The Harassment of Charles Bell

Alexander Graham Bell's cousin and brother-in-law, Charles Bell’s peaceful life in Dupont Circle was ruffled when Mary Gage, a widow from New Jersey, moved to Washington with her daughter in 1906 and purchased the house at 4 Dupont Circle.  For Mary Gage—who believed that in order to achieve social status, it was necessary to have a wide circle of acquaintances—acceptance into Washington society was everything.  She claimed she could trace her lineage to several royal families of Europe and published her genealogy in a pamphlet entitled “The Colonial Ancestors and Royal Descent of Mrs. Harlan Calvin Gage,” which she then sent around to Washington’s society women hoping for invitations, but none ever came.  Upon her arrival in Washington, she also founded the National Society of Colonial Daughters of America and declared herself its president for life.

Charles "Charlie" Bell.  Library of Congress.

Mary had overextended herself financially in purchasing the Dupont Circle house.  Much of the annual fees of members of her society went to help pay her mortgage.  Her daughter claimed that they were led to buy the Dupont Circle house by a realtor who assured them that owning a house in the Dupont Circle neighborhood would ensure their entry into high society.  After a while, when they felt they had not entered society, they complained to the police about the realtor’s empty promise, but to no avail.Poor Mary’s mental state continued to decline, and she began to believe that someone or something had been working against her for seven or eight years to thwart her social aspirations. She once called the police claiming that there was a mysterious person at the door.  She then claimed that a “dark force” had entered her home and had interfered with her telephone service.  By 1912, that dark force became personified in a neighbor, Charles Bell.  Mary then started telling people that she was going to “horsewhip” him. Bell claimed that he was not really acquainted with Mrs. Gage, having only met her once at a function two years prior.

William Howard Taft house at 5 Dupont Circle.  Mary Gages's house is to the left at 4 Dupont Circle.

Almost every day, friends of Charlie Bell would stop him in the street to inform him that Mrs. Gage had told them that she was going to horsewhip him.  He had initially ignored these reports, but when he told his wife about them, she convinced him to go the police and file a complaint.  When taken into police headquarters, Mary Gage threatened to also horsewhip the questioning inspector if he did not desist.  Her daughter confirmed that the pair had indeed been excluded from social functions in the capital and that her mother was a victim of “a social Black Hand, a mafia that is as vicious as an Italian one.” Mary Gage told police that Mr. Bell had gone to many of her friends and persuaded them to exclude the Gages from their invitation lists, therefore keeping them from many social functions to which they would have otherwise been invited.  She claimed that she was told this by a friend, Mrs. Archibald Gracie, who also said to her about her daughter “It’s a shame to keep that girl in Washington, as she can never get into society.” This supposedly led to Mrs. Gage’s paranoia.  A search went out for Mrs. Gracie, who when located, denied having said anything of the kind.  Mary was then committed to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, the government hospital for the insane.

A jury was paneled to determine Mary’s mental health and the trial became a high-profile social event, held before curious throngs of men and women, many of whom were members of Washington’s most exclusive social circles.  Mary was ultimately judged to be sane, but as soon as the jury’s verdict was read, she was charged with making dangerous threats to Mr. Bell.  She quickly entered a plea of guilty and was fined $300.

Copyright (c) 2014 by Stephen A. Hansen and History Press.  All rights reserved.