The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-08-23
Leon Alden, Formerly A Commission
Merchant Here Says Federal
Prisoner Held In St. Louis On
Fraud Charge Is His Wife.
RESIDE ON HOUsEBOAT
Posing As Trader In Brass Craft,
Woman is Said To Have lnveigled
Men Into Proposing Marriage To
Her. Asa..

~@SA' A.sAs
Leon Alder, formerly commission
merchant of Cairo, claims to be the
husband of woman giving her
name as Mrs. Fannie X. Morton, and
her age as 81 years, who is a prison.
.er in st. Louis. charged with swind-
ling many men by promising to
marry them.
postoffice inspectors of st. Louis
visited Alton, ILL.,, where Alden has
his houseboat moored In the Miss
issippi River, and arrested the wom-
an Monday, She Is charged with
using the mails to defraud and u Is
said indictments for similar offenses
are pending against her IN Kansas
City and Omaha.
According to dispatch from St.
Louis. the woman maintained an
office in one Of the large office build
ing there, where she pretended to
be- engaged In the selling OF brass
craft. Her stock consisted Of many
empty boxes and a typewriter, upon
which she wrote many love letters.
Travelled In House Boat.
Alden, 1t is said, took her to St.
Louis from Alton each day and re-
turned for her in the evening The
woman posed as a widow and scheme
was to borrow money from her ad-
lmirers to carry on the brass craft
business.
| Fifteen years ago Alden was en-
gagged In the commission business on
Ohio street. He gave up hts business
at that time and removed to Texas.
where he engaged In the raiirod
| business. According to Joseph
Bouchet he returne to Cairo about
seven months ago, but remained In
the city only long enough TO pur-
chase supplies for his houseboat, the
] Abba"
alden came into the store to buy
supplies and recognized him." said
BouChet, W ho is clerk In the 0Shea
& Aydt store "iie appeared to be in
good health and when ] asked him ii
he had seen any of his old friends.
ne replied that he did not have time.
He said he intended to go South on
the boat"
Alden Is Ill. foa
The St Louis dispatches say Alden
has been travelling for the last nine
years in his houseboat, which is pro-
PEELED by gasoline launch. In
statement made to reporters Monday
night he said the, woman was his
wife and that she had been with
him and two children on the boat
| for more than a year.
While talking he almost collapsed
and a physician who was summoned,
pronounced him suffering from heart
disease
The woman, who Is said to have
confessed, began operations In st.
Louis last May, following her ar
rival from Memphis, Tenn II Is said
she Immediately began love CORES
pondence from her office in st. Louis
and may replies were received.
| Among them was a letter from
Joseph Nemeier. carpenter, Of Tul-
sa, okla, who later went to st. Louis
to conduct an oral wooing campaign.
He proposed and short time later
the pretty widow persuaded him to
advance her s240 for the brass
business.
The widow" suddenly disappear
ed, after closing her office, shatter-
ing Neimeiers love dream. He made
made complaint to the Government
authorities and an investigation.
which ended with the widows"
arrest followed.
In Memphis lovesick swains made
| love to her as Laura C' Davis. IN
Kansas City she was known as Anna
II. Taylor. The st. Louis dispatch
says the woman admitted obtaining
more than $4,000 from victims in
several cities.
Says Men Are Putty.
'T found that the world was full
of people who wanted something for
nothing. and the men all willingly
took chance" she is quoted as
Having said. "There is no fool like
an old fool, and If you want my
opinion of maxwell, he is OF
putty"
After leaving Cairo Alden married
the daughter Of farmer living In