The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-03-06
II WAGES OF SIN.
How California M~illionaires Have Been
Bled by Wicked Women.

Bled by wicked Women
San Francisco Letter.
Some few years ago an eccentric
Frenehman died here possessed Of d
cool million or SO. He had no heI,'
here, but there were a score Of nephewa
and nieces in France. When his will
was opened it was found that the old
man had provided literally for all, and
to Sallie Hnchley, o former weIl-known
actress who has lived here for many
years, he had left an annuity of $500 a
month, TO be paid her g long as she
lived. But Sallie pooh-poohed this pro-
vision. She began suits at once, claimed
to be the wife and to have dower-rights,
and all that, and she made such q hub
bub as to scare the French heirs out of
their wits, and they gladly compromised.
Sallie took $50 900 in cash in lieu Of her
annuity, and $100, 900 besides. She row
lives in fine style here, and though no
longer a young woman by any means, is
attractive and leads q quiet and respect
able life.
The dead Ralston was a prey to adj
venturessss as long as he lived. He
was a man of open immoralities, and
numbered his mistresses by the dozen.
His bachelor apartments on CONNER
cial street, which occupied a whole
floor, and were fitted up in regal style,
were the scene of many q champagne
supper to q choice but soiled coterie of
friends. After his death, his estate was
not openly attacked, for the excellent
reason, perhaps, that there was nothing
to be gained by it, for Rqlston died a
pauper. Sharon who took charge Of
his affairs and wound up the estate, did
however, pay some small sums to two
or three of the women who had been
dependent upon Ralston, and by that
means secured Nquit-elsim deeds, so
to speak. Out of The wreck of the
Ralston estate was saved for his widow
the country residence known as Little
Belmont, " and $75. 900 to support the
family. This has all been dissipated.
Mrs. Ralston got into evil habits, and
contracted evil associations. Her prop
erty is now all gone, and she has, it 10
believed, wholly lost the respect Of her
friends and her family,
w. s. 0,Brien, the dead bonanza
monarch, thought he would save scandal
and money, too, by fixing up matters
with all his cheramies before his death.
Uncle Billy" had been one Of the boys
in his earlier days, and later on at the
period of his afilence he had not for
gotten the companions Of his more
youthful joys. 1t was said that there
were no less than four ladies who. lived
handsomely nc Mr.. O'Brien's expense
during his later years. Not that they
were all his mistresses by any means,
but at some time or other in their lives
he bad relations with with them, and
he felt the obligation to care for them.
Uncle Billy" was i'll for several months
before he died, and during his illness
he took his old partner and friend into
his confidence, and between them they
provided for all the ladiesin the hand
soonest manner. To each was decided
the beautiful house In which she dwelt
and d sufficient sum to support it,
together with furniture, horses, carr
riages, etc. Rumor put the cost OF all tlis
to Uncle Billy's estate at 5000, 600, but IL
was all done quietly, and not a soul but
Flood knew. From each of the ladies
was taken a cast-iron document signed,
sealed and delivered, releasing w. s.
O'Brien and his estate from any claim
whatsoever.
But alas Uncle Billy forgot one In
namorata of the days of his poverty. "A
Mexican woman Ia humble life called
one day at the Nevada bankn long af-
ter O'Brien's death and asked TO see Mr..
Flood. The latter recognized her at
once. She had been a friend of Uncle
Billy's when Flood and O'Brien kept
the Auction Lunch and Saloon" The
woman, who seemed quite Door, asked
If Mr.. O'Brien had not left some little
keepsake. Flood saidhe had not. HE
must have forgotten me" she said, and
then she pulled from her pockets q bum
die of yellow, faded ye-letters Of I'm
Gle Billy's, written in a mixture Of pretty
bad English and horrible Spanish. and
said: HE used to think SO much OF
me; / was greatly shocked to hear Of
his death" The woman did not ask
for anything, but the cool-headed Flood
knew that he must get those letters, for
innocent woman with that budget
was too dangerous a quantity to allow to
run loose in q community filed with
hungry and INSCRIPTIONS lawyers. He
sent for his executor, j.. w. Coleman,
nephew Of Uncle Billy, and the two took
the woman into q private room. What
yer took place 'tkeSs nobody knows,
but the letters passed into Floods pos
session, and il was afterward learned
the O'Brien estate was charged
with $40. 900 legal expensesin securing
certain quit claim Deeds"