Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-07-25
TELLS OF POISON
PEN ACTIVITIES OF !
Author MAXWELL
Got Rid Of Women He Tired
OF BY Writing Letters
To Husbands
District Attorney Says Has Piled
Trade Past 20 Years - Letters
Modelled After Famous German
Count Epistles - Cites Number
Alleged Affairs with Women of
Prominence Including Wife of Al
Ian Ryan of Wall Street

New York, July PA portrait of
George Maxwell, president of the
American Society of Authors, Compos-
crs and Publishers, as a Lothario who
made love to many women and, when
he became bored, rid himself of them
by writing poison pen, letters to their
husbands and relatives, was drawn to-
! day by Assistant District Attorney Ma
loney.
The picture was sketched in a brief
MED In general sessions, preceding a
motion by Maxwell's counsel to dis
| miss indictments charging his client
with having written such letters re-
ceived by Allan Ryan, prominent Wall
Street trader, and many others. Judge
Mcintyre reserved decision on the mo-
! ton.
The brief charged Maxwell with pen
ming poison letters for more than 90
years. According to the district attor-
noy's office, the letters were modelled
after the famous German court letters
| which rocked the foundations of royal
! society in several countries about 1906
and which were written by Baron Won
! KotZ.
| To support his charges, Mr.. Maloney
| cited number of alleged intimaces
! between Maxwell and women of promi-
nence in the social and artistic world
According to the assistant district at.
| torney, the latest and most prominent
women TO indulge in an affair with
Maxwell was Mrs. Ryan, wife of the
| financier who attracted attention dur.
ing the famous Stutz corner and a
member of the Tack family of Phila-
| delphia. Others whom Mr.. Maloney
| listed among MaXwelrS eX-inamoratae
| were Danish opera singer. a motion
picture actress with whom he was al
| legged to have toured Mexico, a concert
| singer and ballet dancer.
| The case of another woman which
Mr.. Maloney cited resulted in the death
! of hcr husband from shock after he had
| received one of the letters with which
| Maxwell was alleged always to have
drawn his affairs to close, with a du-
| plicate to himself. According to the
| prosecutor, Maxwell, on being shown
| one of the notes by an irate husband
| produced its mate and Joined with the
husband in denouncing the author
Nh. Maloney devoted much of his
brief to describing the intimacy which
| he alleged existed between Maxwell and
| Mrs. Ryan.
According to Maloney, Maxwell, who
| he said, began life as piano tuner on
the Isle of Wight, travelled to London
| Paris, Lake Como and Milan with the
| financier's wife, and later visited her
at York Harbor, Maine. She, Maloney
| set forth, had in turn visited him in his
! New York apartment.
In support of his allegations. Malo-
ney quoted radiograms which he said
| had been exchanged between Maxwell
and Mrs. Ryan at one time when he was
| in New York and she was on the high
seas. One of these messages, quoted
| by the prosecutor and alleged to have
| been sent by Mrs. Ryan, read in part:
Il am counting the hours. L will be
there to meet YOU in Paris. Love, only
| love. Love of life"
! Altogether, Maloncy charged Max
we'll with writing 1S5 poison pen let
| ters.