The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-04-02 00:00:00

MATRIMONIAL DECOY DIJCICS'

Some months ago a couple of adventureeses wets
arrested in Paris for having worked a matrimonial
agency, which was in reality an effective machinery
for decoying men on the look-out fo7 rich wives. The
dupes after having been relieved from a round sum
of money, were married to a sham heiress, and then
sent about their business. The irincipals of the
agency were a bogus Baroness de Morteir, alias Do
is Rochelle, and her attendant cavalier, a swindler
named Lecourtois. These two succeeded in quitting
the country, and the Paris Correctional Tribunal,
which has just disposed of the matter, had accordingly
to deal with the sham heiress and a Mdlle. Leprout,
both of whom had been conducting a tolerably pro-
sperous matrimonial business on their own account
after their principals had left France for reasons
known to the police. The dupe was introduced, after
baying answered the questions, to a good-looking
young female of p_resuniable Anglo-Americm origin,
whose name. according to the police reports, is Leal.
The part of the maternal relative was generally
played by Madame Leprout, while the man Lecourtois
acted as the paternal or avuncular protector of the
heiress. Mdlle Leal, who was the chief criminal
arrested, said that she had come to Paris from Eng-
land about three years ago, in °icier to live with a
man. She subsequently accepted an offer to act as
De Mortier's decoy duck.

The first witness for the prosecution who was called
was the little ehopman from Limoges, a M. Lefevre.
He saw an advertisement that an English heiress,
having about .E 60,000 to her fortune, but slightly
damaged, was in the market. He immediately rushed
to Paris with all the money he could collect, was in-
troduced to the divine Leal, spent nearly .£2OO in
decorating that peerless beauty with jewels and gold,
and went with her to London. He passed a happy
honeymoon in the British capital, visiting the
Alhambra and other places of entertainment, and
living with his bride and her mother in the best
hotels. After that he returned to Paris, whither he
had summonei his friends from Limoges, who soon
informed him of the painful fact that he had been
duped. M . l'Absolu, a Parisian barber, paid .£6 to
be introduced to the daughter of a Spanish general
in her box at the opera. The senorita, however, pro-
fessed that she found M. l'Absola deficient in edu-
cational attainments, so he was left to the tender
mercies of a Marseilles maiden, who fleeced him of
£4O. A stoeLbroker who had been bamboozled made
a desperate dash after the dowry which had been
promised to him. Be married Leal in London, at a
registrar's office, and entered at once into financial
matters. Lle soon found out, however, that after
having spent bis money lae had been fooled to the top
of his bent. A countrl gentleman from Touvains
ba'd not only lost money -)n Leal, for whom he hired
a box at the opera, but had long kept her supplied
with game from his preserves. Leal was sentenced
to four months' imprisonment, Leprout was acquitted,
Lecourtier and the sham baroness were condemned
by default.