The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-06-29
W0MAN'S
ODD MATRIMONIAL
FRAUD

DY appropriating a photograph OF
II Maxine Elliott and describing
herself as an heiress. woman
in the Michigan backwoOds has ac-
qUired the largest amount of personal
correspondence on record.
She is Mrs. Lizzie COffey of BUrnips
Corners. Mich. and her home is q log
cabin. Not long ago she had an inspira-
ton and advertised in matrimonial ga
zettes far and wide that she was a
young widow with 100000 in her own
right and heiress to nearly a million
She gave glowing descriptions of her
personal charms using portraits OF
Maxine Elliott in sUbstantiatiOn, and
she said she wanted a nice, COngenial
husband who would care for her and
use her property to good advantage.
These advertisements were answered
by thousands. Letters came from every
state in the Union. There were letters
from the Philippine islands, letters
/ from Europe, letters from South Amer
| lea ana from far off frozen Alaska.
! The little fourth-class Office became
/ crowded with the mail for Mrs. Coffey.
! The postmaster was unable to scan the
] pOstmarks to see where the letters
( came from. This aggrieved him. He
was in the habit Of looking up all such
matters, but the mail came in such
/ large quantities he was unable to keep
4 up with it.
Soon her mail grew to enormous pro-
+ portions and her husband was let into
/ the secret. When the letters rolled in
! with stamps in them he became inter
/ ested. He, with the assistance Of his
wife posed as rich, gay, young
widOwer with lots Of cash. He sent out
photographs of IotharO-lOoking young
, actors and he. too, was soon i'm the
. swim with his wife.
I Most Of the letters are i'm UncOUth
language and written IN most Outland-
. ish peumanship. They are nearly all
( of one tenor. The writers were de-
siTOUs of marrying; they wanted TO find
beautiful woman for companion
and were looking for money when it
/ was possible to obtain it,
Both Mr. and Mrs. COffey say that
there was no money sent I'm the letters,
and Postmaster Brady at Burnips Cor
ners says they never had any money
orders cashed at his office.
Other amOrOus swans wrote tender
epistles according to the etiquette Of
the matrimonial bureaus. Z. G. Eayes
of Mt Zion, Miss. wrote and sent his
picture. His letter. i'm part, follows
Kind friend viii drop you a few
lines 10 form your acquaints Re SeVed
your Name And your DesripsiOns
through the BurOe fin whicht lam in.
lam in surch For a. Loving Companion
Ard one that viii Fill the Vacant
Place I'm My Hart. Kind friend, send
You one of my Photographs wit Ny Full
! Descriptions 1t shoes the features as
! nachel as can bee only it is 10 Dark.
lam very lite Complexion, Gray eyes
| ORION hair. foot iii Waight 100 Lbs,
| in clined TO be hump ShOuldered- A
! Muskler Man and A widOwer p years
Old with A common School EQucatiOns
but hav Cot AnOf 10 Atten to Emmy
4 Bushes, lam Strickly MOrrel IN my
Habits Don't use tobacco Mar WINS
key. Kind Loving Friend lam Strickly
+ fMeening Business in writing 10 you
for Unjust say that your Age Com
plecktiOns wait an All Suits me to aztec
kind loving Girl, NAV Only one Ting
o. TO offer And it is Neither Lands Mar
Gold. But it is A Strong Arm and a
True Hart and win Lay down my Life
s for the Rite Girl and Be happy for lam
4 lonely and Tired Of living alone The
Girl that Steels my Hart and takes my
p Name Twill make Happy for the Re
: mainder Of my Lif for lam Hunting 9
% girl that lean idleise and make Ange'
G OF. Let me hear from you in Return
mail in the Regards to an Urly mar
# rage"
k United States government officials
Y have arrested the woman on charge
: Of using the mails for fraudulent pur-
poses.