Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-27
SHE WAS FAIR BUT |ND|SCREET
The Bogus Senorita in Bain's
Marriage Bureau.
What Came From Answering Pc
lice Gazette Personal.
The Inside Facts rs to the Way Swind-
ling Marriage Bureaus Are Con-
ducted-Bain's Nervy Way Of
Gaining a Living.

Ill. y. Wilson, alias Isaac w. BAN, did
not look like the winged god Of love yes
terday afternoon, while being examined
before United States Commissioner Van
Dyke, but more like copper-plate edi-
ton of Uriah Heep. If the thousands OF
foolish mortals who write to marriage
bureaus could have seen the blear-eyed,
cringing fellow, whose pale lips flushed
red as blood at the slightest question,
the business OF this class of parasites
would dwindle amazingly.
Those who have followed the criminal
records of San Francisco, may have mo-
ticed Bain's trial in that city several
riage Bureau there in 1891, and getting
cumulating over him, moved to Fresno,
February to April, 1891, as the
fed. He was arrested there, taken
to San Francisco, pleaded guilty, and
was sentenced to $3.50 fine and six
months in jail. In the meantime, the
then United States district attorney,
ViiIOusuOy SOtC, ECCulCo dA lAulCt"CAU
against Balm for his work at Fresno.
When his time was up in San Fran
cisco, he was at once brought to Los
Angeles, and yesterday morning was out
for trial for defrauding people by pre-
tended marriage bureau. The indlct-
ment was found defective, the letter re-
ferred to not being set forth, and the
jury was instructed to acquit, which
fhlu did RoIn of fouonfoH tC al ont
but was rearrested at the instance of
District Attorney Allen upon new in
formation and the examination was
held at 2 so O'Clock, the defendant be-
ing represented by O. @. Stephens.
The evidence revealed the fact that
Balm. like the bunco people, took ad-
vantage of the weakness OF human ma
ture, which wants something for Moth
ing, which causes the bunco men to say
that no man who ia not crooked at
heart can be buncoed. 1t is for this
reason that men who are buncoed are
entitled to very little sympathy, and the
people who patronize these marriage
bureaus are in the same class. No self
respecting man or woman could afford
to answer the advertisements OF the par
ticular bureau; the bats held out ap-
peal to the smallest vices which man
have.
When the first witness was called in
the examination, it proved to be work
ing man from Bisbee, Ariz,, A. v. Leyda.
He acknowledged replying to the follow
ing advertisement, which appeared in
the New York Police Gazette last
spring:
A SPANISH GIRL, HANDSOME AND
"A wealthy, who, for certain reasons, will
civ half her ioitune to any resp ciable man
tn Vt will give her his name. sealed particu-
lars, 1Oc. Address the ACME, Box 207, Fresno
coudty, Cal. l.-5-es-s ss-s3
In response to this insinuating adver.
tisement Mr.. Leyda, who was old
enough to know better, replied, describ-
ing himself His summing up of bis
points was naive in the extreme. He
wrote that he was I8 years old, "pretty
old, pretty gray and little bald" but
honest, and could give references if
necessary. He wanted the halt of the
fortune, no matter how soiled the char
acter OF the Spanish girl. In reply he
received the following letter from Balm,
then masauerading as Wilson: