davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1905-05-26

Rex, Regal, and the
Southern Cotton OilCo.'s
fine Felt Mattresses.
Call and see our fine
line of Hammocks. We
h~ve the best Mosquito
Cancj pies. A splendid
line of Refrige' ~ators--the
North Star is the best.
Pictures and Picture
framing a speciality.
We have the best Sew
ing Machine man in the
county, See him and ex-
change your old vibrat-
ing machine for a new
". & w rotary motion.
We are not selling at
cost, but will give you a
bargain for the next
+hirtv daVS.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12

tives will respect you, or have to get out
of it,
Mrs. Duke also had much to say about
the plans she and her husband had
formed for building church in Durham,
N. c., and improving the condition of the
poor people of the great tobacco city.
Denies Drinking Stories.
II want to deny emphatically, she
said, "all the reports about Mr.. Duke and
me indulging to excess in drinking, and
that we were often in an intoxicated con-
dition together. It is all wicked false
hood, and intended by the members of
the Duke family who have been persecut-
ing me ever since my marriage to Mr..
Duke to destroy my good name. con-
sented to an early marriage at the urgent
plea of Mr.. Duke. The following day
We went on with our business arrange
ments, but Mr. Duke contracted a severe
cold and his condition became so serious
that thought it safest to have the doctor
give all of his time to him."
"a Beautiful" Marriage.
Mrs. Agnes Desplaines. who has fig
ured as Mrs. Dukes closest friend, has
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12

abused the relatives, and particularly
the son who was instrumental in getting
his father away from her. The detec-
tives pushed Duke out of the apartments
and the next day the bride was asked to
leave the place. For awhile she went
into hiding, but when at last she was To-
Gated she told story in which sentiment
and business was strongly mixed.
Mrs. Duke has all along claimed to
have large property interests. She is
about so years of age, perhaps five years
the junior of her husband. For several
years she has figured as a promoter Of a
certain kind of industrial concern OF
more or less magnitude. Her business
correspondence is written on nicely en-
graved stationery, under the heading of
THE Texas-Cuba Tobacco Company -
of which Alice M. Webb figures as tha
president. The Offices of the concern are
in the Continental bank building, of Chi
cago, and, according to Mrs. Duke, it
owns a considerable area of tobacco
land in Texas. She is also interested in
the firm of Taylor, Webb & Co., which
has it's headquarters with the tobacco
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12

fore the minister with her. 1t is all very
strange"
At Bellevue hospital they said plainly
that Duke was suffering from alcoholic
dementia, and it was even intimated that
his condition might have been brought
about by the use of drugs. Naturally,
Mrs. Alice Webb Duke had quite diff
ferent story to tell, and her friend, Mrs.
Agnes Desplaines, bore her out in most
of the details. But it happened that pri-
vate detectives employed by the Duke
family and the detectives from District
Attorney Jerome's office had unearthed
enough of the records of the two women
| to cast strong suspicion on them, and the
grand jury was put to work Investigating
| the matrimonial tangle
| For some time the Dukes had not
known where Brodie Duke was. He had
been in the habit of spending a good deal
of his time away from his South Caro-
lima home. Last October he dropped out
of sight for an unusually long period.
Then one day he turned up at Durham.
N. c., with Miss Alice Webb. Then came
another disappearance, and it was not
until his son, Lawrence Duke had ar
rived in New York to find out what had
become of his father that the truth was
known. One day late in November Ben
jamin N. Duke, a half-brother of Brodie
Duke, who lives at the Hoffman House,
was called up at the hotel by woman,
who said:
nh NV +1o G;-1
"This is your new sister-in-law. l
called you up to tell you that have mar
ried your brother Brodie. l want to tell
you that we are very happy. Mr.. Duke
wants to talk to you himself"
Then Benjamin Duke heard some con-
versation and a voice which he recog-
nized as his brothers came over the
phone. 1t said: This little Texas girl
has got me, and got me good"
Benjamin Duke asked his brother if
he was satisfied, or something to that eff
feet, and there was conversation at the
other end Of the telephone in which he
heard women's voices. Then his brother
said: Eyes, it is alright l am salts
fed"
A Strange Disappearance.
At that time the Dukes didn't know
where Brodfe Duke was. What really
caused them to put private detectives to
work was the knowledge which came to
his family that Brodie Duke had gone
back to North Carolina and tried to wind
up his affairs there, among other things
asking that about 100000 worth OF Sc
curities he held there should be forward
ed to him in New York. On top of that
they discovered that he had given
check for 81 200 on bank where he had
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12
GIRLS BURNED AS WITCHES
Be Possessed Of Evil Powers
Suffer Awful Tortures.

Moscow.-A horrible story comes
from the village of Kasimirovka, ST.
beria I'm this village" runs the re-
port, 'for three years past all the cattle
have died from the Siberian plague.
"A witch doctor announced that the
village was cursed by the presence of a
family Of witches. He singled out
young girl named Soldatenko The viii
layers seized her and her twin sister.
The sisters were solemnly tried and
condemned to be burned. They were
bound to rude wooden cross, round
which was built high pile of faggots
and logs.
Liefen (the witch doctor) declared
that the most innocent child in the viii
lage must light the torture fire, and lit
tie girl of three was given the torch and
told to thrust it among the faggots.
1.-THE flames burst up. The wretched
girls screamed frantically, but in vain,
while their frenzied mother tried to rush
into the fire and rescue them. The viii
layers, convinced that they were at
pious work, sang hymns and prayed
AS the girls sank back in the flames
their father, who had been absent from
the village, returned. Hearing the
news, he dashed among the crowd with
Ratchet and Glove the witch doctors
skull to the chin" 49,.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12
INITIATED ON THE CURB.
Tenderfoot Begins His Brokerage Ca
reer in New York with an Ex-
citing Session.

New York.-Isaac Siegel, who left his
large law practice recently to become d
Wall street broker, will, in all probable
ity, remember his first day on the curb
as one of the most exciting days in his
career. He will also remember Inter-
national mining stock, phantom issue
organized for his enlightenment and as
a species of initiation to the curb.
For two hours Mr. Siegel traded in
international mining stock with all the
enthusiasm that only youthful votary
at the shrine of Finance can exhibit. He
got some of the brokers short of the
stock, and so mixed matters that YER
phantom issue, and at one stage of the
speculation he stood to win 100000.
While all this was going on he was
surrounded by bowling mob of brok-
ers, apparently panic stricken, dealing
in huge quantities of the stock, the price
moving upward and then declining with
frightful rapidity. His hat was
smashed, his collar spattered with mud,
his clothing and hair disheveled, but he
stood forth valiantly, thoroughly be-
lieving that he was the most important
man in Wall street.
When finally kind relative took him
by the neck and showed him out of the
center of the crowd and explained mat
tiers to him he looked like man recov-
ering from six weeks attack Of typhoid
fever.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12
Lord Nelson and Soap.

: "As occasional squalor is the worst
evil of poverty and labor, SO cleanliness
should be considered the greatest bless
ing of luxury and ease," argued Mr..
Frank Prindle in expatiating on the
moral force Of his own business, which
is the importation of soap. However"
he continued, those in the seats of the
mighty are not altogether without re-
proach on this subject. It is well au-#
thenticated fact, If not generally known,
that the celebrated Lord Nelson. had not
washed his hands during the last eight
years of his life, and Napoleon Stunned
a bath as though he was cat. A clergy
man once told me that he believed the
expression cleanliness is next to godli-.
ness referred to moral cleanliness and
that the fashionable daily morning bath
was of little consequence to health or
habits. We should, he said, make our
manners as we'll as our teeth, make our
temper as sweet as our breath, and cut
off our peccadilloes as we'll as our nails. =
IN. Y. Herald. - - y - ,s
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12

property, but it had previously been sold
under sherinf's execution for $3.50, and
instead of being very valuable it was
probably worth only about that sum.
In any case, Mrs. Duke declared that
she would stand on her rights as law
full wife and began habeas corpus pro-
ceedings for the recovery of her hus-
band from the hospital. The Duke fam
lily are equally determined that the
separation shall be final, regardless of
the modification and scandal growing
out of court proceedings.
The Ways of the CITY.
One fact which has come to light in
the course of the inquiry made by the
criminal authorities in this case is that
there are number of disreputable
women in the city of New York who
live in good style, in pretentious quar-
tiers, and make it their special business
to keep informed about the habits If
men OF wealth who are given to dissf-
patton and loose living. They maintain
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12

New York.-Somehow New York over
looked the announcement of the mar
riage of Brodie L. Duke and Miss Alice
Webb on December 21, 1904. The fact
that the ceremony was performed by
Rev. w. w. Coe, chief assistant of Rev.
Charles Parkhurst, of Madison Square
Presbyterian church, who became ia
nous some years ago because of his cru
SADIE against vice, ought to have attract
ed attention. Ordinarily the mere name
of Duke would have been enough to ex-
cite gossip. For Brodie l.. Duke is the
half-brother of James B. Duke, the head
of the American Tobacco Trust.
1t was James B. Duke who, starting in
a small way at Durham, N. c., founded
the tobacco trust and made it the great
power that it is. Since that day James
B. Dukes progress to wealth has been
phenomenal. The trust virtually con-
trolls the entire tobacco business of this
country, and several years ago invaded
England and fought the big tobacco in
terestS there to standstill.
James B. Duke is the sturdy, square
impression of force, but carefully avoids
notoriety. There are dozen men con-
nected with the Tobacco Trust who are
more talked about than he and whose
real achievements as money makers and
Dusines organizers are not half so great
Lately he has built a palatial country
place a Somerville, N. j., where he now
makes his home. He, too, not long ago
married a wife who was unknown to the
society of millionaires, which men of his
type usually aspire to enter in New
York.
Brodie L. Duke is quite different type
of man. Through his family relationship
he has shared to some extent in the good
fortune of James B. Duke, and has had
the reputation of being wealthy. But
most Of his life has been spent in hard
work in North Carolina, and the attrac-
tions of New York proved too much for
him. He is said, in fact, to have dissi-
pated large part of his fortune before
his marriage and to have been frequent
cause of anxiety to his family.
After the Ceremony.
Two weeks after the quiet little cere-
mony at the home Of Rev: W. W: Coe, a
mysterious patient was taken one night
to the psycopathic ward of Bellevue hos
pital Every care was taken to conceal
the identity of the patient 1t was no un-
til the next day, when the detectives of
District Attorney Jerome appeared at
the hospital and demanded the delivery
of some $4,000 in stocks and bonds, and
a quantity of valuable jewelry that it
was revealed that Brodie L. Dukes fam
lily had taken steps to have him declared
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12

only $500 on deposit, and that the check
had been returned. Next they learned
that an attempt had been made to bor-
row money on two of his notes for s16.-
500. which had finally come into the
hands of well-known money lender.
At once one of his brothers and a son
applied to the court for an order commit
ting Brodie Duke to the hospital. De-
tectives were sent to the Park Avenue
hotel, fashionable establishment where
Brodle Duke and his wife were living.
Duke himself made no resistance, but
MIS-. Duke was not so passive. She
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12

called the Duke marriage beautiful
one. She declares that Miss Webb is a
very capable business woman, and that
when Mr.. Duke came to see her lit was g
case of love at first sight, for they soon
stopped talking about tobacco" Ac-
cording to Mrs. Desplaines, the clever
Miss Webb was all business, but the Sec
ond time Mr.. Duke called on her he in
sisted upon marrying her.
Finally" said Mrs. Desplaines, che
refused to talk business. Then Miss
Webb saw it was MO use to refuse, and,
as she really loved him, she at last con-
sented to marry him. She was afraid his
family would object, but Mr. Duke waved
her objections aside and declared he
would never be satisfied until he got her.
1t was hasty courtship and a hasty
marriage. Only three days elapsed be-
tween the first visit and the second when
ne proposed marriage. If any woman
could make man happy she is the one.
NOW they have torn him away from her
in the very midst of their honeymoon. 1,
was cruel to separate them, but it will
not last
These things and many more were
told by Mrs. Desplaines to District At
torney Jerome, who has charge of all
criminal cases in New York county. In
the meantime it was discovered that she
had something of a record of her own,
and that her acquaintance with Mrs.
Alice Webb dated back many years. It
seems that Mrs. Desplaines in 1894, when
the state legislature ordered searching
investigation of police conditions in New
York city, appeared before the Lexow
committee and acknowledged that she
was the owner of "a Raines law hotel''
that had been raided by the police. The
Raines law hotels are a peculiar institu-
ton in New York city, by which it is
made possible to sell liquor on Sunday.
There are some 1000 of them licensed.
and as a class they are dens of vice and
infamy
Mrs. Dukes Past.
There have been many interesting
chapters in the life of Alice L. Webb
Powell Hopkinson Masterson Duke
since she left the Erie county orphan
asylum in Buffalo. The New York police
say that Alice Webb first came to that
city in 1878 to begin life full of excite
ment. One of the first incidents in her
career that brought notoriety to her was
her attempt to shoot man named Murat
Masterson, whorepresentedh himself to be
wealthy Arizona miner. The two had
been associates for some time, and their
quarrel was the ordinary case of jeal-
ousy so common among people of a GER
tain class. Masterson and Alice L. Webb
were arrested, but as neither would make
complaint both were discharged. This
was in 1890.
Three years later the woman brought
a suit against George W. Hopkinson =
wealthy manufacturer of perfumeries
for alimony. According to affidavits now
on file; Hopkinson lived at fashionable
hotel in New York city in 1877 He had
been introduced to woman calling her.
self Alice Osborne, who told him that
she had been married tosa man called
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12

concern. Mrs Duke is the Webb of the
firm. 1t is engaged in promoting all
sorts Of projects and stock enterprises.
According to Mrs Duke, her first meet
ing with her husband came about in the
way of business.
A High Priestess of Finance.
Il have large property interests in
Texas, she explained, after her husband,
had been committed to the hospital. 1T
was in connection with these that came
to New York from Chicago in the latter
part OF November. wanted to secure
additional capital to develop the prop
erty, and naturally I meant to seek
wealthy investors. Of course l heard of
the Dukes as men of wealth.
"On arriving in New York, sent q
telegram to Brodie L. Duke, asking him
Tor business appointment BY mistake
my message fell into the hands of his
brother, who came to see me at the AS
tor House. When l discovered that he
was not the man I expected to meet, I
told him my message had been intended
for Brodie L. Duke. Then I explained
what my mission was, and before leav-
Ing ne made me an offer of SIS, 900 year
for my services in his business affairs.
declined the offer after telling Mr.. Duke
that my services were not for sale.
Then l sent a second telegram to
Brodie L. Duke, at Durham, N. c., and
we met for the first time at the Aston
House. l explained my business propo-
sltlon to him, and he expressed great in
terest in it. l met Mr. Duke by appoint
ment number of times, and he made in
quiries about me and my business af-
fairs. One day, to my great surprise, he
said to me:
Wanted Woman, Not Lands.
Little girl. l don't want your tobacco
stock, and don't want your lands, nor
DO l want to consider any of your busi-
ness propositions. But do want you
was dumbfounded at what he said,
and explained to him that such a step
would cause no end of comment on the
part OF his friends. l told him that his
family would probably raise objections
to his marriage, but he said he didn't
care what the family thought and that he
was old enough to know his own affairs.
"A few days later l met Mr.. Duke
again and consented tomarry him. knew
that when our engagement was an
nounced there would be a great deal OF
publicity about it, and decided to 20 to
some obscure hotel. Mr. Duke and dis
cussed our business projects every day
and he agreed to take charge of all my
interests in Texas, and also got finan-
cial interest in my lands in that state.
He readily consented to put up the capt.
tai for the development of large tract of
land on which had an option. In the
meantime, to show good faith, Mr.. Duke
had a certified check made out and de-
posted it with his lawyer. He also en-
tered into negotiations for $40 900 for the
purchase of the land.
when Mr.. Duke and were discussing
our coming marriage one day 1 asked
him if his brothers and sons were likely
to raise any objections to it. He said:
The family home is mine, and my rela-
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12

irresponsible. The next step was to Sc
cure his commitment to private sanl-
tarium at Flushing, l.. l., where he was
put under close guard.
Then the circumstances of Dukes mar
riage became public, and two days later
suit was brought for the annulment of
the marriage. To one of his sons Duke
frankly expressed amazenent when told
that he was married.
Il didn't know that l married Miss
Webb he is reported to have said. Il
don't remember having asked her to mar
~ me, nor do recollect appearing be-
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12

elegantly furnished apartments, are.
women of good manners and pleasing
address, and under the pretense of car
rying on regular business operations are
really concerned with wheedling money
out of their victims by fair means and
foul Several of these cases which have
been uncovered have been suppressed
by the victims for fear of disgracefuI
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12

publicity. The Duke case has gone too
far to be suppressed. Whether or not
charges of conspiracy can be proved III
court, exposure should help to check
similar operations by women hanging
on the fringes of society.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12
WHEN LOVE IS BLIND
The Experience Of Wealthy Brode l. Duke with "Woman
with Schemes"
MARRIED IN HASTE, REPENTS AT LEISURE.

Takes Wife Under What Is Said to Be Peculiar Circu-
stances-His Family Object and the Investigation
Brings Out Some Startling Statements He
the Victim of Deep-Laid Scheme-Rich
Victims of Questionable Women.
The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1905-07-14
WILL NOT Be SHORT
NO EVIDENCE WHATEVER OF
DISHONEST PURPOSE.
Sheriff Taylor Says, "There Will Be
No Shortage Found In the Ac-
counts Of MY Office.

=
There will be no shortage in the
accounts of my Office, for should the
experts find that any money is due the
county treasurer from me / will pay
the same to that official as soon as /
am notified. Yesterday / was told
that the sum of $12, 900 was due, and
at once gave my check for that
amount. AS to the alleged irregular
titles that have been reported in my
office, | do not care to say much aside
from the above until the matter has
been fully investigated, for the reason
that the real situation cannot be
known until then.
The above statement was made by
Sheriff T. d. Taylor when asked to
say something regarding the wild
stories of shortage in the sheriff s
office, says the East Oregonian.
How the rumor that first began to
circulate originated is not known, for
the county Judge, the commissioner
and the district attorney all state that
no report has yet been made by the ex
perts who are examining the books;
that the work is not yet completed,
and that no authoritative statement
has been given out.
District Attorney Phelps stated that
his attention had been called to the
matter, but that he would do nothing
in the case until the work was entirely
completed, which would probably
take two weeks more, and at present
he knew of no shortage in the office,
and that no one had any authority for
stating that there is such shortage.
While it is hard to get at the facts
in Ethe case owing to the unfinished
state of the experts work and the gem
eral desire.of the officials to wait until
more can be learned, it is apparent
that that there has been nothing
fraudulent done on the part of Sheriff
Taylor, and that the only offense, if
any, is delay in turning funds over to
the treasurer. Under the law sher-
if is required to turn all funds over
to the treasurer each Saturday. How
ever, it is said that there are few off,
GERS that follow this out to the letter,
and that the same has never been
done here. According to Sheriff Fay
lor, it has been the custom in the
office to turn the money over to the
treasurer when the rolls were bal
anced, and this could not be done
every Saturday evening. The last
The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1905-07-14
Lewis and Clark Rates.

The O. K. Il N. 20. announces the
following rates from Athena to Port
land for the Lewis and Clark fair:
Individual tickets will be sold daily
from May 20 to October Is, inclusive,
continuous passage in each direction
final return limit 80 days from date
of sale, but lii no case later than Oc-
tober 81, 1905, for one and one-third
fare, amounting to 30. 80.
Party tickets--that is ten or more
persons--will be sold from May 20 to
October 10 inclusive; passage in each
direction; Today limit from date of
sale, at one single fare per capita for
round trip, amounting to $7.40.
Children one half fare age at half
fare of the above rates. For further
particulars call on M. w. Smith, o.
r. u N. agent, Athena.