Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-02-26
SECRET OF MARGARET CAMERON,
FRIEND AND AEIREss,
CLOSELY KEPT.
AND RELATIONS
WITH HAWLEY ARE SECRET
Vert g He:* !e-k From, Kansas City
-Frequently ouarreled With Her
Wealthy Friend and Would Be Sent
From Hous-seeret Stairway Built
in House For Her usa

| New York, Feb. 26.-who is Miss
Margaret Cameron? Is that her real
name? Where was she born? These
and dozens Of other questions are be-
ing asked concerning the beautiful
ward of the late Edwin Hawley, who,
at the time of his death. controlled,
among other railway properties the
Iowa Central and the Minneapolis &
ST. Louis roads.
Miss Cameron has taken possession
| of tdaWley's estate at Babylon and de-
! fies his heirs large to Dust her. She
| claims TO have will that gives her the
/ Babylon mansion and an annuity TO
maintain il. In the meantime New
/ York papers, court attaches and de-
/ rectives are trying 10 ascertain who
| this girl Of mystery is. She became
| Hawley's ward sixteen Years ago in
! Kansas City. She was Is years OLD
! then. Beyond those two meager facts
! her life both before and after her
adoption by Hawley, is an inscrutable
! blank
She Held His Confidence.
/ Miss Cameron was the one woman
/ who seemed able TO win and hold the
confidence Of The man who was known
Jocularly in Wall street as the silent
icicle"
Dolly" Cameron. as her patron
called her in preference to her given
name. Margaret has been termed the
/ cinderella Of the Hawley millions"
She was that From the time she left
( har humble surroundings in Kansas
City 10 enter the household of Nh
! Havley the child was absolutely mis-
tress Of both the city and country
mansions of the railroad financier.
In the story of the girls life, as
cleaned from many sources. the other
side is revealed Of the man who made
millions behind a mask OF silence The
+ first chapter Of the extraordinary tale
/ Of the romance Of Haw!ey and his
/ beautiful ward was related by William
! Campbell, employed at Effingham park
for eight years.
Miss Cannon Arrives.
Mr.. Hawley bought Bingham park
sixteen years ago" said Campbell.
One day. a year ago. af,er We moved
10 Babylon, a man l knew as Baron
Frank Natiilie, drove up TO the house.
With him was g 15-year- old girl in
short dresses, whom we came to know
/ as Margaret Cameron.
The child did not seem to be happy
at Babylon and on one occasion at
tempted suicide. This was in the sum
mer OF 1902 Mrs. Hawley Seymour,
who acted for her brother as house
keeper then. was seated il the kitchen
Of the big house with me, when we
heard scream from the direction of
the lake $50 feet away.
We both rushed ont. There was the
girl (she vas now about 20 years ODD
struggling in the water
L leaped and seized her She strug-
gled violently against rescue. and after
I had dragged her out Mrs. Seymour
and I had difficulty in carrying her 70
The boat house
! She had evidently not been decided
as 70 just how she would COMM, sui
eide. for, clutched in her hand. was
bottle of carbolic acid. She screamed
loudly and cried: Let me alone
want 10 die. If you don't let me die
row, viii Kill myself some other day
Miss Cameron at Effinsham.
1T is not true that 'Bab be or Dolly
as Miss Cameron was called at various
times, was lav!shlg entertained at Eff
ingham Park. or that she was intro
duced as Mr.. Hawleys niece.
Instead the girl was kept in the
/ background as much as possible. It
seemed 10 be Mr.. Hawley's desire to
have no one know that she was there
or. if it vas known, to have il believed
that she was merely a servant. To this
extent the most extra ordinary precau
lions we're taken 10 guard her from
Visitors. When guests came she was
/ either sent 10 the city in charge Of
! Natillie or sent into remote section
Of the house.
There was always something strange
about the young woman. One Satur-
cay morning. l remember during a
Weekend party at Babylon, found
Miss Cameron wandering about thru
/ the bushes, collecting and eating ber-
ries I spoke to her. and she told me
that she hadn't eaten for two days,
| mat she was almost starved
! Secret Stairway in House.
| A strange story OF secret stairway
opening off the main hall Of the Baby
| ion mansion. by means Of which Miss
! Cameron escaped the attention Of
guests, was told by one Of Mr.. Haw-
ley's mcet intimate friends.
| I was frequent visitor at Effing-
! ham park said this man. "Once.upon
en- unannounced visit, was ushered, by
mistake. suppose, into room that
commanded a view of the driveway In
few minutes Mr.. Hawley and Miss
| Cameron Toae up and dismounted. The
servant told Mr.. Hawley I was in the
house.
81 heard Mr. Hawley and Miss Cam
eron walk up the stairs to the porch
and into the hall. Mr.. Hawley walked
rapidly to the room where was wait
ing. threw wide the door and welcomed
me. I looked into the hall. Miss Cam
eron had disappeared. She had not
had time to walk down the long hall or
up the the main staircase. Small as the
incident was, it puzzled me so that
later I looked around on my own ac-
count.
when I could find no door or pas
sage thru which the young woman
lcould have left the hall, had creepy
feeling. But I argued that she could
mot have vanished into thin air.
An Underground Passaseway.
"The truth is this: When Hawley
built bingham park, he had secret
staircase and an underground passage
way constructed. This staircase, the
la~e,% artropoa IA 1vS,fch r maven found