St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-30
Extraordinary Matrimonial
Career OF a High-Spirited
English Girl.
Eveline Neal Achieves Fame
and Fortune by Wedding
Gullible Frenchmen.
She Also Reaps a Heavy Ben
eft by Selling Nuptial
Gifts.
Her Little List Of SorroWing
Husbands Now Foots Up
Forty-Three.

LONDON, March 29.-The story of the
woman who married forty-three hus-
bands, brief reference to which was
made in yesterdays report, has no equal
in the criminal annals of modern times.
Eveline Neal is the child of well-to-do
farmer iii Shropshire, the fertility of
whose acres made it an easy matter to
provide handsomely for his family, COM
posed of one daughter and three sons.
Eveline. like many others IN the same
position, being the pet of her father and
brothers, and fairly good looking. soon
learned to command, and grew up in the
belief that mankind was created to do her
homage and minister to her wishes.
How early she started in her present
career is not yet known, but, as she is
still young, if not in the heyday of
youth. it is supposed that she early en-
tered the crooked paths in which she
mas since strayed. Eveline's methods
were admirable in their simplicity.
Fearing that the sturdy common sense
of the majority of her countrymen
might not prove favorable to her
schemes, she long since transferred
herself and her belongings to French
soil, finding in Paris. and the general
practice of patronizlng
Marriage Bureaus
and answering advertisements holding
out attractive inducements to commit
matrimOny, cOngenial atmosphere and
much encouragement. Behold her,
then, located III the gay capital, if she
could be said to have a location when
the necessities of her trade compelled
her to be as locomotive as graSshop-
per and quite protean IN her many dis
guiSes. OF course, a woman of Miss
Neai's genius could not adhere siavishly
to any particular method. She had
many, but favOrite scheme. and one
that won her much wealth, was the an
nouncement in the journals that she
was widow. with fortune varying in
different advertisements from 100000
to 100000 francs, and desired to
MARRY gentleman in good cir
cumstanceS belonging to "high lite''
If not to the nobility. or to the select
circles of commerce. Answers were
directed to be sent addressed poste res
tante, where they were called for by an
accomplice. The latter then selected
such of the replies as madam was
appointments
for an interview, not with the English
maiden, but only with her friend. At
this meeting the accomplice, NJ. Burgess,
passed the candidates in serious review,
noting down carefully the physical
characteristics OF each, the amount of
fortune, etc.
In cases where this examination
proved satisfactory the victim was in
vited to madame's sumptuous apart
mentS in sight of the Rond Poiut in the
Champs Elysees, or some equally at
tractive quarter of the city. On every
occasion the widow
Assumed Il New Name,
but each time she told a pitiful tale of
how she had been married against her
will, and, while she would like to please
herself on the present occasion, she still
had mother, her father being dead,
whose wishes she must consult, and
who still deemed her, in spite of her
young to marry yet" In short the ap-
picant must wait. Then began the
most profitable portion of the game, the
cOurtship being made as expensive as
possible for the suitor. Nothing but
the most costly presents would placate
the imperious beauty, and if they fell
off in the slightest from her high stand
ard of quality and quantity, the dream
of the infatuated admirer was promptly
ended. Nor was this done in
any diSagreeable manner. There was
no scene, no reprOaches, no tears. Mad
anne simply disappeared. The profusely
bled victim sought her in her accustomed
haunts, but the most diligent search
failed to reveal her. 1t goes without
saying that the presents, constituting
the magnificent 'Corbeille," were also
missing. The precious stones, rich jew
els, and other valuable booty were not
only invisible to the donor, but he would
have been compelled to take ship in
order to see them again. They had been
safely transferred to the madame's snug
little mansion in the suburbs of London,
which was rich from garret to eel
lar with the proceeds of her
Parlsian industry. But madame
cases where something more than the
sedate joys of French cOurtship were
needed to induce the fiance to part with
his means in sufficient abundance, Evel-
inc kindly consented to an actual mar
riage, which piece Of gracious conde-
ScenSi0n never failed to produce the de-
sired effect. The "Maire'' and the
church would be visited in due course,
the wedding breakfast eaten, and the
presents duly received and ticketed, but
when the shades of night had fallen On
the scene the groom, who mayhap had
indulged too freely in Chambertin,
would suddenly be
RudeIy Awakened
to the knowledge that both bride and
gifts had departed. The French police
declare on their honor that in 1881, when
Eveline was brought to their official
for the first time, she had been
married in this peculiar way thirteen
times, but that now she had increased
the score to the extraordinary total of
forty-three. The cause of the present |
publicity given to Eveline and |
her ways is her experience with Ger
tain viscOunt, which led to her arrest at |
the Hotel Meurice yesterday. This gen.
tleman had ruined himself by gambling |
and was naturally anxious to obtain |
more wealth wherewith to regild |
his tarnished escutcheon. At first |
attracted by Eveline's suppositi- |
tious millions, he at length became |
really in love with the adventures, and |
followed her and her companion with |
canine fidelity in their travels through |
out England, Belgium and Norway, the |
expenses being paid by the nobleman,
who borrowed right and left on notes of |
hand based on his expectations of mar
rying wealthy widow. This, however, |
could not go on forever. The viscount |
insisted that the happy day should be |
Eveline, knowing that no more |
presents could be gained by an actual |
declined to do so, and her
suitor lald his case before the police.
Eyeline was aStOnished at her arrest