The Washington herald., 1907-11-24

New Rochelle, y. W, Nov. 23.-AIrs.
Grace Smith. who shot her husband.
Nicholas NJ. Smith. set fire to their home.
and killed herself early to-day had led a
double life for years. She had told her
husband that she was a daughter of for
mer Lieut. Gov. Bulkeley Of Connecticut.
and had come into one-sixth Of a s.. 5OOO 600
estate left by him at his death. Fear Of
exposure plainly drove her TO kill Smith
and herself.
The real Grace BuIkeley, now Mrs.
David Van Schaick, is in Hartford. Conn.
For fifteen years she says. she has
known that some one was impersonating
her. She heard of her double in New
York. Roston, and elsewhere but never
came face TO face With her Why the
imposture was adopted is a mystery Tn
less it was social prestige. there was
nothing to be gained by it, Mrs smith
never used it for any illegal purpose, 50
far as can be discovered.
Who the woman really was is not
known. In 1885. however. she began first
TO be seen-a girl OF seventeen-about the
New York restaurants. OF her previous
history she told little. except that she
vas from New England
Her First Marriage.
In 1891, she married Walter c. Ned
hurst an agent for big Broadway com
pany. and dropped out of sight. OF her
welded life nothing has yet> been dis
covered Medhurst, however obtained a
divorce in 1882.
For time the wife disappeared in
1884 she turned up as Elsie Middleton in
New York boarding house. with a little
girl as a companion. She told some Of
her friends that the child was her own.
Whether this story was true was not in
vestigated.
Finally Mrs Middleton" struck up
q friendship with a man named L.
Adams, whc said he was a broker. and
seemed well supplied with money. A
period of prosperity followed. but il did
not last Within two years, Adams.
funds ran out and, TO make matters
worse, little Marjorie Middleton. as she
was known. died.
It ended in 1898. when the same
woman reappeared as a nurse in the
Hospital for the Insane on BlackwelTs
Island. She was a pretty nurse, too.
and attracted the attention of young
doctor. Robert Acton, an EngIishman
OF good family, who had crossed the
ocean TO study medicine at one of the
great New York hospitals.
On account OF her previous divorce.
The woman was not at liberty 10 marry.
Whether DR.. Acton was told of the cir
cumstances is not clear. They were
married, at any rate, and in 1900 the
doctor died suddenly. There was an
inquest, and a verdict Of death by
morphine poisoning" was returned.
Marriage 10 Smith.
The young widow is known to have Wis
7ted Acton's family in England after his
death and 10 have received some money
from them-how much is not known
Then, in 1902, she disappeared again, and
lived no one knows where or how until
1906 In the latter year she met Nick"
Smith. a young Baltimorean. who had
come 10 New York and made good" as a
salesman. 1t is undoubted that Smith
met the woman as Grace BulkeIev and
that he believed that to be he. name
Smith believed her the daughter of rich
New England parents
After to-day's tragedy there was found
in Mrs. Smiths bureau drawer a certified
copy of the Buckley will. When Mrs
Smith procured il is uncertain. She prob-
ably had IT, however. when she first laid
her plan to wed Smith
Her Mind Goes AStray.
Depressed by her continUoue u
health and delay in CARRYING ont the
determination reached by her and her
husband to move into New York, it is
the coroner's theory that Mrs. Smith
determined to kill her husband and her
self The evidence, as he interprets
it, is that she left her bed while bsr
husband slept, procured a magazine re-
volver he had bought to aIlay his wife,s
fear Of burglars. shot him through the
brain. killing him instantly. and then
set down TO write this farewell note
Dear Minnie: I owe several sums 70
B. F. Company Please pay them and
cremate my body. They cut nv hair
off. but my headaches did not cease 7
VII ~ -o-~eN--~A al Il lew minutes
Yours lovingly.
GRACE"
The reference to cremation seems 70
have suggested the idea of firing the
house. and it IS at this point. it is con.
Joctured, that the maddened woman
drenched the cellar woodwork with
gasoline, started the fire. hurried back
upstairs, turning on the gas as she
went, threw herself on her bed and
shot herself through the heart.
Across her chest and covering the wound
lay an embroidered scarf - probably
shaken from the wall by the Jar OF the
ladders after the fire was discovered
which was the motto, Love one an
other"
Who was the Minnie" to whom the
note was addressed no one knows The
fire was first seen by night watchman
Fred Stroh. Two servants appeared at
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