod fire. She was then overpowered and
placed under arrest.
a Fair D~esPOndent NJ Olathe.
- In The journal OF December 2. lSae, an
pcared q special telegram which stated
shat q young woman. who refused to give
name, had created a big sensation there
f~attempttng suicide. 1t occurred at the
and TreSes hotel and the means adopted hy the
r.. 81. ing woman to end her life was chloro-
IN. She had arrived the day before from
HnRas. City, and refused TO divulge her
seatne. Sne was well dressed: about - years
6ola, had dark eyes and hair ana was II
20 tnedium size. A note written in lead pen
Ycil read:
Let me be buried in Olathe In the Gem
etery north. OF the ci:y. Leave rings on.
Ms watch t. all I have. Cse IL for ex-
penses, Leave ME have the clothing on.
All Of u. The hat. the grip. the pocketbook.
put In with me-, II Of no value"
i few dsys later the mysterious young
woman appeared at the home of Mrs.
rnrters. her name was given as Cretia
\ Long. daughter OF n. v. Long. a weil-to-
DO farmer living two miles west of Ca
boo1, Texas county, Mo. She had left her
home. she said. about two years before on
account Of a wealthy merchant Of Noun
been deceived and dared rot disgrace her