New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-30
HARVARD MEN SWINDLED
GRADUATES THE DUPE OF A WOMAN
SHE KNOWS ALL ABOUT THEM AND THEN
CLASSMATES AND BoRROws MONEY
PROM THEN.

lROM THEM.
Numerous graduates OF Harvard University IN ~.
city and. perhaps In others have recently hsa.
made the Victims OF smoothtongued woman. who
by playing upon their sympathy and class snlr,,
has managed to swind.e them out OF consIderaN.
sums of money. In each case the woman has ,,s
the same story in general, with sufficient yarIat,o.
In detail TO make It III the case In hand II IA.
been her custom to cal. upon a prominent Harv.rs
and, Il delicate. ladylke manner TO exn,,.
to him that while travelling Eastward from Cal.
fornla she lost her purse. She Is in immediate nesa
OF money. and begs temporary loan until she "a,
get remittance from her home in California IA,
relatives are Harvard graduates. and she is an g.,
Innate friend of sisters, cousins and aunts OF Cali
fornia classmates Of the man TO whom she appea,.
The woman shows remarkable knowledge OF Han
ward graduates especially OF those who were sr,au
ated in the early Seventies" She has always ar.
pea;ed to who graduated in the sew,
enties," and has been able TO tell them all ahou,
the classmates with whom she Gains friendship a,
relationship
The swndler is mlddle-aged and well dressed. ana
her education and refinement. coupled with her an
parently straightforward story, have made easv
Victims OF those to whom she has Appealed in
New-York City alone she has succeeded in getting
money from several we.l-known alumni Of Harvard
and IT Is not known how far her operations hav.
schema
came about through a conversation between two
Harvard men. one OF whom had given her money
He was telling his friend about the womans prs.
dlcament and expressed great deal OF sympathy
for her explaining that she an Intimate friend
OF the sister Of H. one Of their classmates
Hold up" cried the other, who "smelled rar".
'he hasn't a sister and never had a sister know
all about his family.
This led TO an Investigation. and II was discovered
that the woman was. according to her stories
relative OF about every In the West who was
ever graduated In the seventies from Harvard Int
verslty. The publication OF this article may stou
her proceedings in this nelghborhoOd. but she viii
have the satisfaction OF knowing that she has
swndled some OF the shrewdest and 0est-known man
in New York There Is telling how long the ia,
OF victims is. and undoubtedly some Of them viii
learn the truth for the first time when they read
this article.
THE painful thing about the whole affair."" said
a well-known Harvard man who was instrumental
in investigating the willy woman's career, rs thar
some Harvard man seems 10 be mixed up in II. How
could this woman get 10 know so much abou, the
members Of classes Of twenty years ago? OF courss
she might get hold Of p Harvard Club book con.
talnng the names Of members, 50 that she would
know whom 10 approach but where did she get all
the information about the members Of the classes!
II she had not made that slip about one mans SO
ter she might be 'buncOing us all yet"
At any rate the Harvard men who have lent
money 10 a classmates sister cousin, aunt or friend
may put It down in their cashbooks 10 the account
OF profit and loss-and experience.