260 Milbank Avenue
Greenwich, Conn.
Sept 15, 1919.My dear Miss Turner,
Mother forwarded your letter to me, here. It is certainly reassuring to get letters like yours, and I appreciate it: every word.
I think the man, whom we may indicate as G. W. D. - not knowing his real name - may very likely be insane, although until he left there was no evidence of it. Certainly his mind was unbalanced to have spun such perfectly marvelous stories, which could not benefit him at all. For instance he told about owning a summer cottage at Cottage City, Martha's Vineyard and of going there when a child. At presence the cottage is rented summers through an agent. Strange to say the real George Davis did go down to Cottage City summers when a small boy.
But the man was never violent and his stories always tallied with each other. He was always most courteous and kind to me.
On the particular evening of August 15th he was not feeling well - he had a slight cold and headache. I was rubbing his head and fussing over him more or less and he said, "It's worth being sick to have you take care of me." That was not two hours before he left! About five o'clock I went out to do a bit of shopping and while I was gone (I learned next morning) he presented two checks to the hotel manager one of $235.00 and the other of $64.00. He told him that he was working for the U.S. Fish Commission - making an inspection of the Rocky Mountain fish hatcheries. The first check was his salary check - the second one for expenses. He had previously registered, in the hotel, from Washington D.C. The hotel manager cashed the smaller check, but suspicioned it might not be good. Just fifteen minutes before G.W.D. disappeared the hotel manager sent up a bell boy on pretense to see if our telephone was working, but really to see if G.W.D. was there in the hotel. This evidently scared him and in about two minutes he picked up his hat and said he guessed he would get a hot lomenade [sic] and walked out. I waited all night expecting to have him brought in on a stretcher; next morning the hotel manager told me what had happened.
SuThey then telegraphed to Washington bank and answer came there was no such account as name signed to check. I paid up the amount of check and the hotel people said they would drop the matter. A short time after I left a government secret service man appeared to look up the man whose name appeared on the forged check, but it was for other checks than the one forged at the St. Francis. I'm trying to get in touch with the secret service. Doubtless they can help more than anyone else.Then through inquiries in Lee, N.H., I discovered that the father was living in Chicago; the father denied him to be his son; the real George Walker Davis appeared last Saturday. He has been in the Army from December 1917 - until June 9, 1919. and has all necessary credentials to prove it. But although the pictures look familiar to him he simply can't place tha man, and has no solution to offer as to how this man could have picked up his identity. We can't really make out whether or not G.W.D. was in the Philippines. His stories of his life there are such a strange mixture of facts and a vivid imagination. He claimed three intimate friends there, Curtiss, Mitchell and Roach. Now the real George Davis knows a Curtiss and a Mitchell out there.
The reason we went to Salt Lake City was because G.W.D. had a conference there with a Mr. Frank Nebeker. I wrote Mr. Nebeker and he answered me from Washington D.C. where is the U.S. assistant attorney general! He never knew, saw or heard of such a person as G.W.D. But it looks as though G.W.D. must some time have been in a government position in Washington to have known the name of Mr. Nebeker. Some of his note-books were bought in Washington, there also he might have become acquainted with the records of George Walker Davis.
To-day I received a disappointing letter from our lawyer. He thinks that the nature of the fraud is not sufficient to warrant an annullment, but I'm going to see him again soon and I shall urge to have the matter brought now and then if an annullment isn't granted other steps can be taken.
There seems to be something in this man's past history that he is very carefully concealing and if we can only find out what it is the annullment might be more simple. I really can't see how I am Mrs. George Walker Davis wife of the man who was born in Lee, N.H. August 1, 1885 - because he is the man living in New York and I didn't marry him. And nobody knows the other man's name.
There are still several lines which may bring something of value even yet.
Meanwhile the Ely School (here in Greenwich) called me up to see if I wanted a position in Science. I went up to see the school and talked it over with Mrs. Parsons. They wanted me to teach General Science and to do some Nature Study work and also if there were any college preparatory girls to give them the requirements in Physics & Chemistry. Salary $800 & board & room. I really didn't want a position so soon particularly in a private school and told them I'd not take it. To-day Mrs. Parsons called up again urging me to take it. She said she would arrange to give me a whole month
in Ithat Christmas time if I would postpone my Ithaca visit until then. I rather want to go there and talk with Dr. Kerr about medical work for next September. Well I'm going to teach in the Ely School, beginning September 26th. Possibly I can run up to South Hadley before it opens - I suppose you'll be busy with the first days of college but I'll let you know if I'm coming that way. It will probably be early next week.I shall only have to teach mornings and my classes will probably average 10 or 12 in membership. Of course I've never taught Physics and Chemistry but they are doing it at their own risk and they know it.
I have some splendid friends here in Greenwich: 2 families by the name of Chalmers; real Scotch people; They have a nice big Mercer car and it's going to be nice to have them so near. Then my brother Horace is in Stamford - only six miles away -
My love to you and your mother -
Cathy.