Evening star., 1913-12-07
GIRL OF MYSTERY
ON HUNGER STRIKE
Claiming to Be Her Father, In
diana Man Wires for Her
to Be Returned.
PHOTOGRAPH SENT HERE
MAY UNTANGLE PUZZLE
Attorney Declares Police Thought
She Had Done Wrong and
Tried to Bluff" Her.

| Louise Ferris, the name given by the
| girl who was arrested last Thursday
night and around whose identity much
mystery has been thrown. started on a
| hunger strike yesterday afternoon, but
! late last night changed her mind. She
was returned to the house of detention
yesterday afternoon. when the effort
made by Albert II. Lovett for her re-
! lease on a writ of habeas corpus failed.
| Chagrined at being sent back to the
| institution, she refused to eat
| Officials at the house of detention, how
ever, refused to take much stock in her
hunger strike. They said she told them
the other day that on several occasions
she abstained from food for days at a
| time.
! Dispatches from Princeton, Ind last
night said: Three members of the fam
| lily of Miss Mary Louise Farris recently
We're indicted by federal grand jury
upon charges of violating the postal laws
| in conducting a matrimonial bureau here.
| Her father, Martin w. Farrs; her moth
er and a sister We're alleged to have swim
died men in many parts of the country
| with their scheme.
According to the government agents
! tIlc dduSHttl iilS cTtu letters WHICH pro-
posed marriage and promised to go to the
men upon receiving money to pay her
! expenses. This, the government charged
she failed to do. 1t also was alleged she
received many presents from her numer-
Gus fiances
'Farris, who formerly was city mar
shal here, today telegraphed the Wash
ington police asking them to send his
daughter home and requesting that the
JeWelry she had be expressed to him. He
did not explain how Miss Mary acquired
such a large assortment of rings"
The difference in the name-whether it
is Ferris Farris-the Washington po-
lice say, is explained by the girl, who
told the police that some of her rela-
tives spelled it Ferris and some Farris
Her Picture Sent Here.
Yesterday afternoon after Justice
Barnard refused to discharge the girl
from custody number of kilograms
passed between Princeton, Ind. where
Miss Ferris resided. and officials in this
city. United States Attorney Charles w.
Miller. at Princeton, last night mailed to
United States Attorney Clarence Wilson
photograph of Mary Ferris, daughter
of Martin w. Ferris, who Is under indict-
ment in Indiana in connection with the
conduct Of matrimonial bureau.
Messages exchanged between the
Princeton ponce, Martln w. feTrlS ana
the local police yesterday afternoon con-
tanned the suggestion that the girl in
custody is Mary or Tressie Ferris, daHgh-
ter of Martin and Emma Ferris. Attor-
ney NJ. E. OBrien, who appeared yes
terday as the girls counsel. last night
told a reporter that his client is not
daughter of the Ferris mentioned in the
Princeton dispatches.
.She is a niece of Martin Ferris said
the lawyer, although she was always
known as his daughter
Attorney O'Brien declared that Miss
Ferris has not done any wrong, and
when she is presented in court tomorrow
morning, he said, he is certain she will
be discharged.
Louise Ferris under arrest, is my
daughter" Martin Ferris wired Maj. Syl-
vester. Yes; buy her ticket for Prince
ton. put her on train and send her
home. Ship money and jewelry by ex-
press after deducting expenses.
Wire answer when she leaves"
From d. j. Haley, chief of police of
Princeton, Maj. Sylvester received mes
sage saying he had reason to believe
that the girl in custody is Louise or
Tressie Ferris, daughter of Martin and
Emma Ferris.
| Chief Haley ventured the information
| that Ferris thinks the girl is his daugh-
ter, but he refuses to say any more ac
! cording to the chief 1t is stated in
the message that Mary Ferris has an i'm
pediment in her speech, and her descrip-
| ton is given.
| THE description in the message said
one of the officers interested in the case,
| ''talies with that of the girl under ar
| rest and she has an impedment in her
speech when she is excited
| When Miss Ferris came to this city,
| the police say, she was accompanied by
| Martin Ferris said TO be her father and
was left in charge of physician who is
a friend of her fathers to be cared for
until later. 1t is thought by the police
| that she intended to return home when
| the case in Indiana was disposed of in
court Martin Ferris, it is stated. went
to the Capito! and saw Representative
| Lieb of Indiana to complain against the
| post Office authorities.
Complained of Mail Trouble.
The complaint he made. it is stated,
was about the handling of his mail. his
| claims having been that his court trou-
| bles We're brought on by persons con-
nected with the postal service He re-
| turned TO Indiana, and the girl remained
| here, occupying a room in a 9TH street
| house. 1t was because of her hysterioa1
condition, ii is stated, that an occupa MT
| of the house took an interest i'm the girl
ana interested others.
Miss Ferris was well supplied with
funds about three weeks ago, when she
went TO police headquarters to settle a
F, dispute about the payment of a bin for
room rent, and she readily settled the
| bill.
| II is said she also wore a number
of articles of jewelry at that time
The jewelry taken from her and that
recovered in her room, the police saw
is worth about $1,250, making her cash
and jewelry represent about $4,000.
| The young woman was disappointed
| Yesterday afternoon at the failure of
the effort to free her, and she com
planned bitterly when she was returned
to the house of detention.
| Why do l have to come back here p"
she asked, having declared she had done
lnothing wrong, and did not know why
she was being detained.
| ..If people wanted to befrend me-" she
stated. why did they not offer me a good
home with them? | am used to better
than l have here
Chief Haley of Princeton. Mary or Tres
sia Ferris has been away from thers
| since August Il. Not much was seen OF
her in Princeton, the chief stated.
| Attorney O'Brien last night conferred
| with Detective Burlingame about his
| clients case He later told a Star re-
| porter that since the receipt by the no.
| lice of the letter from Ferris he bad
| sent Mr. Ferris a dispatch concerninp
| the girls identity. and said he exnected
| to receive an answer before morning
| 1.-The girl is innocent" he decla red
she has never been charged with any
offense, and when the case comes be-
Continued on Second Page.5