New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-06-25
Bv SAMUEL HOPKINS ADAMS.

mart Mary Murphy and duly qualified lawyer certify it all
correct And if back of there history OF catastrophe ana
rn-pett catastrophe be and reckoned IN hsures
co small as to be of no practical but the victim
it is nevertheless Measuring realize that all entirely and
strictly legal
The principal personages of h, minute financial drama are
Mary Murphy and Adoph Wiechers Mary Murphy IS an old
woman forty-tvo. She lives in rather grim tenement oil
has broken her Adoph Wiechers still at an age
considerably greater Mary Muphys He lives West End
Avenue and has country place Ronkonkoma, l. l. he is
president of the Adoph Wiechers Realty Co., wherein his son.
Adolf Wiechers IT, associated with him. Fat living has kept
them sleek Mary Murphy of the contributors to the living
She contributed $500 She didn't know that she contbut
ing She thought that she buying home for herself and
the little destitute adopted niece who lives with her. what
she was really buying strictly legal contract
&c will he seen presently No court touch it. That why
am going quite beyond the ordinary of The Tribune Bureau
Of Investigations to describe and its workings in the hope that
publicity may inform others the Wiechers methods and
incidentally mete them slight OF exegal
justice.
When Mary Murphy first encountered the Wiechers she lived
in $9a-month 9th and 55th street from
childhood she has grubbe Her father Paazed and
blind Her mother factory hand Later there was the
little relative to care for. Mary did the caring She was
casual working where she could jobs in factories in pack
ing houses the cellar departments of the big stores Finally
the ashtub claimed and chained her Through all she kept
decent andonde of wonders-hopeu The manstay of her
hope was $500 mothers DEATH saved out OF fourteen
wears shaving in carpet factory Mary put in the bank There
it drew interest day Mary read in the Evening telegram
nm investment advertisement in the classified columns
(And incidentally, believe in heart that the amount
Of hel own done by those Evening Telegram columns
be James Gordon Bennett would accept the
money ,rng by them the cheated hopes of the poor
"A Working Mans Grand Opportunity the advertisement
was headed and that private party would sell
on easy terms delightful and cheap home in the country where
vokingman with little could spend his declining years
in comfort and peace In response Mary called the Wech
crs End Avenue house. supposng in her simple faith in
print that she dealing with private person She knew moth
ing Of the character the Evening kilograms moneyap col
umns Why should she? And she knew nothing of the character
Of the Wehers business How could she? 10 her the two
Weche appeared obiging and courteous gentlemen
who were ready sell her desirable lot Smithtown l. L.
the most obgng They assured her that Smthown fairly
boomed with opportunities for washerwoman to get work at
good prices-oh much better than city pceand that she
would saving all her city rentals and putting the into
her own property; establishing healhfu happy home for her
old age etc. Only after she had drawn from the bank her
entire $500 did she discover that she dealing
with real estate company Whatever mgvings developed
soothed by the persuasive Weche They assured her that they
themselves would give her plenty of work that washing enough
keep busy days the wee she willing to do
aloud be waiting for her AS for the moving that would
cost her only they would the difference
So Mary paid her $500, of $l375 the bal
ance paid S monthly and received in contract
What really worked the undong of Mary Murphy a
clause in perfectly legal in itself and which
ery understood the parties making and justly awaited of
might work injustice has been another Of
the use of this though unsupported clause But
Mary Murphy did know that there and would not have
understood its legal effect if she had.
nonlega provided that Mary Murphy
failed make monthly by the first OF the next
month Adolph Wehers Realty Company her $500 plus
what instruments she had already paid Mary nothing AS
point Of be noted that the Weche selling
Mary Murphy lot with house it. Yet there mention
of that agreement SELL Mary read the agree
all Probably she would have understood if she had
anyway she trusted the generous gentlemen with whom she
dealt
The of the story is short if The moving
Mary $40 She reminded the Weches of their promise help
They smiled The house a ramshacke building
ered unfit occupancy because of eay roof Also ceiling.
had fallen Ceilings will when the roof lets in the Mary
applied to the roof mended The Wiechers said she
for it, 500 All quite right and legal But Mary hadn't the 500
The roof continued to leak
The Weche did give her their washing, promised; heavy
washing which took her three days the week do They
reckoned it as days work $3.50 day. When the bill