San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-04-03
BIG BERTHA TALKS.
SHE GIVES A LIGHT REPORTER
HER SIDE OF THE ALLEGED
SWINDLE,

SWlNDLE.
But it Does Not Quite Agree With the
Accounts That Are Derived
from Other Public Sources.
A LIGHT reporter visited the county
jail yesterday and had long interview
with mrs. Stanley" or Heyman, or
whatever name she may be legitimstely
entitled to. MRS. Stanley" as she calls
herself, was In a much more genial hu-
NOR than she has hitherto been found,
and, believing that ner betrOthed hus-
band, william Gruhn, was the author OF
her troubles, she was prepared to get
even with him by talking. The heroine
of this criminal romance Is q buxom
widow apparently about 40 years of age,
and Is we'll preserved, but she has no
claims whatever to be called beautiful.
Her features are, however, striking and
mobile. susceptible Of great animation,
and are certainly made all the
more interesting by conversation.
not deny and II She did it would be
useless as her face and her form both
give her away" and she resembles In
form and features many London
Jewesses that the writer has seen in
HOunsditch, Petticoat lane, and other
Jewish localities of the great city.
In reply to the reporters enquiries
Mrs. Stanley said "These charges. as
far as | understand them, emanate from
Mr.. William Gruhn, of San Francisco,
but | am ignorant of them and have
never had q cent from him. He is the
last person 1 should have thought Of
borrowing from if l had needed money.
was engaged to be married to him and
received some presents. There was an
engagement ring, perhaps worth $500, q
fob chain that could have been bought
for 500, aud a lace shawl worth about
SIS. OF course there were flowers daily
and other things such rs lover presents
TO his tiancee, but these can
hardly be counted. AS far as | know 1
don't owe anything in San Francisco
except dressnsker's bill of $50. Mr..
Gruhn wanted 10 marry me but didn't
care to do so, for had no real love for
him, and simply yielded to the pressure
of friends in being engaged, and l don't
think that he loved me it was my
money he loved. While he gave me
presents did my share, and one ring
gave him, the stone alone cost me $3.50
This trouble has been brought about by
difference between my friends the
Messings and the Levys. The Mes
sings wanted me to marry Gruhn, and
the Levys desired me to marry some
one else. don't care to say anything
about the newspaper accounts of me
that have been published, as that mat
ter has nothing, whatever, to do with
the present case. l may say that my
name is Stanley, and was never known
as Mrs, Krako. don't think Mr.. Gruhn
has acted as a gentleman, and what he
Ia doing is simply out Of spite. We were
to have been married In two years, but
of course that is now out OF the ques-
ton. 1 left San Francisco for tour to
Los Angeles and New Orleans, as |
needed rest and diversion. Our mutual
friends visited me, and engaged so much
OF my time that l considered this the
best means of securing rest. made no
secret of my departure from either San
Francisco or Los Angeles, and while l
was at the latter place, Mr.. Gruhn wrote
me frequently. After l had travelled q
little | agreed to return to San Fran
cisco and intended to do so. She en-
phatically denied that she was wanted
in Toronto and any other place for SINH
la frauds. Now, said she, continuing
her statement, look at this There was
a portrait Of Mr.. Gruhn, fine looking
fellow about thirty years of age, which,
strange to say bore q remarkable resem-
blance to Mr.. Fernando Laooste ex-
cept that Gruhn's mustache Ia far
heavier than Lacoste's There was
invitations to the betrothal of Mrs.
Stanley and MIR. w. Gruhn, 18th of
March, to be held at Rabbi Messing's
residence, many letters, and a great
number of kilograms coDgratulatory
upon the engagement. These, in a
great measure, tended to confirm Mrs.
Staniey's statement.
The story of Mrs. Stanley's esoapades
from other sources differs from that
which she gives. 1t is stated that she
arrived in San Francisco on February
20th, and registered at the Palace hotel
there as Mrs. Bertha Stanley. Her
"soD," w. I'll. Stanley, was with her and
so registered. Soon after, Rabbi Mes
sing received a call from her and she
claimed acquaintance with him In Prus-
sia. She also told him that she had vio-
lated her faith by marrying Christian
named Stanley, a wealthy citizen of La
Sale, Illinois, who had been married be-
fore, and had son who was travelling
with ner. STANLEY, ene SAID, was dead,
and left her all his immense
wealth. They became frequent visitors
and her, she met William Gruhn, o part
ner with DR.. Messing's son, and
he became enamoured of her. As Mrs.
Stanley was supposed to be very
wealthy, his love increased, he wooed
her, and she accepted him. There was
grand betrOthal festival at DR.. Mes
IN nf
which was we'll attended, and at which