The San Francisco call., 1908-03-30
READY TO GIVE
PROOF OFFRAUD
TO GRAND JURY
Claude Nasburg, Accuser of Mrs.
Austin, Holds Damaging
Evidence
Unauthorized Use of Reuben H.
Lloyd's Name Is Seemingly
Established
Widows Financial Schemes
Have the Earmarks of Those
of Cassie Chadwick

day In the investigation of the un-
authorized use of the name of Reuben
II. Lloyd, the prominent attorney, in
connection with mythical mining deals
provided the connecting links in the
chain of evidence which has been gath
cred within the last week, and the en-
tire matter is now ready for the atten-
ton of the grand jury. The investiga-
ton has been pushed by Attorney E.
B. Young and directed against Mrs.
Fannie M. Austin, a mysterious
widow residing at the Cornelia hotel
apartments, who was accused by
Claude Nasburg of having fleeced his
family out of large sums of money
through gigantic mining deal pos
sessing the earmarks of the Mrs.
Chadwick transactions.
The use of the lawyers name, it is
alleged, was a part of the whole
scheme, the letter with his forged sig
nature being used to show the inti-
macy existing between Mrs. Austin and
Lloyd. Nasburg asserted that, after
scheme of pooling the Comstocks and
not receiving any returns, he wrote
inquiring letters to Mrs. Austin. who,
he said, was engineering the deal, and
received in return letter purporting
TO be from Lloyd TO Mrs. Austin. Along
iofk I. Il
planaSory note from Mrs. Austin. His
fears, instead of being quieted, were
aroused TO a greater extent, the letter
on the face if 1t being a palpable
fraud. and prior to returning the
Lloyd letter to Mrs. Austin he photo
graphed it.
holds PROOF OF FRAUD
when 1 discovered" said he, that
Mrs. Austin did not know Lloyd or any
of the other big people, / never for a
moment imagined that she would deny
having sent me the Lloyd letter. When
she did, the only proof, besides that
of the photographs i took of the let
ter, was an explanatory note which ac-
companied the forgery. I telegraphed
to my business partner in Marshfield,
Ore, to look through my desk and re-
ceived in reply telegram stating
that it had been found among some old
papers in the desk. This note, in the
handwriting of Mrs. Austin, together
with the photograph of the forgery,
considered sufficient proof to have the
matter laid before the grand jury. The
explanatory note, together with afii-
davits from persons to whom / showed
the forged letter, will be here next
Tuesday morning
Since the accusations against Mrs.
Austin various efforts have been made
by detectives to uncover her past rec
ord Harry Nasburg, the cripple whom
she is accused of having defrauded, adj
mitted that he knew nothing of her
life before she met him four years ago.
He formed her acquaintance through
her daughter, Helen.
GIVES NO IMPORTATION
Mrs. Austin declared that she came
TO the coast from '.the east" but apart
from this vague information refused
to give any account of her life. Detec-
tives are looking UP her record and it
is expected that the same mail that will
bring the explanatory note from
Marshfield will convey resume OF her
career. the information being given by
a man named Morton, a distant rela-
tive of Mrs. Austin. Her present
acouaintances know her only as the
friend of Harry Nasburg and his
mother. She is now sharing apart
ments with them at the Cornelia hotel,
where she has cut wide social swath.
One of her sons is managing an apart
ment house at 1873 Pine street, which
Harry Nasburg admitted was pur-
chased with his money and stands in
his name.
Both Harry Nasburg and his mother
still stand by Mrs. Austin. An effort
was made to have Mrs. Nasburg visit
Reuben H. Lloyd at the latter's office
and hear from him that the letter was
a forgery. but Lloyd was told that Mrs
Nasburg was sick and could not see
him. 1t is believed that il Mrs. Mas
burg could be made aware of the cir
cumstances from an outsider she would
have no hesitancy in leaving the mys-
terious widow.