The herald., 1893-06-19
SHE DID EXPERT F|NANC|ER|NC.
Detective Goodman's Expose Of
Mrs. Wiley.
She Embezzled Hourly Unknown to
Her Husband aHd Son.
A Most Startling Story Told by tho
Police Regarding Well Known
Woman RecentIy Resi-
dent OF This CITY.

dent OF This City.
Six weeks ago complaint was sworn
to in Justice Austin's court by the
Domestic Sewing Machine company,
charging Mrs. A. Wiley with embez-
cling two sewing machines.
At the same time woman known as
Mrs. Wiley, supposed to be the wife of a
well-known professional gentleman of
this city, dsappe AIRED.
Her departure was signalized by the
discovery OF q series of Wholesale frauds
80 daring in character that it seems in
credible they should have succ eeded in
the way they did.
The discovery was first made by he
Sewing Machine com pany who swOre to
the complaint. Under another name
Mrs. Wiley, it is said, visited the Office
OF the firm and bought two machines on
the installment plan, paying down a
nominal amount, the balance to be paid
in weekly sums. Soon after the pur-
chase the company discovered that their
machines had been pawned almost as
soon as they were bought. The police
were informed and Detective Good
man detailed on the case, with the
cred nearly $500 worth of property OBJ
tained and pswned under similar cir
cumstances by Mrs. Wiley. The detec-
tive also hunted up the woman's history
and discovered that she had been work.
ing the same racket in various other cit
lee for years, never being arrested, and
pursuing her fraudulent career entirely
unknown to her worthy husband and
son. The detective found that the wo-
man eloped from her husband in Chi
cago eight years ago taking with her
$500 of his money. She met Wiley and
they lived together for eight years, until
six weeks ago, when to avoid arrest the
woman fed.
During these eight years Mrs. Wiley
awindled in Chicago, St. Louis, Omaha,
San Francisco and Seattle. In the same
way she obtained goods on the install
ment plan, and directly after purchasing
the articles pawned them.
This was not all. Mr.. Wiley, who is
an entirely reputable citizen, was in the
habit of making his wife the banker OF
the family, and short time ago he cal
culated that the woman must have
nearly $4,000, money he had given her to
save.
But when Mrs. Wiley left this city,
it was with an empty pocket.
Mrs. Wiley had mani for gambling,
it appears, and Chinese lottery games
it ia claimed were the cause of her
swindling tradesmen in half the cities
Of the Union. The fact was ascertained
by Detective Goodman, who discovered
that while in this city Mrs. Wiley was
an inveterste gambler, never playing
less than $40 day, and frequently
stalking considerably larger sums.
The lottery games appear to have had
an unavoidable fascination for the
woman. From all accounts she never
won, the highest prize ever awarded her
only amounting to 81, but with the
iallacious hope OF some day winning
ssaSgrnfcias ae F plss63SSfadn and husband to her
overpowering passion.
Towards the end Of her career in Los
Angeles, rendered desperate by her re-
peated i'll luck, the reckless woman, it is
said, even went 30 far as to take the
watches of both son and father to the
pawn shop, the proceeds going to the
Chinese lottery agents.
1t was then that the detective first be-
came acquainted with her. She took
tbs watch he says to Chinese lottery
agent and pledged it with the man. A
few DAYS afterwards che went to the
Chinaman and persuaded him to return
her the watch, saying that she knew
where she could obtain more money on
it, promising she would return and re-
pay the Chinaman's loan. She took the
watch to pawn brokers' and pledged
it q second time, intending to use the
money for the usual purpose.
Detective Goodman was in the store
when the woman entered to pledge the
watch. He was informed of the whole
transaction, but not being aware at that
time Of the woman's other crimes, he
contented himself with reading her
severe lecture. After being detailed on
the case, Goodman obtained q photo
graph and recognized it az the portrait
OF the woman who had attempted to
pawn the watch, and started out on her
trail. She managed, however, to get
ont OF the city, and has not yet been
discovered.
The astonishing part of the affair is
that her husband and SOD were entirely
ignorant of the whole affair. She al
ways apparently had money, but that
was accounted for by the sums given
her by her husband.
Detective Goodman recovered $500
worth of property, pawned in Los
Angeles alone. Among the articles were
sewing machines from the Singer, Do
mestic and Standard companies, silver
ware from Humphreys, lace curtains.
ETC., all the goods being bought on the
instalment plan. From Information re-
ceived during the last few weeks from
various cities, it appears that the total
amount of property embezzled by this
woman must foot up to several thousand
dollars.
Those OF the merchants who have re-
covered their property are DESTROYS Of
evncing their gratitude to Detective
Goodman by the gift of purse of
money.