The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-01-19
A Pennsylvania Woman Ruins
Homes and
CAUSES GREAT MISERY
BY Means Of Anonymous Letters She Kept
Up Her Cruel Work for Five Years
Before Discovered.

always a voice urging her and she
had to obey it.
That is the only explanation thus
far vouchsafed of the motive which
for the last seven years has induced
Mrs. Harriet Jones to spread misery
in a community of which she was
one of the most prominent members.
She has confessed that she wrote
the anonymous and slanderous let
tiers which disrupted families, es-
tranged husbands and wives and par
ents and children, blackened reputa-
lions and severed lifelong friendships
In all that time she evaded discovery.
The mystery was profound. Let
tiers were kept and compared in the
effort to identify the author. The
exercises of the public school pupils
were examined to ascertain whether
the writing of any of them cores
pended with that of the anonymous
communications. For five years and
a half Postmaster Bowman exhaust
ed every avenue of investigation. All
to no avail. The letters continued
to come and the writer remained I'M
known.
Eventually, in an unexpected way
suspicion pointed to Mrs. Jones. Two
to friend was obtained by the au-
thorities. The style ana writing
were exactly the same as those of the
slanderous letters. Her arrest fol-
lowed, and the once tranquil borough
has ever since been rent from end
to end with anger and Indignation.
The woman spared no one. Among
her victims were the best known
people of the town, against whom
there had been no suggestion of wrong
doing until her evil work created it.
She timed the letters with the adept
ness of calculating malice. One went
to young lady the night before her
marriage. 1t made grave accusations
against the man she was to marcy
next day, w. G. Fowler They were
brutally specific. The intended bride
wept the night through, and in the
morning a detective was put on the
track of the prospective husband. OF
course, he was eXonerated and the
marriage took place. On that very
day the woman who had caused the
trouble brought her wedding gift to
the house of the bride, and observ-
ing her nervous condition, laughingly
asked if her husband had gone back
on her" That was "a year ago but
FOwler's wrath against the author of
the cowardly attack has never since
abated.
Judge kurtz received ugly letters
two years ago concerning his daugl-
tiers, two pretty girls, who are now
about 16 and 20 years old respectively
Mrs. j. H. Catterall wife of the
superintendent of the rolling mill, re-
ceived some vilely attacking herself
and her daughter Mrs. John C. Girls
ceived letters rejecting on the char
acter of her son. 81 cried all night
over the contents" she said today.
my husband told me to pay no at
tention to them, but they nearly broke
my heart
Mrs B. H. Dobson, wife of build
ing contractor said: I'VE received
two letters, one two years ago, the
other last fall. Both were vile be-
You'd comparison. In fact l did not
see the last one. My husband got it
and refused to let me have it, on
the ground that it was not proper
reading for woman. In the first let
ter we were advised to leave the town
and told we had no friends. In the
last we were told to leave or our
house would be burned.
There was distinct purpose in
all the letters written. jealousy of
some sort was the motive ALWAYS II
was in this case. She never mixed nv
name up with the men, thank good.
ness. l was about the only one that
escaped in that particular, think
The most terrible thing was the fact
that all the letters were SO obscene
| have heard it said that no man
would have written such terrible let.
tiers, but will not permit any one %
say such thing in the presence of
woman. l believe in being loyal to
ones own SEX"
Mrs. Ida Fowler who lives in a verv
handsome house across the street
from the Jones family, said 81 receiy.
ed a letter intended to estrange me
from friend, but the Jones family
and myself are neighbors, so l have no
fault to find"