ruffians who made her homested claim in Township 11-7 their constant rendez-vous, when not making incursions into the neighboring settlements and tearing Uncle Sam's land up by the roots and running off with it to their mountain fastness.
According to this pen picture, she had defrauded the Government out of millions of acres, and there were columns of details showing how she had been systematically operating for years.
To me the description was ludicrous. As a matter of fact, she had acted in perfect good faith in all her transactions, and although mixed up in a way in some of the land frauds, it was on account of being imposed upon by her friends.
As to the pictures of Mrs. Watson appearing in the Chicago papers, there was no more of a resemblance to her than of some mythical person. The only authentic photograph of Mrs. Watson that has ever been printed appears in these pages, and it shows that she is anything but the gaudy creature portrayed in the columns of the enterprising Chicago newspapers. The description of her wearing apparel was also absurd. Although known by her friends to dress in good taste, she was depicted as wearing exquisite gowns, and fairly dazzling with diamonds, with hat fully thirty inches wide, and an ostrich plume a yard long. The fact, is, what purported to be a picture of Mrs. Watson was none other than that of some swell actress dressed for the occasion.
It was now close to 5 o'clock and we were nearing Chicago. My first step upon reaching the city had been fully determined upon, and no sooner had the train stopped than I was on my way to an attorney's office. I handed him the evening paper, and after acquainting him with the circumstances attending Mrs. Watson's flight from California, her stay in Chicago and her plans for going on to New York, requested that he see her at once and learn the facts connected with her capture, after which he was to report to me.
In less than two hours he returned with the statement that Mrs. Watson had been arrested by Secret Service men of the Government about 9 o'clock in the morning; that she had been "sweated" by some of the best detectives in the service and had borne up under their inquisition with great fortitude, absolutely refusing to talk or be interviewed, and that at the present time she was in charge of the matron at the North Side Dearborn street jail. He informed me further that she had expressed an intention to waive all rights to any preliminary hearing; would not fight extradition, and wished to return to Oregon at once. From another source he learned that in conformity with Mrs. Watson's expressed desire, she would be sent back in charge of a deputy United States Marshal, and in all probability would leave the next evening.
With this information at hand, there was nothing more for me to do that night, as I also learned through my attorney that positive instructions had been given the matron not to permit anyone to see or converse with Mrs. Watson, and that this order was to apply particularly to one S. A. D. Puter.
The next morning I found that all the papers were teeming with the story about the capture of Mrs. Watson. It was the talk of the city, in fact, and I wondered how a matter of that kind should create so much local interest. The press, no doubt, was largely responsible for conditions in that respect, as the photographs of several of America's noted "beauties," not one of whom represented the real Mrs. Watson, graced the front pages of nearly all the morning dailies, and were supposed to be reproductions of her classic features.
Few, indeed, who could have been able to resist a desire to gaze on such loveliness of face and figure as portrayed by the newspapers. She became a momentary sensation on that account, and the remarks of the morning papers were like fuel to the flames created by the evening papers of the night before. Her exploits alone, as detailed so graphically by the clever reporters, were sufficient to promote the fondest admiration in the hearts of brave men, some of whom would have no doubt been extremely willing to furnish bonds in any amount.
Page 114
