The sun., 1894-05-13
MRS. BRADFORD'S SCHEMES.
MANY SAID TO HAVE BERN IN THEN.
BUT FEW WILL TELL.


H.r " vieti-." L..t Her Mo-sy ~ nro- 4
- . Fer Cent . Meath for R.i.v..,.--t
at More Uspriors Rste,-Mo-t 81 Her
borrowed Capital She Rer.id s- Ist.rs-t
Mrs. Kate Bradford. the woman who left her
home at 65S Bedford avenue. William sburgh.
on Tuesday night and whose departure has
been discussed By several hundred people who
lent her money for Investment. has not yet
been found. After the general alarm sent out
By the police. men were stationed along the
river front. on the piers. and at the ferries. a.
1t was thought that she might have contsm-
plated suicide.
Yesterday these pickets were withdrawn
and the Sergeant At the Clymsr avenue police
station said there were no police detailed on
tho case. 1t Is believed that Mrs.. Bradford had
no thought Of suicide. but that she quietly left
her homo for some place her creditors would
have difficulty In finding.
These creditors call themselves "victima"
II is said that there are between 200 aud 800
OF them. but very few have proclaimed them
selves. None OF those who have believes that
Mrs. Bradford is dead. They think she is In
hiding. and. although they would like to see
her. they do not want to have any Of the pub
licity an rRsnized search for her would en-
tail. They are almost as shy as Mrs. Bradford
herself
Mira Bradtord's financial operations. to
which her Victims" were willing parties,
we're neither novel nor OF . rare order. ostsn-
sibly she lent small sums Of money to needy
women teachers in the public schools at .
usurious rate Of interest The victims"
were to participate In the profits Of the scheme.
They did participate in suppositive profits. but
whether or not they were really profits nobody
knows for sure except MIRA Bradford. and she
II not on hand TO tell.
Mrs. Bradford. her friends say. has been In
this business for twelve years on small scale.
She would discount . teachers m onthly salary.
charging bonus Of flve to ten DER cent. for the
accomm odation. The experience Of the vic
tins" who have discovered themselves, how
ever. goes back only year. It was. them In the
financial string ency of last summer that MrA
Bradford branchsd out and spread her net for
any ybody and everybody who had . little
ready cash. She told her friends what prof
table business she was doing. and she got her
friends to tell others. Small capitalists flock ed
to her. She could use any amount Of money.
she said. small or large. Amounts OF money.
small and largo. came In to her She gave re-
ceipts for them. and sometimes her personal
notes. endorsed BY friends. She agreed to pay
on these sums interest varying from to o
per cent q month. according to the greed Of
her Victims"
In most cases this interest was paid regu-
larry. and when the victims" saw what .
profitable thing they had moro money came
rolling IN. Some Of her creditors left their
interest with her for reinvestmsnt. All Of
them were more than satisfied.
In Mrs. Bradford's scheme there were many
little devices OF her own. For instance. she
~ II. I.l zt-.t
These. she explained. were loans to run for .
fortnight only. but they were more than
ordinarily profitable. because the school
teacher to whom the loan was to be made
couldn't really get along without the money.
her a double bonus These two. weeks
RSDGs5 as6 3. had
Invested Tor her clients . sum yarionsly esti-
interest sse hSd 70 DsS on III.
she began to fan behind: For Ter months she
no. SSa Coming 0 in she % found Rsf.si Ian IN f
at Sss.n n'Rs' to eonpa sSas y 'hf Sr.do9a
offered various excuses. she also wanted to
reduce some Of the higher rates OF interest
s ssSsn 81 and eight. That made the victims
indlgnapt Thsn they began to suspect Mrs
as the weeks slipped by with no more interest
aud some OF them I'm ally threated suits. Then
Mrs. Bradford apparently got frightened aud
Mrs Bradtord's scheme. plausible enough q
year. ago., does not seem exactly 30 to the
them 9 that they hey have been PLAYING the dups. il
game which has been exploited many times
sS sssTs Rs @'a snG they esn adr:
the conviction that Mrs. Bradford. whom she
wa: then S.ss :Soh n. o sS:
pal tho money they had lent her for invest
ment. They no longer believe In the needy
bonuses which viii Yield nine per cent.
The awakening has taken time. When Mrs.
Bradford frst failed TO pay monthly interest
the ssr es 1es sn.
days she had 10 dispose, Of another one. and
poT There was still q third collector. and
whom the victims" became i'm Fortunate Mrs,
1 SsPSsa .SSs ss &
now say ,;nat those three collectors were In
Mr: B5sdords sys They went tS Mas d"n5 Raysn zen
They also found that she had never been q
made that sntsrprisinR lAdy's Aequaintaneee
Tho other two collectors also professed an
absolute Ignorance OF Mrs Bradford and her
although the Sc victims" are all In the same
boat. they have been. since the oateropping Of
they were engaged. exceedingly ehary of band
ing together In the common cause. II IL for
that reason very doubtful II Mrs. bradford
would be prosecuted. even II found; Msny
they feel that they might not stand
we'll In the public eye were they known to be
lenders OF money At nine per cent = month to
needy women school teachers. Others are
fearful that ths great public would look upsn
them as fools for their ersdqlity In schemes
promising the i%pos'Ibls 80 although At
they were tumblinR over one another
In thsIr saRerness to get In. on what they call
the ground hoor." with the various syndi-
oates which were formed to pool money for
Mrs. Bradiord's inyestms snt, or for Mrs. brad
ford. they are now SlngulArly divided and
But one man has signinsd his intention Of
prosecuting MIRA Bradford. wherever and
Charles J: stou. Eho sells ssusagss ct $50
German, and he talks ylndietlVslH He is said
to have lost 81 600 by his operations with MrA
bradford. His experience will doubtless serve
to illustrate her methods This is his tale.
told to . SUN reporter yesterday:
have known Mrs Bradford about year.
but in that time l have seen her only few
sla.as aIfhnnUh NV daalinaa With has hava