The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-06-23
STRANGE WOMAN !.
!. HELD IN MISSOURI
MYSTERIOUS CLAIMANT TO FOLSOM
ED MANS FORTUNE Is MRS.
MGLENDON.
FIGURES IN WILL
SAID TO BE WOMAN NAMED AS
LEGATEE OF ROCKINGHAM
FARMER WHO WAS MUIR
DERED LAST JUNE.
FIGURES IN VII

HARRISONBURG. VA, June "a
Held In a Missouri town on forgery
charges. 1t is alleged, is the myster-
ious woman who was named as prin-
cipal legatee in the paper, purporting
to be the last will of George NJ.
Nicholas. murdered Rockingham far
mer, which came into possession Of
Harrisonburg lawyers SO strangely
last month. Her name. 1t IL said. is
Mrs. Ella McClendon. She was ar
rested. 1t is charged, in Sturdivant.
Bollinger county. Missouri. on June
Sd. charged with forgery and with
having used the United States mails
to defraud.
Unusual Circumstances.
This latest development Is in keep
ing with the earlier chapters of the
Nicholas tragedy. All along the case
has offered proof that truth indeed Is
stranger than fiction.
Nicholas was murdered in his home
near Port Republic in August. 1912.
Poison was put in the coffee that he
drank for breakfast. Investigation
was made, but all efforts failed to
lead to the capture of the person who
had conspired against the old man.
No will was found to direct the dis
tribution OF hts 100000 estate, and
so 1t was inherited by his brothers.
Mysterious Paper.
A sensation was caused In this
county In May of this year when 1t
became known that a paper, purport-
ing to be the real will Of Nicholas.
had been sent through the mails to
Harrisonburg lawyers by some per-
son who said in an accompanying
letter that just short time before
the old mans death the Nicholas
home had been burglarized and this
will stolen along with other things.
| The chief taoin taoin hrdlu taoin r
The thief had read in the newspapers
of the death of Nicholas, SO the let
ter stated. and he was returning the
will so that the property might be
divided as the old man had intended.
Mystery Woman Named.
This mysterious will brought into
the case a woman altogether un-
known to the people here. She was
a person who was supposed to have
rendered great service to Nicholas
and who was to be rewarded by him.
When he was in Saint Louis on a
visit some years previous. so the story
ran, Nicholas had met with an acct
uent- FrfendteSS IN S1ran6 SeCI1on,
he might have suffered had this wo-
man not come to his aid and nursed
him back to health and strength. In
appreciation, so the story had 1t,
Nicholas made the will in which he
begueathed 10 her his fine farm in
this county and $4,000 in cash.
Neighbors never believed the St.
Louis story. People. who lived on
nearby farms and who knew the old
man well declared that he had made
only two trips away from home after
the war. going once to Eastern Vir-
sinia. and going on another occasion
to Washington. where he purchased
IA new artificial leg
Name Kept Secret.
Until today the name of the wo-
man was kept secret, while the law
yers prepared plans in an attempt
to have the alleged will declared valid
by the courts Few details in con-
nection with the reported arrest were
learned here today, but the main fact
that the same woman who is named
in the will is charged with forgery
and fraud in the West was establish
ed seemingly conciusiveiy.