Evening star., 1942-01-19

Ine name OF Mildred M. BOnllace
on false pretenses charge.
Web Spreads to Washington.
From theer the web spread south
to Washington. east to Philadelphia,
southwest to Dallas, Tex, and west
to Spokane and Walla Walla. Wash,
and Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Then the search was easier. A
baptismal record from st. Marks
Church Of Frankford, Pa. revealed
that she was born Amelia Everts
on February "a. 1876, in the Bustle-
ton section Of Philadelphia. Her
parents were Charles and Hannah
Everts.
Her first tangle with police au-
thorities came in Atlantic City,
N. j., on September 10. 1901. She
was sentenced to State prison for
10 months on q false pretenses
charge.
Most sensational of her escapades
was in Philadelphia in 1921, when
q hearing on swindling charges IL
Illuminated her bigamous relations
and gave her the pseudonym Of
''Petticoat Ponzi."
Everett Marshall Of Newfield,
N j.. accused a soft-spoken woman
friend Of swindling him Of 81, 800 and
said she had also relieved him Of
a total Of $4,000 over . period Of
two years.
Other purported victims hocked
to make complaints. among them
Robert H. Mountford, a South Jer-
sey farmer and truck salesman who
said that she had taken from him
5000 Of his mothers money to in
vest He got back $500.
/ Both Mr. Marshall and Mr.. Mount
ford named their defrauding friend
% Mildred M. Boniface.
Accusation Blsws Up.
Mr.. Mountford's accusation blew
up when Miss Boniface" produced
record showing that she was mar
ried to him on October 20. 1920. at
Reading. Pa. Mr.. Mountford ad-
mitted the marriage, saying that he
had lived with her only a mnoth.
but contended that the wedding was
illegal because she had never been
divorced from a previous husband.
whom he named as william v.
Chambers.
(Wachenfeld's detectives con-
firmed this Everts Chambers
marriage in Frankford. where
records revealed that they were
wed in 1895. but the Investigators
have not determined whether Mr..
Chambers was still alive at the +.
time Of the Mountford marriage
or whether he still Is living.)
However. Mr.. Mountford had an
other wife! She disappeared from .
ferry crossing the Delaware River a
few days after the bigamy charge
against her husband was made pub
lie. Her body was recovered from
the river two months later.
At that time Mrs Everts, mother
Of the woman whose love affairs
and confidence operations were
newspaper headlines. predicted:
MY daughter shall reap what she
has sown. So far as I am concerned,
she is not in the land Of the living.
I do not know her. Her mad 40.
tions have broken my heart"
Sentenced on Coast.
Mrs. Mountford was released by
the Philadelphia authorities to ap-
pear when wanted" The F. B. I.
record shows she turned up next in
Spokane. Wash, where she received
a penitentiary sentence as Mrs.
George Hayes and served five years.
In Newark. as Mrs. Carr, she
reached the height Of her career,
with a maid, houseman, a chauf-
feur and a gardener. These and
other former employees told q Jekyll-
Hyde tale Of their employers life.
II was told to grab the phone
before Mr.. Carr. could answer ~
and to give her the mail before her
husband sav 1t, related Mrs. Nancy
Parham, q former maid.
Mrs. Harry Weiser. wife of q for
mer chauffeur. pictured Mrs. Carr
as "a sort Of Robin Hood" a Lady
Bountiful who sent her son Christ
mas presents and gave food and
clothing to the poor
But another former chauffeur
told of her taste for expensive
brandy and the prosecutors detec-
tives found several bottles Of liquor
In her home.
Won Confidence by Charity.
From butcher, baker and grocer
in the Roseville neighborhood the
story was the same.
She won their confidence with
her church work and charity-plus
large orders paid for in cash. But
once her offers to invest their saw
ings were rejected, the. largess
ceased Those who did part with
their funds found that only threats
to go to the police brought them
action, usually partial restoration
of their funds and promises Of
greater returns
Her powers of persuasion were
illustrated by 1t. Sklarey in . story
told to him by the brother Of 4
Newark businessman who gave Mrs
Carr $500 to invest, without asking
security or q note, and received
back on demand his original invest.
ment plus 6 per cent interest. .
He would have MAJ me sigr
over my arms and legs III had !ssket
him for $780," the brother said.
But he told me later he woult
have given her $4,000 II she hae
asked him before this happened, x
greatly did she impress him."
4