The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1896-01-16
WANTED TO CREATE HEIRS
Mayne's Scheme in Adopting
the ShiptOn Girls
WAS MURDER DESIGNED?
Mysterious Partner Lotus Who Was
Never Known to Turn Up
Mnyne's Proposition to Make Elsie and Della
Heirs Of a ChiIdIess Millionaire With
Himself as Guardian

1t has always been matter of conjec-
ture and mystery to everyone why Clifton
E. Mayne, who has been sentenced to
serve twenty-five years for raping the
Shipton girls, ever advertised for two
young girls to adopt. 1t will! be remem-
bered that Mayne inserted an advertise
ment in the newspapers seeking for two
young girls whom he might adopt. The
result of the advertisement was that Mayne
adopted the Shipton girls, and upon the
charge of debauching them he was after
ward convicted.
Why should Mayne desire to adopt two
young girls? What motive did he have?
Certainly it was not pure philanthropy, for
Mayne makes no pretensions to anything
of the kind. He had a scheme, but what
that scheme was no one knows positively,
nor has anyone ever succeeded in abso-
lutely ascertaining beyond question.
Mayne himself would never tell why he
had adopted the girls to anyone except to
one man, who now comes to the front and
tells story which is both sensational and
interesting.
This man claims that Wayne unbosomed
himself to him completely and gave long
detail of the scheme he expected to carry
out after he had secured full control of the
girls.
Mayne, it will be remembered, came to
Los Angeles about a year ago and engaged
in the real estate and brokerage business,
under the firm name of Mayne IL Lotus.
He had an office in the chamber of COM
merce building at Fourth and Broadway,
and branched out quite extensively.
Partner Lotus was the mystery OF the
firm. He was never seen or heard of here
in this city. He was apparently dead let
ter. Mr.. Mayne tended to all the business
and the silent partner never turned up.
Finally the falling of Mr.. Mayne knocked
the firm out and it ceased TO exist.
This party. who claims that he had
Mayne's confidence, now says that there
is party named LOTUS in Mexico who is
man of great wealth and childless.
Mayne's idea was to adopt lhe Shipton
girls and then the capitalist LOTUS in Mex
leo was to disappear. IT he did not die at a
convenient time then he was to be made to
die by the hand of hired assassin.
The next move was for Mr.. Mayne to
turn up as the partner of LOTUS the de-
ceased capitalist, with these two young
girls as his adopted daughters and heirs.
He himself would then secure the guar
dianship OF the child heirs of the murdered
millionaire. This would insure for him the
handling of all of the wealth.
This story comes from man who claims
that he was very close to Mayne, and he
certainly has been. Mayne denies the
truth of the story but it is, nevertheless,
plausible. 1t has the color of truth, for
outside facts which are known to exist go
to corroborate it.
Mayne, when asked if the story was
true, was highly indignant. He claimed
that it was another scheme of his enemies
to further blacken his already blackened
character.
Wright, the party who has the custody of
Elsie Shipton, claims that he knows that
this story of Mayne's scheme to commit
murder in addition to the other crimes that
have been charged against him, is true.
Constable Harry Johnston claims that
Mayne and his friends out of Jail are
striving to compel Wright to leave the city.
Constable Johnston says that he proposes
to see to it that Wright is not compelled to
leave town by any man or combination of
men.