The Greeley tribune., 1904-07-07
GlFTS0FL0YE
MISS WHITING TELLS OF
GIFTS TO ROSE MEEKER.
Has Been Most Generous in Her
Treatment of Mother and
Daughter Her
Statement.

Editor The Greeley Tribune: Hav-
ing by your generous kindness cor
rected last week the unintentioual
error Of my beloved friend, Mrs.
Meeker In regard to the S5O0-which
she herself, l understand, also cor
rected later, stating the fact that of
the $1,000 received for pension arrears,
was given to her daughter
and the other placed In the care of
her son to invest, or hold, for her
and that not one penny went to me
having gotten this on record, as
finance still seems in the air, ana
other untrue assertions are made,
permit me to say:
Miss Rose Meeker has had OF me
over SIX hundred dollars In personal
gifts to herself in cash. This does
not include anything l have had the
unspeakahIe privilege Of doing for
my aged and precious friend, Mrs.
Meeker. Whatever l have been able
TO indulge myself in doing for her is
sacred between her and myself, e1.
cept so far as a reference or two may
inevitably come into this story. She
will pardon il l speak Of the begin
ming Of 1t, as 1t is sweet TO US both.
l first heard Of Mrs. Meeker and her
tragic life in 1900 and the story
touched me deeply. On January ii,
1901, | wrote her a little note that
ran:
''Dear Mrs Meeker: The enclosed
fell out OF The World Beautiful for
you. and will you give me the pleas
ure Of accepting it?'
And in this enclosed a check fol-
one hundred dollars. On February
IS (l9Ol) my check book shows an
other 800 check to her and these, In
amounts OF one hundred, fifty, twen-
ty-tive and once OF twice ten, have
always continued from time to time.
OF this do not further speak. 1t Is
my sweet privilege and l only refer
to this matter tu show the initiation.
When Mis-. Meeker wrote ackno%l'
edging the first check, her daughter
also sent with it very pretty little
letter which was the initiation OF an
ensuing correspondence between Miss
Meeker and myself and | began in.
Guiding her in the little tokens.
Last spring l went over my check
book and found that those sent to
Miss Meeker alone (not inclusive OF
those to her mother) amounted to
over 5000 l have now mislaid one
of my check books covering period
of months during which checks went
to Miss Meeker, but omitting those,
! find before mJ eyes this record In
dates and amounts OF checks sent tc
Rose Meeker: February 3, 1901. $50
May 6, 1901, 300; June 81, 1901, s25
August Il, 1901, $40; November 4,
1901, $40: November Is, 1901. s25
December "a, 1901, $50; July I, 1902
s25: January is, 1903, s25; January l6
1903 s25; october 9, 1903, 300. The
missing check book contains the
record of other checks. Beside these
there we're a number Of small sums
paid out for Miss Meeker, as, for in
stance, 81. so on July 20, 1908. for ar
article she wanted from Philadelphia
SO for repairs on her watch In Den.
yer: $40 to Jordon, Marsh & Co. ol
Boston for stationery that she wished
once when l was In Paris, and l had
Boston house send it at my ex.
pense, OF course, and these are merely
typical of many. Also. If one Is dis.
posed to count gifts Of articles Of
clothing varying from $40 to $50 at a
time, why. l could count up quite a
little SUN. in that way. At an ex-
pense of several dollars every two OF
three months, l have sent the best
tea and coffee to be found in Boston,
and the famous Pierce's, Back Bay
grocers, to Mrs. and Miss Meeker,
since the summer OF 1901. l believe
it has been alleged that l posed as
a friend of the family. l am not
clear about the posing paru-that
is not much in my line, but il hav-
ing. from January, 1901. to June,
1904, inclusive, given and spent and
paid out not less than $500 in money
clothing, articles, this and that for
a mother and daughter, is being a
friend, | am not sure but that l
might claim the title. But | lay
no stress on mere material gifts.