The Mankato free press., 1909-03-26
GIRL MUST Be BUGS
MISS NINA A. PATTEE, WOMAN
WITH LETTER WRITING MANIA.
During the Past Several Years She
Wrote More Than One Thousand
Epistles; Some Were of Threaten
ing Character; Others Had the Hint
of Blackmail; Both President
Roosevelt and Taft on the List.

| Roosevelt and Taft on the List.
Chicago, March 22.-Miss Nina A
Pattee. half starved and versatile
woman of thirty-five who is accused o.
having written upwards of 1000 anony
nous letters, some of which created
discord in families, is under arrest al
the Detention hospital and her mental
condition will be examined into by
the court on Thursday.
For years she has foiled the efforts OF
the police and federal authorities by
the adoption of clever ruses. She
changed ner residence frequently and
used different aliases. Assistant United
Marshals Griffith and Davis found hel
at her rooming house, 263 Ontario
street, and took her into custody on
complaint of Chief Postoffice Inspector
James E. Stuart.
When arraigned before United States
Commissioners Foote, after night in
the county Jail, she tearfully admitted
being the author of some 800 letters
| which the postoffice authorities con-
fiscated, and waived a preliminary hear
ing with the plea: 81 must have been
crazy"
Some of tine letters were harmless
and indicated the thoughts of re-
yligious fanatic. In others, of the most
degraded type, she made blackbailine
propositions. One or two contained
threats of murder unless her demands
were complied with.
Letters Addressed to President.
! The letters were addressed to Theo-
, dore Roosevelt, President Taft, former
Vice President Failbanks, to the gov
ernors of every state i'll the union, to
clergymen of prominence, and to the
leading merchants of several small
cities.
Complaints began reaching the post
office authorities about three years ago,
when friends of Professor Collins, prin-
cipal of the public school at Marseilles,
ILL.,, began forwarding to him anony
nous letters attacking mis- character.
Their source was not dreamed of until
subsequent letters accused the princi-
pal of having done a financial wrong
to Miss Pattee. Then the prisoner, who
formerly taught school under Collins
and who was discharged for incompe-
tency began to be suspected.
Signatures to Epistles.
! The letters were signed by sucn
names as Glen Fortelle, Francis Dale
Virginia Dare and Gertrude Denning
and the addressee was requested to
send the amount demanded to the gen.
eral delivery. 1t was not until the
! receipt of a missive signed professor
Durham, sos Masonic Temple that
any real clew to her whereabouts was
known.
| That letter accuses Professor Collins
of treachery, warned him to pay Miss
Pattee $500, and threatened to expose
''the death of cat at the school," if
the demand was not met. 1t showed
the address 1858 La Sale avenue y
but is subsequently developed that the
woman never lived there, but had sent
an order to the postoffice to forward
all mail addressed to that house under
the numerous aliases to 263 Ontario
street. The marshals remained there all
yesterday afternoon, and when the
| woman arrived at p. m.. she quietly
submitted to arrest and seemed pleased
to 90 to jail
| She Was Found Half Starved.
| She said-and the authorities believe
her-that she hadn't eaten a square
meal for many days. Her landlady, who
pitied her, permitted her to have the
room free of charge, knowing she mad
no place else to go. She had type
writing machine in her room and some
times wrote all night. Other roomers
thought she lived by telling fortunes.
The letters to merchants are of such
a scurrilous character that Colone
Stuart would not make public the
names of the addresses. Crimes were
not only charged against the recipients
but against their wives and daughters
and nearly every man addressed was
threatened with exposure.
The Letter To Roosevelt.
! To President Roosevelt she wrote that
he had lived 1000 times and was the
father of 1000 children. She advised
President Taft to resign and go tc
Asia and the governors of all states
were advised to come to Chicago and
be ordained ministers of the gospel by
DIR. Gunsalus, NJ. NJ. Mangasarian ant
DR.. George E. Hall.
Her earlier epfstles were stamped ant
reached their destinations but later let
ters she had marked the corner of the
envelop, 1.-TWO cents DUE" which let