The sun., 1908-01-07
SURELY LOUISE VERMEULE
ALTHOUGH COFFIN PLATE SAYS
KATHERINE ROBERTS.

Or Company That Held Her Little Es-
tate necOGnLzes Her AFTER the Funeral.
and the Money VIII Go TO Her Son.
Il was established yesterday beyond any
doubt that the woman who was known in
New York as Mrs. John Van Ness Roberts"
was Louise Vermeule. who was accused OF
swindling scores Of merchants and trades
men in the late 'OOs. She was identified by
two men. one Of them an officer Of the Union
Trust Company OF Philadelphia, which
had had business dealings with her for
several years under her real name. Mrs.
Richard RoeloIs.
The Union Trust Company appeared in
the case at the request Of tho woman's
husband, who Ia a prosperous mining en-
gineer of Cripple Creek. Mr. Roe,Ofs had
directed that the body be taken to Phila-
delphia and buried beside that Of Mrs Helen
W. Tinley. who was~Mrs. Robertss" mother
Both the husband Of the woman and the
Union Trust Company had asked Col.
Robert J. Haire, the woman's former cOun-
sci, who was the first to disclose her identity,
to take charge Of the body until arrange
ments could be made for its removal
Mrs Roberts friends, however, refused
TO believe that she was the woman Col
Haire declared her to he. and they went
ahead with the arrangements to bury her
in Calvary Cemetery under tho name by
which they had always known her. Col
Haire didn't hear Of the funeral. 40 he said.
until it was being held yesterday morning
at the Church OF the Holy Name, Ninety
sixth street and Amsterdam avenue He
sent a man from his Office with the request
that the body be put in the receiving vault
at the cemetery and held there until his
Identification had been verified The
friends consented to this
Not more than a dozen persons, the
most Of them neighbors attended the
funeral. The services were conducted by
the Rev. Father J. J. Kane pastor Of the
church. a solemn requiem high mass being
celebrated Mrs. Roberts had been a
pewholder in this church for two years.
and the last rites Of the church had been
administered TO her by one OF Father Kane's 8
assistants. Mrs. Roberts also was a
pewhoIder in the Cathedral. and Of late
years had attended II more regularly than
the Church Of the Holy N sme
One carriage con ntaining two men and
two women accompanied the body 20 the
cemetery. The woman was laid away
III bAF TCCGlbLuk Nault Llc maine OF
Katherine Roberts which was the name
engraved on the coffin plate.
John ). Adams was the trust company
officer who saw the body at the Calvary
vault. With him was Charles Wund. a
manufacturer who had known Louise
Vermeule. Both men declared after one
look that there was TO doubt that she was
the vile Of the Cripple Creek mining en-
gineer.
Mrs. Roelofs's mother had left her an
- ahz nn s,F fak -. =.
Trust Company was the trustee. Mrs
Roelofs had only the income from the
estate, which was payable TO her for life
and then. under the terms OF the mothers
will IL went TO her children If she had any.
She has one son, Richard W, living with
his father out in Colorado and il was 10
save the estate for this boy. so Col. Haire
declare yesterday that he disclosed the
identity Of Mrs. Roberta
Ii Is understood that Mrs. Roberts
obtained part Of the annual income from
the trust estate less than three weeks ago,
and that at that time she osked that the
check in her favor be made out in the name
Of katherine Roberts. Under the terms
OF her mothers will she could obtain the
money only over the signature OF mabel
Roelofs' and she receipted for the Roberts
check under that name.
Charles Wund, who accompanied the
Philadelphia man TO the cemetery, had
met Mrs. ROelofs at the time OF her trial
III AooO lot lDIkNINs Alb was a court OIIlCer
at that time. Later he met her husband
and her son ont in Colorado. He met her
on the street here only few days before
her death. He had always known her as
Louise Eermeule. and he did not know until
recently that she had been living under the
name Roberts.
The trust company will take steps at
once TO have the body transferred to Phila-
delphia. No opposition will be made by
the wonlans friends, who now admit that
she must have been Louise Nermeule, but
who say that her faults must have been due
to deranGed mind.
Mrs. Roberts" continued to fly under
false colors even in the drawing Of her will
She had this drawn up by her lawyer Fran
els l.. Patton. Jr., about two months ago.
worth about $4,000. She provides In the
first place for the payment Of her debts
and wills certain Of her Jewels TO her
friends including Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish
and Mrs. Frederick Dent Grant, and leaves
the furniture in her apartment TO her SER
want
The residue OF her estate, which accord
ing to the will consists in q share in the
estate of the late Anna Shoemaker Of Phila-
delphia, "an au1t,' Is given to Catholic
charities. She does not specify in this will
to what charitable organizations this money
shall 90. but leaves that to the discretion,
Of the executors. One Of these executors
is Mr.. Patton and the other is a well known
New York man.
Col. Haire declares that she had abso-
lutely no interest in any Shoemaker estate
and no aunt Of that name Lawyer Patton
and others Of tho womans friends intend
however to investigate this matter. and
IL they find any estate the will will be pro-
bated. But there may be another obstacle
The original document can't be found
Mrs. Roberts" told her friends. however
that IL was in existence somewhere. Her
LAWYER has a copy only.
Mrs. Roberts's" friends gave as their
chief reason for believing that the woman
ha1 Authorizations that her mother died
in IN insane asylum in Florida.
CRIPPLE CREEK. Col. jap. Orchard
Rna1ofa ra1r,a >, mar ~ kha r~v....s.