New-York tribune., 1900-12-28
THE STORY OF A "WIZARD y
EsCAPADEs OF ADoLPH MoNFTJ s.vpr
IN WASHINGTON.
POSED AS a MILLIONAIRE AND cr-r !.
WIDE swATH-MANY WOMEN SAY
THEY WERE DUPED BY HIM
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Washington. Dec 27.-The asc.,.a.u =.
Adolph Monell-sayre. erstwhile "Tha Ro, WI
ard Of Wall Street" which were partianv ex-
posed by the New-York papers to-day have
been known by number of prominent peonle
in washington for several months Though
born IN Kentucky and a member OF the wen
known Sayre family. the oldest bankers I'm ley
ington, sayre was reared in Washington b,, hts
widowed nio'her, who was clerk in the Pension
ONCE until HIS swift and sudden flight into al
legged affiuence. Through the influence OF "Joe"
Blackburn, John G. Carlisle and other Kentuck
isns mere, Sayre was made page in the House
q Representatives. Out OF his salary he saved
enough money 20 enter Harvard vVbs, ba~,,.s
eighteen years old. Since then his nol,t,csl
hackers lost track Of him. and most Of his family
friends here did too. until he turned I'D in Wash
ington In the winter Of 1898 as millionaire an5
with his name hyphenated- For several weeks
previous 10 his return here his mother had hesn
dangerously fl in humble quarters. He imme-
distey installed her in a fashionable family
hotel, provided the best medical attention avail
able, and soon restored her TO health and da
gree Of happiness she had not enjoyed for wears
When his mother was well enough to leave her
apartments she was astounded to find awaiting
her beck and call one Of the SWEETEST eou,nages
--' ----N ~-Ns u AAAAC A0InOUlS he explained to
her then. with romantic adornment. that a few
months previously he had hypothecated 2 small
Inheritance from his grandfather's estate and
with the proceeds he had amassed more than
SlO0Oo0o by shrewd speculation in Wall Street
He forthwith drove with his mother to the Pen
sion Office and had her resign her clerkship
there which had been paying her only $50 a
month
GAY LIFE IN THE CAPITAL.
As the mother Of millionaire Mrs. sayre.
who is handsome and well bred woman. at
once took more prominent position in Wash
ington society than she before had been able to
attain But the Boy WIZARDS business
demanded his presence in New-York, mother
and son went to that city after few weeks OF
gay life In the National capital. In New-York
young Sayre rented the Fifth-ave house of H
Victor Newcomb. himself q Kentuckian. on
terms Of intimacy with the sayre family Mrs
Sayre entertained many Of her Washington
friends lavishly in the Newcomb mansion
Among others TO whom she extended this hos
pitality were the Misses Kirkland, Of this city
These young women inherited a small estate
from their family in Kentucky, and their cousin
Tom L. Johnson. the well known Democratic
politician Of Cleveland. Ohio, was their guardian.
Against the protests Of Mr.. johnson the Misses
Kirkland were induced by sayre TO intrust
In
vestment- Sayre had so impressed them while
they were his guests in New-York with his abil-
ity as a lnancier that the young women only
too willingly turned over their money to him
According TO their statements, he paid them at
different times several hundred dollars which
he said profit he had made by the use OF
their money in some OF his speculations.
IN the summer Of 1898 sayre leased a cottage
in fashionable community near Asbury Park,
and there his mother entertained many of her
Washington friends including the Misses Kirt-
land and Miss Maud Porter. a Department clerk
in this city Miss Porter intrusted 81 500 of her
savings 70 Sayre for investment About the
same time Mrs. Lottie Johnson. who was well
known IN Washington and who died a year
ago. was persuaded by Sayre to go into a stock
speculation with him How much money tine
known. II is said that other Washington women.
most of them Government employees, also parted
with their savings for safe speculations'' at
the solicitation Of Sayre
TALE OF RICH GOLD FIELDS.
When the cottage near Asbury Park was
closed sayre ana his mother went West. Some
OF the women who had given money to him for
investment became uneasy and after months of
anxious searching located Mrs. Sayre and her
son at Denver. where, the mother wrote TO sew
eral Washington friends she had taken him for
his health After they left Denver all trace of
them was lost until the mother and son reap
peared in Washington last June. Mrs. Eayre
went 10 friends house and the lived at a
hotel under an assumed name, probably to keep
his women creditors or customers from harass-
ing him Sayre called upon the widowed sister
Of well known Western Senator and tried TO
persuade her TO invest in the securities Of a
gold mining company ne said he had formed for
the development Of rich gold veins in the Aleu-
tian Islands. that stretch from the western
coast Of Alaska ever toward China. In six
months" declared the boy wizard" 10 the Sen
etor's sister the world will be startled by the
amount Of gold I shall be taking out of my
mine in the Aleutian Islands" Mrs. Sayre also
visited the Senator's sister and assured her of
the correctness Of the boy wizards story of
marvellous gold deposits. and said further that
she had witnessed the departure from San Fran
cisco OF q ship which her son had purchased and
fitted up for service between San Francisco and
the Aleutian gold fields. The Senator's sister
refused, on the advice OF her brother TO invest,
and a few weeks afterward learned from Miss
Porter that on her information criminal war
rant for Sayre's arrest had been issueI in New
York. The warrant has been out since July.
and why the NeW-York officers have not ar
rested Sayre long ago is a mystery TO various
women in Washington who say they have been
duped by him.
When she last communicated with her Wash
ington friends Mrs. Sayre said she was living in
Hoboken. that she did not know where her son
was and that soon she located him she |
n0nds for which he had a fad, and return all |
The money he owes in Washington. When he |
was last here Sayre exhibited TO the sister Of the
Senator upon whom he called handful of dia- |
monds as an evidence Of his continued prosper |
ity. Al that time he claimed TO be worth |
sls,Oo0e90 aside from his gorgeous prospects in |
the Aeutian Islands
.,ou do drin