Evening star., 1923-12-16
SIX WOMEN FACE
QUIZ IN OIL FRAUD
Detectives Say Koretz Played
lothario as Well as
WaIlingford.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
CHICAGO. Ill, December 15.-Leo
Koretz, alleged swindler, who died
after relatives and wealthy friends
had been induced to invest about
S5,000,0 900 in a Panama 'oil bubble,
promoted by him, played the role
of gay Lothario as successfully as he
acted the part of J. Rufus Walling-
ford, detectives investigating his af-
fairs, declared tonight.
The authorities were hunting for
or attempting to question six women
with whom Koretz was said to have
been friendly, and some of whom de-
tectives declared he entertained In
an apartment he maintained under
an assumed name. An effort was
being made to determine whether
his affairs with women friends were
related to his financial manipulations.
Mrs Salo Auerbach- wife of
wealthy theater owner, was served
late today with a grand jury sub
poena calling for her appearance
Monday. Tho subpoena was served
after Mrs. Auerbach was questioned
a
who, with a man identified as koretz,
often paid daytime visits to the
Koretz apartment under the name OF
"Mr and Mrs. AL Bronson"
Woman Lost $35.OOO.
Lester l. Bauer. Mrs. Auerbach's
attorney, issued a statement tonight
stating that Mrs. Auerbach and her
husband had lost $4,000 In Koretz
venture, but denying they had any
other connection with the fugitive.
He also denied his client had at
tempted to evade questioning by op-
eratives from the states attorney
office.
Detectives also announced they had
been unable to find Mrs. Eta NJ.
Speyer and Mrs NJ. Mayer, relatives
of Koretz' wife, who had promised to
turn over to the states attorney
office $4,000 they had received from
Koretz shortly before he fed. when
he is said to have distributed about
100000 among relatives that had
been induced to invest in his Panama
scheme. Subpoenaes have been issued
for them.
AS for the fugitive himself, for
whom a world wide hunt has been
started. the authorities admitted to-
night they were no nearer his trail
than when the investigation was
started. A message to the states at
torney office, the source of which was
withheld, declared that Koretz was
on his way to Morocco or Turkey.
but apparently 1t was given no more
credence than other clues.
Office Searched.
In a second raid on Koertz's offices
today detectives found a number Of
picture slides believed to have been
used at a dinner given by enthusias-
tic investors in koretz's honor about
two years ago. One slide showed a
necktie. 1t was headed What Hus-
bands Get Out Of the Panama oil
Stock"
Then came picture showing a pro-
fusion of jewelry. 1t was labeled:
What the Wives Will Get Out of
the Panama Oil Stock"
He Ropes His Friends" was the
title of a slide showing Koretz secur-
ing money from friends to be in
vested in oil stock, while a picture of
Koretz in Panama stepping over a
small can was labeled Finding Oil"
Among other women for whom the
investigators was hunting was one
known as Mrs. Schwartz" who was
said to know of Koertz's activities,
another was said to be Miss Jessie
Taggart and who was said to have
held a safety deposit box jointly with
Koertz and a woman referred to in
d letter mailed from Atlantic City,
N. j.. as AIT" The letter, believed
to have been written by a friend Of
Koertz and the woman known as
Alt" asked Koertz to write and de-
clared that ."Alt was just heart
broken" and cared a lot"