AN AUDACIOUS WOMAN SWINDLER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13209, 16 February 1905, Page 8

AN AUDACIOUS WOMAN SWINDLER.

MRS CHAD WICK'S ADVENTURES.

£5,000,000 OF FORGED SECURITIES.

Only in the almost incredible swindles .of Therese Humbert, in France, can be found a parallel for the extraordinary career of Mrs Leroy S. Chadwick. a woman of 42 years, now awaiting trial in city of Cleveland for forgery and other crimes. It was in November last (writes the New York correspondent of the Melbourne Argus) that the American public, began 10 some interest in Mrs Chadwick, then a' guest at one of the most fashiotiab'e hotels in New York, becaus?. a Boston banker had sued her to recover a loan of 192,000d01. For some years slje ;had been prominent in society at Cleveland (Ohio), living in a mansion on Euclid avenue, which is otic of the finest residential streets in America. In 1897 (having been known as a rich widow naiml Mrs C. L. Hoovef), slio married there j)r 'Leroy S. Chadwick, a widower, and a physician, of good l'amilv. Thereafter "she became noted for lavish expenditure, and it was understood that she had inherited a very large fortune. She took with her to Europe 12 young women, daughters of leading families in Cleveland. She was accustomed to bring to New York, a distance of nearly 600 miles, parties of guests in a private car to attend tlw opera. At one time she distributed a dozen grand pianos among her friends as gifts. Her credit was good for anything in the shops of New York or in Cleveland, which is a city of much wealth and culture, with a population of'loo,ooo. For more than a year past her husband and his daughter have been travelling in Europe. He returned last week, and is now in gaol. The suit of the apprehensive Boston banker led to remarkable disclosures. A little bank in Oberlin (Ohio) closed its doors, and it became known that the aged president of it. had advanced to this woman from the banlrs fluids 240,000d0t (or four times the capital of the institution), together with 100,0C0dol of his own money, upon the security of mysterious notes, signed by someone whose name he would not make public. This old man. wrecked in fortune and reputation, is now oh his deathbed. He sotight to defend himaeU hv asserting that the givcv of t|ie notes was one of the richest men in" 'lie world, and that Mrs Chadwick, to his knowledge, possessed a great fortune, having 500,000d0l in jewels alone. The newspapers soon becamc full of queer tales aboiit the woman. On December 8 she was arrested at her hotel there,'and taken to Cleveland, protesting that she could easily pay all her debts, - and still have millions to the good.

Two days later the character of her assets was ascertained, and the secret ol her successful swindles was disclosed. The notes in the old Oberlin banker's hands bore the signature of Andrew Carnegie. She had told him that she was Mr Carillegitimate child, "and,'/ said he, <: I believed her." It is ltnown now, however, that the old man was led into this folly and induced to, break the'laws by a comfortable bonus in hand, and a promise that he should bo employed at a iavprc salary to take charge of Mrs Chadwick's affairs.

But this was only a beginning. Mrs Chad wick had deposited two years ago, in the custody of a prominent bank, (the Wade Pari:), of Cleveland, certain sealed packages,, purporting to conta : n securities worth J5,246,000d0i. The bank's chief executive officer, Iri Reynolds, a matt of excellent reputation, had accepted her assertion as to the value of the packages, and. without examining the contents, had given her a certificate of receipt in accord with her statement, and bearing his signature. Uy means of this certificate and her social relations, she had borrowed right and left. For example, when she applied for one large loan she was accompanied and introduced by the Rev. Dr Eaton, pastor of the John D. Rockfeiler's Baptist Church, in Cleveland. That cii.y was the Standard Oil multimillionaire's home in his early business years, and he still Jias there a mansion, to. which he goes in the summer. When the authorities opened the packages deposited in the Wade Park Hank, the contents were be a note for

' OOO.OOOdoIj payable in 15 months to this woman, and signed ".Andrew Carnegie," snd a curious trust agreement, bearing the same signature, in which Mr Carnegie acknowledged the receipt of the following securities, from the estate of her uncle, Frederick Mason (a fictitious person), the income frmn which he bound himself to pay to. her semi-annually:' 250Q shares of Great Western railway (England), 2,lC0,00©ilol: 1800'sliarps (Caledonian tailway- (Scotland), l,116.000aoi; and 7 } 000,000c101, in 5 per cent, bonds, of the Steel Corporation, such as Mr Carnegie uses in his large gifts for libraries and other institutions. Of course. Hie signatures were forgeries. Air Carnegie diri not know the won^nn, and had-never heard of her. Coming to New York two years ago, she employed a lawyer to draw up a similar agreement, and took him with her ifi her carriage to the d.yjr of Mr Carnegie's house, saying that she would speedily procure the necessary signature. She entered the house, remained in it for 20 minutes, and then returned to the carriage, asserting that she had been succcssl'ul. But she had nni, seen Mr Carnegie. To his shame, be it said, this lawyer had been a judge. The woman very nearly swindled him out of, 15Wdol. ' < By means 'of Reynolds's certificate, forged notes (all bearing Mr Carnegie's signature), confidential stories as to her relation to Mr Carncjic, and the various supports of her crerlit, which her social prominence furnished, she obtained about 2.000.000d01. Prom business men r.nd former associates of Mr Carnegie in Pittsburg she procured at least 800,000dol. These men are pocketing their losses and trying to avoid publicity. Tt is difficult to say w,b.it has become of the money. Murli of it was lost in speculation. Ther3 seems to b'e nothing left excent the costly contents of the house in Cleveland, although the Reynolds packages did contain a good mortgage for JgOOdol, and, therefore, were worth a little more than what was found in the Humbert's safe.

And who is Mrs Ohadwick? A convict, who was released on parole by the late. President M'Kinlev when lie was Governor at Ohio. The history of her carecr before she met her present husband is not ihc lrp'st rpmrfrkablc part, of this curious affair. The woman 1 war born of honest, and humble parents in Ontario iCauala). and her name was Belsy Beglcv. At Woo'lcloclt. in that province, when she \yas 17 years old. she was tried [ot forcery, and ncrjuittcrl. because she fei;:ned' insanity. Three years later, in Cleveland, the married Dr Springsteen, from '.vhom, she was soon divorced. After a lanse of four years she appeared in the neighbourine citv'of Toledo'under the name ,of Madame Lydia de Vere, as a professional clairvoyant and spiritualist. There she was convicted of forgery, and sent to the penitentiary for nine and a-half veavl That was in Having been released on narele in 11893, she took a vesiden'e ir" Cleveland, as Jfrs Hoover, and in 1894 (although even , then renuired to .report at staled times to the prison authorities).fbe rijarried Dr Chad wick, who belie.ved her to be a wealthy widow of good repute. All this, about her criminal experience has but recently come to-light, liven when the large commissions' and bonuses which she offered and gave are considered, the conduct of bankers and business men whom she deceived and robbed secrns inexplicable, arid one is inclined to credit the reports-that the woman was able to exert n powerful hypnotic influence. How did it come about ' that, with seven brothers and sisters living respectably, this daughter of an honest and obscure Canadian farmer became a swindler so inveterate and.so accomplished?