The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-25
UNMASKED BY A WOMAN.
Schemes of Matrimonial Bureau Re-
vealed by Miss e. l.. Reeding.


From the Chicago News.
How a clever young woman. working
as detective while posing as employee,
successfully unmasked the purposes of
alluring matrimonial ads worked up
evidence upon which the postal author"
halted abruptly the career of a man of
many aliases lies behind the removal of
a vanload of sumptuous furniture from
apartments at 1924 Wellington street
yesterday. The removal was based
upon writ issued by Justice Sholes of
Rogers Park and was sworn to by Miss
E. L. Reeding for wages due and I'M
paid to her by her employer. 1t was
executed by Constable Kicker. The
writ was directed at one Dudley"
conducting what was called the Elite
Matrimonial Association, and was pro-
cured by Attorney Samuel Meyers rep
resenting Miss Reeding.
Miss Reeding came here from West
field, N. j., June last, to enter the
employ of Dudley" determined to go
to the bottom of the practices of the
alleged association. and remained in
this work till Aug. IS.
Dudley is variously known as A.
Marshall A. Bronson, J. NJ. Dewitt
and ]. L. Dudley" according to her
statements. THE business, however,
is usually conducted in the name of
Mrs. j. S. Dudley, his wife. The mo-
dus operandi of the scheme is to insert
an advertisement in some newspaper
outside of Chicago. The one which
first attracted her attention was in
New York daily paper. The announce
ment was like this: Elderly gentle
men, wealthy, generous and kind,
wants loving wife, The ads have
been varied from time to time and
signed Mr.. Elliot Mr.. Monroe Mr..
Tyler or Mr.. Madison giving the ad-
dress of Dudley in Chicago. Another
advertisement said. Most bewitching
little creature with gold enough to help
make life one happy dream desires to
marry entertaining, up-to-date young
man. signed Miss Amiable' or Miss
Adelaide also giving the address of
Dudley or Marshall or Dewitt
when answers are received from
these advertisements a letter is sent
saying the gentleman Cor LADY, whose
advertisement was honored by your
replyis interested and wants to know
more about you etc., inclosing cir
cular setting forth the plan of the Elite
Matrimonial Association, which de-
clares that upon payment of IS one
becomes a member and the concern en-
cages to find a suitable mate for every
member. 1t also sends description
blank, which the prospective member
fills out, giving an accurate description
of himself or herself, physically, NOR
ally, mentally and spiritually, and
sends a photograph. AS soon as the
IS is paid the member is furnished
with a photo and description and COM
mences to correspond with the subject
of the description"
When Miss Reeding came here, she
says, she was put in charge of a
branch established at GIT Sedgwick
street. She was told by Dudley" that
thereafter her name was Mrs. C. B.
Taylor; that she owned the business;
that she learned the business from a
Mrs. Erich of New York, and that If
the postoffice inspector called she did
not know and had never heard of the
"Dudleys."
She was then initiated into the bus
mess, but only permitted to open the
first letters in answer to Miss Amia-
ble's" or Mr.. Elliott's' advertisement.
The succeeding letters containing mon
ey and postoffice orders, addressed to
herself, Mrs. C. B. Taylor" a conf
Dental stenographer of "Dudley's,"
came and opened every morning and
took them away with her to the Wei
lington street place.
Miss Reeding says that quantity of
Description" blanks were already fill
ed out, with the exception of the age,
name and color of eyes, and that the
man was always five feet ten inches,
weight $50 pounds, dark-brown hair,
Protestant, worth 100000, did not
smoke or drink, extremely fond of
home life, and whatever age was re-
quested, with blue eyes if the woman's
eyes were brown and vice versa.
All this information Miss Reeding put
in the hands of Inspector Mayer of the
postoffice department, and he has in
his possession a large amount of evil
dence, among which is correspondence
between a Mrs. Steele'-a poor wo-
man, who denied herself comforts to
pay the necessary IS to get husband
and letters to her from Dudley in
his own handwriting, under the name
of "A. Marshall" Inspector Mayer is
out of Chicago on another case, but In
spector Stuart said to-day warrants
would be sought on Mayors return.
The concern, Miss Reeding says, has
operated at 1910 Sheffield avenue, 1887
Sheffield avenue, 610 Evanston avenue,
744 North Park avenue, 1924 Wellington
street, CIT Sedgwick street, and "Dud-
ley" also had an address on Clark
street. where he received mail under
various aliases. Dudley" disappeared
from his old haunts, but was seen
again a few days ago.
The eXpressman who moved the
desks and other furniture from the
house at 677 Sedgwick street yesterday
says that they were taken to a build
ing in Dearborn street, right near
Madison street" 1t is thought possible
that the number of mail deliveries each
day in the residence district is not suf-
ficient to care for the increasing busi-