The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-04-27
Continued from page u

NOOHtiuueU from page ~
department, and her mother was
Mrs. Kate McDermott, who died
when this little girl was two years
old.
The little girl had two older sis
tiers, Mary and Kitty. and an older
brother, who bore his fathers
name, William.
Firemen In Chicago are not paio
princely salaries, but William Nc
Dermott. by care and thrift, was
able to raise his family in comfort
able circumstances and to educate
all the children, including the baby
gil. Nanny, as they called her, who
was the pet Of the family.
There came stepmother who
tried to bring up the children as
n they were her own. When little
Nan reached school age she was
started with her sisters, and her
photograph appears in a group of
school children taken at the Headly
public school of Chicago IA years
ago.
AS one looks at this photograph
of this beautiful girl of eight, there
Is nothing about 1t surely to indi-
cate that little Nan McDermott
would turn out badly while the little
girl playmates on the same picture
would grow up to be good women.
When Anna McDermott finished
her schooling she took the place of
her sister in the Office Of DR.. John
G. Message, a physician at 14S
State street, Chicago.
When Anna was between Is and
10 years old, she suddenly became
possessed of the idea of becoming
q singer. She persuaded her father
to send her to a. convent in Wis
consin that she might have her con-
tralto voice trained. She remained
in the convent only five months;
then returned to Chicago.
II is at this point that Anna Nc
Dermott's life turns to one side and
runs down a long and steep decliv-
ity.
The girl developed tendency to
keep the wrong kind of company.
The family tried to prevent her.
but she was willful and headstrong.
She saw visions of herself on the
stage. And the humble McDermott
home out in Lincoln park section
Hooked dull and gray to her when
contrasted with brilliantly illumin-
ated restaurants of downtown Chi
cago at night.
Anna began to drink in grill
rooms and cafes. and to keep fast
company. Her old father, worried
to distraction over the situation,
followed her one night to meeting
place downtown. The next day
there was an interview between
father and daughter.
my child" he said, you cannot
continue to do as you are doing and
be my daughter"
The girls answer was to disap-
pear absolutely from Chicago with
in a few days. No message came
for months. The family. waiting
for news from their baby sister,
heard only in roundabout way
that she had eloped with a man
named Yorke.
About year ago old man McDer-
mott was called to the telephone.
1t was Annals voice talking.
81 am in Chicago" she said, with
my husband, and never expect
to come back home to live"
And that was the last that poor
old man McDermott heard from the
little girl Nanny whom he used to
bring candy to when he came home,
and who crawled up into his lap
and called him daddy"
The same week that Anna Nc
Dermott and smooth, well dressed
man Of about 80, known as Yorke,
both disappeared from the cafe life
of Chicago. Mr.. and Mrs. Frank A.
Parker appeared In Kansas City.
Parker and Mrs. Parker frequent
ed cafes and drinking places. They
had been living in Kansas City
about four months when Mr.. and
Mrs. j. A. Gatewood advertised a
restaurant for sale at 91S East 18th
street, Kansas City. Parker, whom
the Gatewoods identified positively
this week as Frank A. Minor, now
a convict in the Missouri state
prison. and Anna McDermott an
swered the "ad," and said they
they would buy the restaurant
Parker told a story of having 5000
on time deposit which he was un'
able to draw from bank without
losing the interest.
Gatewood asked him to produce
property owner to indorse Park
er's notes for the purchase Of the
restaurant, and a man named Ben
son came forward. Benson's prop
erty was purely mythical, and Ben
son himself has fed from Kansas
City.
Parker, who was Yorke In Chi
cago and who is now Minor In the