Evening star., 1908-01-20
ONCE IN BUSINESS" HERE
WOMAN HELD IN NEW YORK
KNOWN IN WASHINGTON.
Ada Jean Mckay, With Numerous
Aliases, Accused of Swindling
the Gothamites


are much interested in the expose in New
LYork which has followed the arrest in
that city of Ada Jean Mckay, or Mary
Mckee, or Mrs. Ada J. White, or any
one of dozen other aliases, because, not
so many years ago, the accused woman
figured in a swindle here, in which many
men prominent in the affairs of the ma
ton were separated from goodly sums OF
money. She also left trail of bad
checks in Washington, and the sworn
complaint of Robert Cohen, a shoe dealer
at 10th and F streets northwest, Is still
on the records of the local department
Mr.. Cohen knew her under the name OF
Ada Jean Mckay, and alleged that she
passed a worthless check at his store
March 3, 1900. The check called for
$11.10, and was given in payment for a
pair of shoes. Mrs. Mckay left this city
before warrant could be served upon
her. .
According to the story printed in a
New York newspaper this morning.
following Mrs. McKay's arrest she has
police record in at least three cities
Boston, New York and Washington
although nearly all of her late. opera
tions have been confined to New York.
One of her pet schemes is said to be
other, the American Touring Associa-
ton; still another, the International
Progress Club, and finally The Golden
Age Company.
Sales of Stock.
AS the Bungalow Park Land Company
she sold stock at 500 par salue
to several persons The Golden
Age Company was the cloak fol
hA Col
lication which was used as the vehicle
to secure several 'paid-for in advance
advertisements, and also to accept
manuscripts from amateur authors,
who We're used in turn to furnish in
Productions to prominent clubs and to
prominent individuals. The utility of
the International Progress Club and
the American Touring Association IN a
financial way does not seem to have
been as clearly established. But. aside
from her numerous schemes, Mrs. Nc
Kay is accused of having passed a
number of worthless checks on New
York merchants, and 1t is upon these
charges that she is held for trial.
The story printed in New York this
morning regarding the accused woman s
exploits in Washington, is as follows:
Mrs. Mckay, using the name Of hel
Washington, D. c., during the winter OF
1900. Armed with a prospectus Of pro-
posed book entitled Hands That Have
Built Empires or Manual of Hand
Psychology she began calling upon
statesmen from President Mckinley down
through the cabinet and Senate to Rep
resentative Sulzer of New York She
stopped at the Hotel Gordon until she
owed a months board, and then she Is
said to have registered at the Colonial
Hotel as Mrs. A. A. Wallace. She was
also known as DR.. E. l.. Ferguson.
Career in Washington.
almost the first step in her Washing
ton campaign was the issuing of invita-
tions saying: Mrs. Mickey requests the
honor of casting your hand in plaster. to
be used in an historical manual or psyche
logical text book to be entitled Hands
That Have Built Empires Hotel Gordon.
Washington, d. c. The fee was S25. A
large number paid in advance.
William Jennings Bryan received an in
vitation and accepted 1T. He took Rep
resentative Sulzer with him to the Hotel
Gordon. For Mr.. Sulzer Mrs. Mickey pro-
fessed great admiration. She declared he
had a most interesting hand and one that
portrayed a great character. She pre-
dicted that in fifteen years he would be-
come President
Just how she managed to obtain ar
audience in the White House is not ex-
planned, but it is a fact that she had
what she said was cast OF the hand OF
President Mckinley. Others of whose
hands she took casts are Senator Davis
Of Minnesota, Speaker Henderson. Gen
Miles, Rear Admiral Schley. Representa-
tive Champ Clark, Olga Nethersole and
Miss Ellen Terry.
March II, 1900, there came an explo-
sion when the police were notified OF
Mrs. McKeys skill in passing worthless
checks on Washington shopkeepers. The
clerks of the Hotel Gordon told OF
modistes, merchants and milliners whe
were losers. Robert l.. Cohen, shoe mer
chant. swore out warrant Tor her ar
rest, charging her with passing a fraudu.
lent check for $11.7O The police estimated
that she had secured more than $1,000 or
fraudulent checks passed on tradesmen.'