Nineteenth Century Mail-Order Bride SCAMS, part 9

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Some brides-elect and grooms-elect actually had their intellect about them enough to recognize when things weren’t quite right. Even if fraud was not involved in one out of three incidences. And made prudent decisions about their course of action.

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THE INTERESTED COUPLE MEET FACE-TO-FACE AND CALL IT OFF

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A BRIDE-ELECT IS DUPED BY A SMALL BROKERAGE… DETECTIVE WOOLDRIDGE COMES TO HER AID TO LOCATE MISSING GROOM…

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The following is an excerpt from an article that ran in the  The Proprietor, a married man, fraudulently conducted a courtship through the mail without using his legal name, a criminal act.

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BRIDEGROOM FAILS TO APPEAR

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“Riggs,” however, was not at the station to meet his bride-elect, and the girl went to the National hotel, Van Buren street and Wabash avenue, and waited for the coming of the bridegroom. When he did not put in an appearance Miss Crosby called at the Harrison street police station and took Inspector Lavin into her confidence.

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Detective C. R. Wooldridge was detailed on the case, and he secured from Miss Crosby the address of Hansell, who posed as proprietor of the Union Correspondence and Matrimonial Bureau.

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HANSELL ADMITS HE IS “RIGGS.”

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Yesterday the girl, accompanied by the detective, called on Hansell and demanded the address of “Riggs”. he refused to give it, but later declared he was “Riggs,” and that he had corresponded with Miss Crosby only to secure a patron for his bureau.

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Hansell was taken before Inspector Lavin and was called on to make good…”

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~ Chicago Daily Tribune, October 13, 1902

[Note: the following image is the scan of the transcription, immediately above.]

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A SAN JOSE MAIL-ORDER BRIDE APPARENTLY DISCOVERED HER HUSBAND WAS A SERIOUS CROOK…

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AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST–

AN ASHEVILLE GIRL’S SENSIBLE ACT CAUSES ARREST OF A CHICAGO MATRIMONIAL BUREAU CHAP

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The discovery of this fraudulent matrimonial agency uncovers a new (at least to my series of articles) strategy. The “bride elect” had no idea anyone circulated her name, address, image, or supposed financial status. I’m impressed by her response.

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Seems ridiculous, now, that a fraudulent bureau would allow a patron to send mail directly to a woman. Especially when that woman was unaware of her bridal profile on their books. Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to use stock letters? Create an appealing and entirely fictitious name? And handle all correspondence within their office? There must have been more to the story!

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Note: The “Dart Didn’t Pierce” lead-in is in reference to Cupid’s Arrow, or in this case, Cupid’s Dart. U. S. Newspapers often linked Cupid with Matrimonial agencies.

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I want to believe Victorians were careful. Scammers, thieves, and scalawags were everywhere.

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These examples cite the care with which many approached marriage bureaus. The optimistic news is that many people did marry after a courtship conducted by mail (however brief). Those additions to this series of articles is on the way! I look forward to sharing with you Mail-Order Bride Success Stories.

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• One Chicago Matrimonial Bureau circulated one photograph of one miss to cowboys in the West, inferring an abundance of brides…

• a Matrimonial Bureau run by a man named Chinn, accused of having purchased pictures of Actors and Actresses and passing them off as candidates for marriage.
• 40,000 Love Letters: Manager of a Matrimonial Bureau Slides Down a Rope From a Third Story Window (leaving wife and desperately ill baby behind in a closet)
• And what if the Salvation Army entered the Cupid Business?

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