The Silver-Haired Widow of the Palouse
A charming con artist charmed her way into the best homes of Colfax, only to be undone by a stolen set of hotel silver.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A woman known as 'Mrs. Clemishire' or the 'Silver-haired Widow' has fled Colfax after a long career of swindling. Previously notorious for skipping hotel bills in Spokane and Pullman using fake mine claims and stuffed pocketbooks, she arrived in Colfax and successfully infiltrated elite households. While employed as a seamstress, she stayed in prominent homes for weeks at a time, where families reported numerous small household items missing. She eventually rented a cottage and opened a dressmaking parlor, but was caught when a domestic worker discovered her using silverware stolen from the Hotel Whitman, branded with the hotel's name. Local merchants also reported she had run up substantial unpaid debts. The widow, who claimed to be under 35 and engaged to a commercial traveler, left town shortly after her exposure.
“A kind hearted Colfax woman took the widow to her house to stay until she could get funds to go to Walla Walla, where she said she had friends.”
This story captures a classic era of transient con artists who exploited small-town social mores and the trust inherent in domestic employment. While we have more digital security today, the 'gifted stranger' remains a potent archetype in our local news cycles.
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