The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-07-10
MYSTERY in
WILL LEAVING
HER $l25,OOO
Miss Ella McClend0n Says She
Helped John McNicholas
When Hit BY Car
BUT SHE CAN'T TELL WHEN
THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED
Two States Interested in Case of
Woman Charged With Using
Mails to Defraud

STURTIvANT. Mo, July 9.-Ells
McClendon, of this place. has become
Z person OF interest TO Virginia as
we'll as Missouri. She is a full-hedged
mystery.
County officers have interested
themselves in her case and have con-
fessed themselves puzzled. Big bust
ness OF the neighborhood has been
similarly aroused and also has con-
fessed its inability TO solve the mys'
terry. United States secret service
men, postoffice inspectors, district at
torneys, judges. the operatives OF a
Adjective agency whose fame is world
wide. have prowled around trying TO
learn the truth about Ella McC!en-
don.
She has lived here most OF her life.
Hundreds have traded with her IN
her general store or have received
mail from her hands when she was
&ssistant postmaster.
N They have known her as friend
u. sociable young woman.
She 10 now under $1,000 bond,
Uharged with using the mails to de-
,fuond. She Is plaintiff in suit
anninst the Bank OF Advance for S626.
Thls money represents the face value
lof forged and raised checks, cashed
Through her store. A jury found IN
favor of her contention that she was
the innocent purchaser and the bank
has appealed.
But these things are dwarfed by
two other cases. the George M. Mich
olas case and the John Bohan case.
Nicholas was wealthy. eccentric
vIrxinia farmer. He died last Au-
xuet of arsenic poisoning. Fourteen
days after his death will appeared.
II was sent In mysteriously by man
who wrote that he had robbed Nicho-
las Of the will, among other papers,
that his conscience hurt him when ne
noticed a woman was pamed In the
Testament, and that he didn't wish to
do an injustice to her. The woman
named was Ella McClendon. The be-
quest to her was $4,000.
Rohan was a farmer. who, like
Nicholas. was more than TO He died
suddenly In Cover, Mo. last Febru-
airy. A check for $1,000 purporting
to bear his signature, and payable to
ED Elders" which appeared after
Hid death. has been caleld forgery.
AIjhote. also bearing his name, drawn
NV $4,000. has been fled as claim
&inst his estate.
ti'ffhe payee in the note was Ella
McCIendon. A decoy letter. addressed
10 ED Elders" led to the arress5
Ella McClendon, postofiice insRRstx
having declared the ytraced it 10 her1
She told of her acquaintance within
Nicholas. She speaks freely, but not
clearly. She met him, she says. when
he was hurt in street car accident
I'm st. Louis, had him carried to her
boarding house and nursed him. She
tells of his gratitude toward her, OF
friendly letters TO her, of how she
believed some day he would ask her
to marry him, OF how she heard he
was dead and she had been remem-
bered in his will.
Then she told of Rohan: OF how he
came to her house to try to sell some
mining stock for her, OF how he took
the stock away and gave the $4,000
note for II.
No question could pin her to spe-
clio dates or locations. She could
not remember where she boarded In
81 Louis, where. the accident to Mich
olas happened. or any other direct
fact. She refused even to give the
names OF lawyers In Virginia she said
she had had correspondence with.
AS to ED Elders" she would say
only that she believed he would ap-
p0nf In due time.