The San Francisco call., 1904-09-15
GOLDEN DREAM
IS DISSIPATED
Chicago Widow Learns She
Has Welded a Bogus and
Bigamous Mining Magnate
COMES WEST FOR PROOF
Finds a Record of Another
Marriage and Worthless
Papers Instead of Coin
Oakland Office San Francisco Call,
1918 Broadway, Sept. IA

1915 Broadway. Sept. IA.
Duped into marrying a man who
posed as a mining millionaire, and
who under the laws Of California COM
mitted bigamy when he welded his
second victim within year, Mrs. Car
rie r. Cox, who bears the name Of
Richard Gage, departed tonight for
Chicago, after satisfying herself that
she had been deceived by a willy old
scoundrel.
Gage abandoned his Chicago spouse,
as he did a pretty girl of Oakland,
Alma Natalie Schmidt, whom he we'd
ded last January. In Oakland he posed
as Frederick Page, and he won the
young woman by plausible stories of
fortune, which dissolved like fog be-
fore the morning sun when a bunch Of
hard-hearted creditors sWooped down
upon him.
The stories of the deluded women
are almost Identical Mrs. Cox met
Gage Cor Page at Los Angeles, after
he had fed from Oakland to escape
prosecution on a charge Of threatening
to kill his young bride, whom he mar
ried in this city on January 8. AS
Richard Gage, mining magnate Of
Colorado, he won favor in the sight Of
standing and about so years old. Gage
is at least ten years older, but is a
finely preserved specimen Of physical
manhood. To Denver Gage accom-
panied Mrs. Cox, where they were mar
ried on July H. The Oakland wife OBJ
tained an interlocutory decree Of d.
vorce March Is. The Denver marriage
is therefore bigamous, for the year has
not elapsed before a final decree Of di-
vorce can be entered.
After the marriage Gage and his new
wife went to Chicago on a visit to Mrs.
Cox-Gage'S relatives. Subsequently
they spent a short time at Geneva
Lake, Wis, where Gage drank so heav-
lily that there was complaint from his
wife. Thereupon, runs the deceived
widows story, Gage threatened to kill
her and struck his spouse, afterward
disappearing. This was identical with
his conduct toward his Oakland wife.
Later Gage and his wife met in Chi
cago, but the husband suddenly left
for Denver. Gage had telegraphed for
her to join him there, but could not
be found by his pursuing wife. She
continued her journey to Oakland to
examine the contents of a safe deposit
box at the Central Bank. said by Gage
to contain $14O, 900 in gold coin. Armed
made in her favor, Mrs. Cox-Gage was
allowed to open the box.
There wasn't a dollar in the vault.
Nothing but thousands of mining COM
pany blank stock books, worthless but
for the value of the paper. Blocks of
stock certificates covering issues
of 10000 and 10000 shares each were
piled into the box. Satisfied now that
she had been victimized, Mrs. Cox-Gage
appealed to the Chief of Police for
further light on her spouse's record.
The courts dockets showed 1t to a
certainty and her description fitted
the Frederick Page Of the record to a
certainty.
Gage or Page appeared in Oakland
late in 1908 and figured along the street
as a well-to-do mining man. OF impos-
ing presence and engaging manners,
exposure of his financial misdealings
was a surprise to many people. He con-
ouered pretty Miss Schmidt, who was
a clerk in a delicatessen shop at Seven
teenth street and Telegraph avenue.
But her Weakening came soon. Page
drank to excess. Creditors began pro-
ceedings against him. Deputy Sheriff
Jeff Scanlan attempted to serve sum-
mons on him and found his man in a
dangerous mood at his rooms. The
police were compelled to break in and
arrest Page, after his wife had fed
in alarm.
Page deposited $55 bail and fed be-
fore the examination was set. Mrs.
Page was induced to dismiss the charge
against him in order that the creditors
might attach the bail money, which
they did, getting a pro rata division.