The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1902-02-27
Notorious Record,
IColumbus Record.l j

nanu asserts tnaU tDls city Is neE
home, it is important for the peo-
pie of Columbus to know something
about her record. In the first
place, she never was nun, her
only connection with a Catholic in
stitution being that of fallen
women sent to home in the hope,
which was not realized, that she
W ould be reformed. She claimed
to be the daughter of various per-
sons, among the number being an
English officer, but when she was
confronted by him it was found
that she was as old as he or older.
Florence Booth of the Salvation
Army says that the woman wander
ed away from the Catholic insti-
tuition and remarks: 81 have no
doubt at all that she is fraud "
She drifted to the stage for time
and then was employed by Mr..
Stead, editor of the Pail mall Ca
zette, in preparing articles about
immoral people. Stead found her
out, for he wrote about her: "The
less you have to do with her the
better. it will be for your peace of
mind and for the security Of the
contents of your pockets"
Rev. G. p. Merrick, chaplain of
the Millbank prison, London,
writes of her that she was given
a sentence of six months for obtain
ing money under false pretenses.
He states that she had been in two
or three penitentiary institutions
in London and that she was con-
nected with many frauds upon
lodging house keepers and trades
men in the west Of England. Rev.
William d. Thompson, pastor of
the Central Methodist Church,
Brooklyn, has branded her as an
imposter and told Of her betrayal
of the trust placed in her by the
! Salvation Army. Mr.. L. S. Cabot
of Cambridge, Mass, says that the
woman's debts in that nsighbor-
hood will aggregate about $4,000.
Rev. Joseph Baird, of the North
New York M. E. parsonage, says
that the Shepard woman has no
principle and adds: "We termin-
ated the meetings as soon as we
could. 1t seems to me that some
one ought to put her in her true
light before the public
Rev. j. A. Macdonald, a Pres
byterian minister of St. Thomas,
: Ontario, Canada, in letter pub
lished Dec. 20, 1898, tells at length
, of the career of the woman. He
says in part: "She is one of the
| worst frauds, one of the most dan
gerous agents of political and So
cial strife and moral corruption
that l have ever come in contact
: with. 1t is with extreme reluct-
} ance that l write name 80 redo
lent of all moral rottenness as that
of Margaret l.. Shepperd. The
testimony borne by some who
know her life history and by Others
who were beguiled into her service
and who speak from painful ex-
perience and intimate association,
is simply appalling. 1t staggered
belief. The details are horribly
disgusting. dare not publish
some sentences from letters now
before me, received recently from
men and women whose names are
a guarantee for truth and pru-
dence. They are frightfully
damning. 1t seems startling
thing to have Miss Lillian NJ.
Phelps, so we'll known and thor
oughly respected by every intelli-
gent temperance worker in Canada,
write imploring me in the name of
wronged womanhood to address a
wider audience than my own con-
gregation and If possible save our
women and girls from the awful
/ ness of this woman's touch. But
such things as these are triAes
compared with evidence that could
, not be published in paper sent to
! pure homes"
Much more might be published
about this notorious woman, but
the above is enough to give the
! people of Columbus an idea of her
character, so that if they attend
her lectures they will know exactly
what kind of woman they are
oafrOnizinn