Evening star., 1949-09-12
Elderly Romeo Faces
Eight Irate Women in
SwindIing Case Today
By the Associated Press

CHICAGO, Sept. 12.-Swindlin'
Sigmund Engel, the 73-year-old
specialist in women, came to court
today with a trail of eight women
clainoring that he bilked them OF
$93,700.
Engel, a dapper Romeo by his
own profession, was arrested June
"a by the Vaccinations of one OF
his intended victims. Another OF
his actual victims signed a COM
plaint which led to Cook County
indictment on confidence game
charges. This is the charge being
tried today.
But behind those circumstances
was a trail of women across the
continent, a glib tongue. multiple
aliases, and quick disappearances.
Nine women figure in today's
court appearance, one of whom
did not press her charge. and an
other as the lure who trapped him
in a swank Chicago luggage shop.
Figures in Drama.
Here are the women whose
claims make up the total:
Mrs. Florence Barrette, so, Chi
cago, $4,000 in cash, furniture
and jewels.
Mrs. Irene Grimes. 40, San
Francisco, $4,000.
Mrs. Corinne Perry. 81. Los
Angeles, $4,000.
Mrs. Annette Kubiak. IS, South
Bend, Ind, $4,000.
Mrs. Pauline Langton, 80, New
York, $50.00O in jewels.
Mrs. Reseda Corrigan, 80, Chi
cago, $S,7OO.
Then there was Mrs. Helma
Spencer, 65, of Chicago. who
claimed he took $4,100 from her
in 1925 but did not press the
charge; Mrs. Vivien Huebler, As,
of San Francisco. who .annulled
a marriage to him, and Mrs. Cen
evieve Parro, SIS, of Chicago, who
was the bait in the luggage shop
trap. All are widows or divorces.
Among them, these women were
responsible for charges of trans
portation of stolen money from
State. to State (MrS. Kubiak)
operating a confidence game (MrS.
Corrigan); first degree grand lar
ceny CMrs. Langton and Mrs.
Perry, and a charge of grand
theft by Mrs. Grimes. The con-
fidence game charge takes pre-
cedence, but the others must be
settled in event he escapes Illinois
law.
Woman Disappeared
The tale began coming to light
in June when Mrs. Corrigan's
daughters, Reseda, 10. and An
nette, II, reported she had dis
appeared after Engel had courted
her month. She was located
June II in Newark, N. j. She &C
cused Engef of taking her money
on a promise to marry, and said
she went East to locate him after
he disappeared before the wedding
date.
He had posed as motion pic
ture producer who wanted to star
Mrs. Corrigan. simultaneously
New York police, on Mrs. Lang
TOMS complaint. began searching
for a man who had posed as Carl
Laemmle. jr, son of the motion
picture producer.
The trail came back to Chicago
where Mrs. Parro became sus-
picious of a man who posed as a
wealthy suburbanite and who
wanted to marry her. She notified
police. The trap was baited.
Returned $1,000.
After the arrest things began
coming to light. From coast-to-
coast women identified pictures of
Engel. They came to Chicago to
identify him in person.
From somewhere Engel produced
$4,000 which he gave back to Mrs.
Corrigan.
Engel himself insisted that all
the swindling was done. not by
Sigmund Engel but by his brother
Arthur. Police scoffed at the ex-
istence of Brother Arthur. Instead
they contended Sigmund was an
International swindler who had
been doing the same thing in
Europe.
Engel remained calm through
most of the furor. Women are my
career" he said. 1--WE got women
mania-womania. Maybe scient-
lists will learn 20 years from now
that's a disease.
1--WE taken lot of money from
women. There's nothing to it.
You ask a woman for money. and,
naturally, she's going to give it
to you. -,
Yes, I took women for millions
of dollars. Maybe five or six mil
lions. But they were trying to take
me. too, you know.
No rain had fallen in parts of |
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