Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-26
MANY STRINGS
TO HER BOW
LOVE SYNDICATE CATERS TO
FORTUNE HUNTERS
MIIllonaires In Web-Gannbline Tables
and SpirltuaIlstle seances Ad-
lunets to Clever Matrimo.
nial Game
speoial TO The Herald.

NEW YORK, Aug 25.-Mysteries Of
the love syndicate were revealed today
by one who has been closely identified
with It.
1t is developed that not only has the
galaxy of charming widows" worked
upon the susceptibilities of merchants
such as James Mcclellan and lovesick
counts such as Ignaz Zolinoff, but into
It's entanglements were drawn million
alre Wall street men and railroad mag
mates whose names are known the
country over.
1t was Mrs. Izella -3rown, the blond
of captivating manner and deep hazel
eyes, who took care of the big game"
as the Inillonaires were called, while
to Mrs. George T. Verrault was left
the suitors of The MacClellan stripe.
The methods of holding the attention of
these various clients were unique, run
ming the gamut from plain love to
the gambling table and spirituallstic
seanceS.
Mrs. Brown ran away from Halifax
about twenty years ago with J. P.
Brown, a civil engineer of that place.
They were married N Brooklyn. Brown
was twenty years his brides senior.
They lived in New York until about
fifteen years ago, when Brown died.
Then Mrs. Brown went to Boston Soon
queer stories reached the police about
her and Mrs. Brown left town. Be-
fore she departed she made the ac-
quaintance of Bina Finnegan. and from
the moment of the meeting they be-
came involved in various transactions
that attracted police attention They
made circuit of the country, touching
Chicago, Philadelphia and other cities.
Then, after separation. during which
Miss F'tnegan was married to George L.
Verrault, they met in New York.
First stenographer
Mrs. Brown had several thousand dol
lars of life insurance left by her hus-
band, but when she arrived in New
York she was without funds Her ex-
travagant mode of living would have
dissipated a fortune. With no money,
she secured a position as a cloak model
in an uptown department store and
maintained small fiat on Eighty
second street. One day she saw an ad-
vertisement in a newspaper calling for
a stenographer to a man of wealth.
She answered it and in a few days was
on very good terms with a Wall street
man who has a large family.
Mrs. Brown did not waste her spare
moments, but became acquainted with
a number of other prominent men of
finance. The Wall street mans wife
died and he W. nted Mrs. Brown to
marry him, but she preferred being
free. To win her heart her admirer
sent her to Atlantic City for the sum-
mer and indulged her every whim, but
he failed to win her for a wife.
Returning from the seaside in 1902
Mrs. Brown installed herself in the
mansion at ia West Seventy-third
street. She worked the personr' col
umns of newspapers to great advantage
from the very start. A Broad street
stock broker was one of the first to call.
He fell violently in love with Mrs.
Brown and wanted to elope with her
She got much money out { him, but
did not run away, because there were
other advertisements being put in the
papers and other candidates were
calling.
When the love business got too heavy
for Mrs. Brown to handle alone she
sent for Mrs. Verrau1t, and that ac-
commodating young woman promptly
left her husband, then in Baltimore, and
went to the Seventy-third street house.
Then began rush of business for the
personal columns and steady process
sion Of love-.orn men and fortune
hunters to the brow: --stone front on
Seventy-third street. The answers to
the advertisements were read in cabinet
conclave, at which Mrs. Brown pre-
sided.
1t Was Strictly Business
Mrs. Verrault would generally read
them aloud and a critical discussion
would follow. In many instances photo
graphs were inclosed in the letters and
these would be carefully scrutinized.
Mrs. Brown did not rely entirely upon
the advice of Mrs. Verrault in the Sc
lection of the victims, but had around
her several young women and few
men, most of whom have figured in the
developments of the last few days. One
OF these men was an actor connected
with a Broadway stock company. When
the love project began to bring in sub
stantial returns he quit the stage and
took job as butler in the household.
Mrs. Browns pretty daughter, Helen,
donned a maids outfit and waited on
the table. This young woman Is now
married.
Whenever aneaccepted applicant for
love honors would appear at the man
sion he would be wined and dned until
he was dizzy. The invariable impress
sion would strike him that the widow
had nothing but money. His delusion
would be shaken when he would be told
that Mrs. Brown was very suddenly
hard pressed for funds for the Ken
lucky Coal and Fuel company. This
concern, while it really existed on
paper, was conducted by the galaxy
of widows" from an office in Wall
street and its principal work was to
float a few thousand shares O., stock
that We're not worth cent. The visitor
never failed to respond to Mrs. Browns
urgent suggestion for money to help
lift the company out of hole. The
concern lasted long enough to take in
about $50000
One feature of the Seventy-third
street love plant was a spiritualistic
show conducted by Mrs. Browns bad
brother, George Mason, and Mrs YER
rault. They used to tell the millionaires
all kinds of queer stories that spirits
were telling, All of them had to do
with handing over wads of money.
Tip From Grandmother
Your grandmother says to invest
10000 in the kentucky Fuel company"
was favorite message.
A Brooklyn brewer gave $4,000 imme-
diately after getting the word, and later
came back with several encores The
spiritualistic exhibition was a tremen-
dous success. MacClellan, Count Zol-
inoff, Leo Klerler. the Mutual Life in
surance man, and others of what were