Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-10-30
ST. CLAIR ADMITS
HE PERSONATED
DEAD HERO OF WAR
Declines to Reveal How He
Obtained Details Of
Bergeron's Life

Confessing that he has deceived
the aged parents of a World war
hero, Robert e. st. Claire Atlanta
federal prison inmate, who for weeks
has asserted that Mr.. and Mrs. E.
w. Bergeron, of Menahsa, Wis,
were. correct in their Identification
of him as their son, Urban John Der,
geron, has signed a statement in
which he declared he is in no way
related to the GergeronS and that he
was led into the duplicity role
through longing for a mothers love
and the hope that he could begin
life anew under the name of the SON
who was killed in France.
st. Claire admitted that his hopes
of entering the Bergeron family cir
Gle were blasted when Mrs. Stella
Bergeron Emmerich, sister of the
slain soldier, entered the case unex-
pectedly.
He refused to explain how he came
into possession of, his vast store of
information concerning the past life
Of Urban John Bergeron, and he was
equally silent concerning the manner
in which Mrs. Lucille Oldham, of
New Orleans, came into the strange
case and mixed identity.
st. Claire's Statement
Following is the full text of
st. Claire's signed statement:
October %, 1924.
II, Robert E. st. Claire, make
the following statement of my
own free will
That 1 am not Urban John
Bergeron, neither am I in any
way related to Mr.. and Mrs E.
i w. Bergeron, Of Menasha, Wis.
That my true name is Robert
E. st. Claire. [ was born Sep
TENDER Ia, 1894, and at the age
Of one year was placed in Fa-
Their Bakers protectory at West
Seneca, N. Y.
when Mr.. and Mrs. E. w.
Bergeron came to the federal
prison hospital at Atlanta about
three months ago and identified
me as their son, they insisted,
however, that 1 was their son re.
CARELESS of what [ said. Being
an orphan, never having known
the love Of a mother or father,
friendless, helpless and without
anyone in the world to help me;
being critically ill and not know
ing how long I was to be in
this world, | permitted these
kind old people to visit me as
their son.
AS time went on and. Mrs.
Bergeron visited me almost daily.
giving me the love and atten-
ton | craved, my condition inn
proved and I permitted myself
to believe that, when I was re-
leased from this institution,
could so back to the home OF
Mr.. and Mrs. Bergeron as their
son and begin life all over again.
did not, however, take into con-
slderation the sister, Mrs. En-.
/ merlch, and that she would i'm.
medlately know that I was not
Urban John Bergeron. From the
time she first came here and saw
me, / knew that it was merely
question of but a short time be.
lore the truth would be known.
Since the arrival of Mrs. EN-
meflch, and more particularly
since my conversation in the
presence of Mrs. Bergeron and
Mrs. Emmerich, several times
have been on the verge of tell
ing Mrs. Bergeron that I was not
her son, but each time when I
would look at this kind old lady,
l simply lost my courage.
now state that I wilfully en-
couraged Mr.. and Mrs. e. w.
Bergeron in the belief that I was
their son. sincerely regret the
humiliation and expense these
KIND old people were subjected
to by my selfish actions /"
(SigneO
ROBERT f. ST. CLAIR.
witnesses: ~
IL. f. FLETCHER. M
Deputy Warden. W
r. L. KING,
Assistant Prison Physician.