The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-09-08
Charged With Defrauding Hotels and
B0arding-H Houses.
The Lady the Niece of an Ex-UHited States
Senator.
The Prisoners Brought Into a Lon
dom Court in the Midst of Il
Motley AssembIage of Ragged
the Magistrate to Jail for
Week.

LONDON, Sept. THE Duke and
Duchess of Rio Grande were arraigned
in the Marlborough Police Court this
morning charged with defrauding no.
tells ara boarding houses. The Duke is
said to be a Brazilian nobleman and
the Duchess, it is asserted, is niece Of
exhibited States Senator o. D. Conger
of Michigan.
The prisoners were brought up in the
midst of a motley assemblage of ragged
criminals. They had slept in cells at
Holloway, and showed the effects of
the uncomfortable night they had
passed
Nevertheless the Duke rested his chin
jauntily on his gloved hand. He is
short, dapper man with pompadour-cut
hair. beard and waxed mustache.
The Duchess is a handsome woman
about 80 years of age, with refined fea-
lures. Her face was swollen with
weeping. The Duchess said her father
lived in a village in Northern New
York and was an artist and member
of the Artists Board of Awards of the
Chicago Exposition.
A hotel keeper and the landladies of
two boarding houses confronted the
STANDBY, one of the landladies, said a
lady (the female prisoner) with an in
FAINT and nurse went to her house on
June 10Th, at night, and engaged a
room, saying that her husband was
dining at the club.
The husband (the man prisoner) ar
rived late, explained that he had been
yachting and that his baggage was de-
-+a
Iey's till August 18th. making many
excuses when asked for money, or
when asked why their baggage was not
forthcoming.
Mrs. Standby was compelled to have
the Duke and Duchess expelled from
her house. The landlady said she felt
sorry for the lady, as her husband ne
elected her shamefully. While residing
with Mrs. Standby, the Duke and
Duchess gave the names of Monsieur
and Madame Edgar Serge de Mel.
The lady said her husband was a
Duke and Count, that he had q dozen
titles and that some Emperor" was
about to confer another title upon him.
This artion Of the evidence caused the
presiding Magistrate to remark sarcas-
tically, And that will make seven
titles
After testimony from other landladies
who had failed to be paid the defense
claimed the prisoners offered security
in bills, but the Magistrate said it was
a. clear case of defrauding the hotel and
boarding houses and he remanded the
prisoners for a week, offering to release
the female prisoner on ESQ bail, half
the amount of the entire charge against
the prisoners. The latter We're eventu-
ally returned to Holloway Jail in the
Black Maria
An American who refused to give his
name was present in court to-day. He
said:
Il will find bail for the woman, but
the husband may rot in Jail. She is
well known in Chicago, and is a woman
of the highest talents and character.
She became fascinated with the worth
less man, her husband, married him
and had perfect faith in him. I pre-
sumo he is a Duke. I have lived in
Brazil and know that any one can get
titles there
The female prisoner appealed to the
United States Embassy for protection
on the ground that she was an Ameri-
can. but the Embassy officials replied
that she had forfeited her citizenship
by marrying foreigner. The EN-
baSsy, however, will be represented at
the trial. The woman is we'll known
in New York as Mrs. Clara Conger.
She married De Neil there in 1896. The
Brazilian Minister says there is no
such title as the Duke of Rio Grande