The San Francisco call., 1908-09-21

Ashby when still a young girl Mrs.
L. NJ. Budd has declared that this mar
riage occurred when Zilla Shaw was
ter, Lena, was born when her mother
was but IA years old. According to the
dates given by Mrs. Budd, Mrs. Du-
mouriez is now but "a years old and
her daughter is, but 20 This, however,
is erroneous. The daughter is now Is
and the mother is close to 45.
Captain Ashby was a prominent fig
ure in Nebraska politics at the time Of
his marriage to Zilla Shaw and was
said TO be immensely wealthy. He was
a candidate for the United States SEN
ate against ]. NJ. Thurston and gave
the latter a bitter fight for the seat,
losing by the narrowest of margins He
first met Zilla Shaw in November, 1871,
while they were fellow passengers on
board the steamship Colon, en- route TO
San Francisco from the south. and a
warm friendship sprang up between
them. Captain Ashby returned to his
Nebraska home, but two years later
Zilla Shaw visited Omaha and they met
again and were married in Omaha on
July 1, 1879. The daughter Lena was
born in 1880.
Captain Ashby was close friend of
Clifton Z. Mayne, who also lived in
Omaha, was prominent in real estate
circles in that city and was reputed to
have more wealth than Ashby himself.
Through her husband Mrs. Ashby be-
came intimate with Mayne and when
the latter left Omaha to come to San
Francisco she also came here and
cured a divorce in this city from Ashby
She narried Mayne. Ashby married
again and is now living in Beatrice,
Neb. At the time of her divorce from
Ashby Mrs Ashby retained the custody
o< =
marriage to Mayne they made their
home at the Palace hotel in this city.
MAYNE INVOLVED
WITH CHRIS BUCKLEY
Mayne had not been long in San
Francisco when his troubles began. He
became involved with Chris Buckley in
local politics, and it is said that with
him he formed the Metropolitan electric
railroad company and secured from a
corrupt board of supervisors the ia
nous blanket franchise. Although
Buckley denies that he and Mayne had
any dealings together. it always has
been well understood that they actually
were partners in several deals at this
time Then the famous Wallace grand
jury, of which Barclay Henley was
foreman, was impaneled to investigate
municipal corruption, and Buckley was
indicted
The boss skipped out to Europe to
avoid arrest. leaving his street railway
affairs in the hands of Mayne. While
Buckley was still away Mayne sold out
the Turk and Eddy street portions of
the franchise he had secured to Wen
dell Easton, who afterward sold them
to the Market street railway company.
1t Is alleged that instead of settling
with Buckley. Mayne retained the en-
tire proceeds of the franchise sale.
amounting to about 100000, and left
San Francisco with his wife, going to
San Diego
Mayne himself was indicted in San
francisco by the LIE Count grand Jury
on three counts charging him with the
fraudulent sale of lands to which he
had no title. He fled to San Diego and
before a warrant could reach him there
fed again. He was arrested on his re-
turn to this city two years later. but
the case was dismissed. He was also
indicted in San Diego in connection
with an alleged crooked water deal.
and that indictment likewise was
quashed.
In the meantime the Wallace grand
jury, which had indicted Buckley. was
declared Illegal by the supreme court
and Buckley returned to San Francisco
sworn to everlasting enmity against
Mayne BECAUSE of his sale Of the rail-
way franchise Buckley is alleged to
have vowed vengeance against Mayne
and to have been responsible for much
of the trouble which soon overlook the
latter
After his removal to San Diego
Mayne Matched a scheme that, had it
been successfully carried out. would
have brought him an immense fortune.
mining man named LOTUS had died
in Colorado leaving an estate estimated
at nearly s15.000.00 to two oyung
daughters. Several years before Loftus,
death. and before he had made his for
tune. his wife had left him, taking the
two little girls with her, and they had
become lost sight of and never were
found. Mayne knew Lotus, was famil-
lar with the history of the Lotus es-
tate, and schemed to gain possession of
il. The LOTUS girls should have been
at that time about Is and 13 years of
age. and Mayne.s plan was to find two
young girls who would answer the de-
scription of the LOTUS children. rear
them as his wards, then make the claim
that they were the LOTUS heirs and so
gain possession of the LOTUS millions.
SECURED GIRLS TO
POSE AS HEIREsSES
In pursuance of his plan Mayne re-
turned again to San Francisco and ad
vertised for two girls answering all
the necessary requirements as to age
size. complexion and color of hair and
eyes. So many answered his advertise
ments that he was finally ordered out
of the Baldwin hotel, where he was
meeting them, but he at last succeeded
in getting two young girls who seemed
satisfactory to him. These two were
Elsie and Della Shipton. without
adopting them he took them to Los An
geles. explaining only that he wished
TO take them as wards and educate
them He secured house and put them
in charge of Mrs. Jessica H Wright
i After the girls had lived in Los An
geles for a time Mayne was suddenly
called upon to answer charge OF
criminal assault on Elsie Shipton.
which later events showed to be the re-
suit of a conspiracy between the mother
of the girls and Mrs Wright. due to
an outside influence generally supposed
to have been inspired by Chris Buckley.
Buckley was. in fact, accused in certain