Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-24
BRIDEGROOM IS
UNOER ARREST
ACCUSED OF BEING A CLEVER
SWINDLER
sIegfried Goldman, Who Married Miss
5ess Cheney Of Los Angeles Two
Months Ago, Is Detained
at ST. Louis

The romance which eliminated In the
marriage October "a of Miss Bess
Cheney, daughter Of Mr.. and Mrs. w.
B. Cheney of Los Angeles, to Siegfrled
Goldman, has ended in the arrest of
the bridegroom in st. Louis on charges,
which the police of two cities say Is
evidence that Goldman is one of the
cleverest swindlers in the country.
Goldman was arrested in st. Louis
last night on complaint made by Los
Angeles officers. But Goldman prob
ably will not be tried on the charge of
defrauding citizens of Ocean Park out
of sums aggregating $4,000. Instead, ac-
cording to the district attorneys Of
flee, he will be sent to New York city,
where District Attorney Jerome has
issued a complaint charging him with
swindling merchant of that city out
OF a large amount of money.
While his photograph and criminal
record were on file in the local police
department, GoldmanS photograph,
with that of his bride, was published
in the society columns of Los Angeles
newspapers.
Posing as a wealthy diamond mer-
chant of New York, Goldman wooed
and won the heart of Miss Bess
Posed as Society Man
The wedding, which occurred at the
home of the brides sister October a.
came as surprise to her friends In
Los Angeles. 1t was stated at the time
that Miss Cheney had met Goldman in
New York and that Cupid had pilote1
the prospective groom to the city of
the Angels.
Los Angeles officers, at whose request
Goldman was arrested yesterday in
st. Louis, while with his bride of two
months at the Southern hotel, say he
left debts in Ocean Park which amount
TO thousands of dollars.
Handsome, affable and apparently a
cultured man of the world Goldman
was received by the best people of
ocean Park and welcomed as an addi-
ton to the society circles of the sea-
side city. His erstwhile friends saw
he was prone to spend much of his time
at the poker tables, and while they do
not say that at this fascinating pastime
he was accompanied by men we'll known
in society circles of the beach city, they
hint as much.
Among those who now come forward
to accuse Goldman are DIR. l.. A. Lauer
a dentist, and d. o. Evans, manager of
the Decatur house.
Be that as it may. Goldman in all
probability will not be held for trial
by Los Angeles officers. A deputy dis
trict attorney said last night that Gold
man will be turned over to the New
York authorities, there to be tried on
a grave charge.
Sentenced to Penitentiary
According to the district attorneys
office, Goldman was sentenced from Los
Angeles county in March, 1903, to serve
year in the penitentiary on the
charge of swindling u diamond mer-
chant. Goldman, says the report pur-
chased diamond of S. B. Bailey, a
Broadway merchant, for $125, giving in
payment draft on a New York house
for $50. The draft was accepted and
Goldman received the diamond and S25
cash, say the officers. When the dis
trict attorney brought the case to trial
Pinkerton detective from New York
was brought to the coast to prove that
the house on which Goldman's draft was
drawn did not exist.
Goldman was sentenced to serve one
year In the penitentiary. His first wife
died in San Francisco of a broken
heart, according to information given
the officers. After his release, Goldman
is supposed to have gone to New York.
Later the man came to Los Angeles,
either after meeting Miss Cheney In
New York or after he had secured q
letter of introduction of some sort to
her.
Suspect Mans True Character
The Los Angeles girl fell a victim to
the wiles of Cupid as portrayed by the
handsome New Yorker and their we'd
ding was announced. Relatives of Miss
Cheney knew nothing of Goldman, but
his affability and his appearance, so it
is said, convinced them that he was
what he represented himself to be.
The wedding took place at the home
of the brides sister, Mrs. c. r. Bentel,
922 South Burlington avenue After
the wedding the couple left on what
was expected to be a wedding trip
through the east. After their return,
so 1t was announced, Mr.. and Mrs.
Goldman were to live at the Lanker-
SHIN hotel.
Relatives of Mrs. Goldman last night
admitted that they had learned since
the wedding that the groom's reputa-
tion was not of the best However,
they said, Miss Cheney was of age and
they did not attempt to interfere when
plans for the wedding were made.
According to information received by
friends in Los Angeles from ST. Louis
last night, Mrs. Goldman is returning
to her former home in Los Angeles.
Members of the district attorneys 8
force say Goldman has a national repu-
tation which Is not of the best. "He is
a dangerous man." said one of the
deputies last night, "and no doubt hei
will be turned over to the authorities
in New York, as we believe the officers
there have stronger case against him