Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-09-12
THE WIES OF SIRENS.
Confidence Women Less Numerous
Than Confidence Men, But Much
More Dangerous.
Schemes by Which Arched but Brainy
Adyenturesses Manage to Fill
Their Golfers.

tor the police to deal with than her male
counterpart, for the reason that she
is often able to cast aside suspicion by the
assumption of a well counterfeIted woman
ly dignity and innocence. The male shark
or confidence worker Is a person with
whose characteristics and modes of pro-
cedure most newspaper readers are thor
oughly familiar; the feminine vampire Is
more or less Of a mystery, and one hears
less of her dOings. This is principally be-
cause her victims, once they have been
enmeshed and plUcked, prefer to accept
their losses and hush the matter up rather
than have their folly exposed to the pub
lie gaze. The consequence OF this IS that
the wicked siren in nine cases out of ten
escapes with her plumber and can afford to
laugh at the authorities
This was the substance of a verbal
treatise rendered a reporter by a grave
yisaged, clerical-lOoking gentleman who
was some years ago the leading spirit of
a private detective agency, upon the sub
Ject OF dangerous women. The nature OF
his work In past years has brought him
into criminal contact with lady conf
dence workers. and it was not difficult to
draw him out on the subject.
4 am practically out of the detective
business now, said he, but | can't re-
sist the temptation of keeping my hand
In by running down the fair rascals when
ever they stick up their horns, and soaring
them into fits on general principles. Here
is an advertisement" diving into a neat
pocket-book- which | clipped from a
newspaper the other day, and in which |
recognize the fine italian hand Of a posi-
lively clever lady confidence worker. >
The advertisement read as fOllws.
STTUATION WANTED-A YOUNG WOMAN
- desires a position as house-keeper for an
elderly or middle-aged widower or single gentle
man.
THAT, continued the ex-detective
thoughtfully, looks very like the work
of a woman whom | chased from city to
city years ago in behalf of silly old
gentleman she had swindled. For aught
| know she is alive and prospecting, and
this advertisement makes it look as if she
were back in Chicago at her old tricks
This woman is a sOutherner, brunette
and perfect dream of grace and beauty.
The housekeeper' game is her favorite
one. Her record is remarkable one, for
one of her profession, and she has had
more giddy old Adonises at her feet in
her time than you or | would care to
count She has bled three or four gen
and they have all preferred to lose and
suffer silently rather than expose her and
be laughed at by their club and business
associates.
For whom dido | chase her? For a
rich and elderly widOwer who dwells In a
fine house ON the West Side, and who bit
at her bait with the avidity of a much
younger cudgeon. He needed a house
keeper, or thought he did, and answered
Just such an advertisement as that | have
given you. The young widow came, saw,
and conquered The old gentleman was
completely overcome by her charms. She
had not been In the house a week before
everything In it was at her disposal The
mink played her cards so well that her
adolescent adorer lost his head completely
His pOcket-bOOk was ever at her disposal
and-but. to make long story short she
chlorformed him one night, and, with the
assistance of younger lover, of her own
class, whom she admitted at the basement
door, she carried off all the money in the
house. and over S.. 900 worth of silver-ware
pictures and other portable valuables. By
the time the victim awoke the pair of har
pies were on their way to-Jericho, for all
| know.
And your pursuit.?
WAS undertaken with the strictest in
functions as to the secresy to be main
tanned In case of capture. The poor old
gentleman cried like baby when he put
the case IN my hands, and warned me sol
EMMY not to hand the woman over to the
police, but to try and persuade her to make
restitution voluntarily"
Ever catch them?'
No, | did not and | am glad of it
was we'll paid for my work, and | varily
believe that if had run the vixen down
to earth the old fellow would have for
given her and wanted to take her back
1t was really a bad case with him.
"Blac1mail, 7 continued the narrator of
this melancholy story as he warmed to
his subject, is the favorite resort of the
confidence women. and the most success
ful one To compromise her victim and
then threaten him with an exposure that
would mean his social ruin Is her easiest
and most lucrative source of revenue.
Moral backsliders who fall into the
clutches of such a woman are awful cow
ards and the higher their social position
the greater their cOwardice. They would
rather pay any amount of money than be
exposed, and the confidence woman knows
it. Woe to the victim when he was weak
ened and paid his tormentor price for
her silence. The moment her pockets are
empty back she IL come to strike him for
more and he must either 90 ON paying IN
definitely or dare her to do her worst.
which he might just as well have done at
first. The only way to conquer such
woman is to defy her first demand. The
consequences may be heavy, but it will be
the cheapest way In the end.
''0ther adventuresSes. of d smaller cali
Der, secure positions in rich families as
lady'S maid. companion nurse, or
governeSS Their plan may be to concoct
partnership plot with a gang of burglars.
and in the big robbery that follows the
fayorite servant is the last person in the
world to be suspected. Another plan Is
for the servant to possess herself of fam
lily secrets which an unhappy husband or
wife would give the world rather than
have known. and then use them to the
best advantage. Then, of course, there
are so-called clairvoyants who play their
games while claiming to make supernat-
ural revelations They may demand ex-
orbitant compensation for revealing the
whereabouts of lost or stolen valuables-
something they are enabled to do by be-
ING In COLLISION with the thieves who stole
them. There are others who play the role
of the spiritual medium: like Nine. Diss
De Bar, of New York. and still others who
pretend to be rich and philantbropic ladies
soliciting funds for some worthy chart
table object. and pocket the funds The
tricks of confidence women are innumer-
able and attended by far less danger
for the operator than those of the male
sharks
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