The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1905-01-12

Chicago, Specialize German Ma
tIonal Bank, of Little Rock, Ark. is
suing Alice L. Webb and her promot-
ing company for $4,000, the face of
two notes of $1,000 each, due and un-
paid. "Just how far Taylor, Webb &
Company's business has progressed
since its birth, April 8, 1908, is only
known to the two partners. 1 have been
after Alice L. Webb since last July to
get. service on these notes and did not
succeed until she bobbed up in New
York and became the bride of BrOdie
L. Duke" said Attorney Packard. "I
then sent the notes and papers on to
New York and she was served there.
| am inclined to believe they are alb
solutely worthless"
A man who knows Alice L. Webb
gives this outline of her recent career:
Alice L. Webb is 35 years old. She
married e. H. Powell, of Pittsburg.
who formerly owned the Seventh Ave
nue. Hotel, Pittsburg, and in this l am
Informed, she invested $50, 1000 and lost
the money. She was later divorced
from Powell, who now lives in Ale
gheny, Pa. l know she has a wealthy
uncle living near T~itusville, Pa, with
whom she was constantly in correspon-
dence, and her father wa also a great
friend of Prof. Holden, owner of the
Hotel Holden and The Cleveland Plain
Dealer, and he las always taken a
great interest in the woman. | don't
know much about her connection with
Brodie l.. Duke and was even surprised
to hear of her marriage to him. I am
inoIfTn I'd - Hn1iarya 4ho%E - $780,. 80 I~.
intention to marry when she went
East. Mrs. Webb-Duke was the shrewd-
est woman / ever met in my life. She
was all business and could look through
a man at a glance. Wait till you neal
from some banks down East"
Charles F. Taylor, her partner, said:
Mrs. Duke is the daughter Of William
H. Webb, who was a wealthy corpora
ton lawyer of New York. When her
father died ten years ago he left her
500, 900 and she engaged in business.
She did not care for society and proved
to be a very shrewd business m
She told me that her first husband,
Powell, had squandered her fortune.
Since forming the partnership l lave
been associated with Miss Webb in
many business ventures"
Taylor, who was formerly Chicago
agent for an insurance company of
Iowa, laughed at any idea that the
firm vas not all that it was repre-
sented to be. He said:
Mrs. Duke is an extraordinary
woman and attends strictly to BUSH
ness. l never heard her say any I'M
kind thing to any one She is not
handsome or eve good looking. Any
body who clashes with her will meet
his match. I have known her IA years
and have been in business with her
two years." 5
Mr.. Taylor said further: 81 can safe
ly say that Mrs. Duke has made fully
81, 100000 in investments since I have
known her. Outside of the fact thai
we may be involved in our land deal
in Texas our firm is all right. We
purchased rs acres of ground at Ma
cogdoches, Texas, from Col. S. F.. B.
Morse, and paid $4,000 down. He is
the ex-traffic manager Of the Southern
Pacific Railway Company. 1t devel-
oped after the failure of Daniel J.
Sully, the cotton king, that Morse was
his partner and that the property
which he had about purchased was in
cluded in the assets. This brought
the property into court and it is still
there. All of our transactions have
been bona ide. / don't know Duke
and did not know Miss Webb was go
ing to marry him. l never knew any
OF her private business"
Taylor is married and lives with his
family in South Chicago. Mrs. Tay-
lor is a sister of DR.. E. M. Webster,
of South Chicago.