Author: Robert St. Estephe
Lonely
hearts
rackets
have
long
been
a
favorite
way
for
the
woman
without
a
conscience
to
get
rich
quick.
But
in
the
history
of
the
practice
of
the
lonely
hearts
scam
—
in
all
its
manifold
variety
(including
the
category
“female
lonely
hearts
serial
killer”)
—
the
case
of
Englishwoman
Eveline
Neal
stands
out.
Eveline
was
truly
a
“vamps
vamp.”
This
Channel-crossing
gold-digger
had
beaucoup
de
class,
in
sharp
contrast
to
that
much
more
famous
lonely
hearts
racketeer
from
rural
Indiana,
USA,
Belle
Gunness,
the
husky
farm
woman
who
lured
men
by
the
scores
(over
twenty
of
them,
with
some
estimates
being
much
higher)
with
her
“husband
wanted”
newspaper
classified
ads,
got
ahold
of
their
cash
or
property
and
then
drugged
them
before
dispatching
them
with
her
handy
farm
axe.
Although
this
charmed
English
adventuress
—
Eveline
Neal
—
seems
to
have
allowed
each
and
every
one
of
her
victims
to
remain
above
ground
following
her
thorough
fleecing
of
same,
she
most
certainly
deserves
to
be
known
far
and
wide
as
one
of
the
world’s
greats
in
her
particular
and
highly
sophisticated
craft.
The
Neal
story
is
an
amazing
one,
and
for
the
lesson
it
teaches
—
of
the
relentlessness
of
the
hypergamy
instinct
in
some
females
—
it
well
deserves
to
be
retold,
and
retold
often.
***
FULL
TEXT:
London,
March
29.—
The
story
of
the
woman
who
married
forty-three
husbands,
brief
reference
to
which
was
made
in
yesterday’s
report,
has
no
equal
in
the
criminal
annals
of
modern
times.
Eveline
Neal
is
the
child
of
a
well-to-do
farmer
in
Shropshire,
the
fertility
of
whose
acres
made
it
an
easy
matter
to
provide
handsomely
for
his
family,
composed
of
one
daughter
and
three
sons.
Eveline,
like
many
others
in
the
same
position,
being
the
pet
of
her
father
and
brothers,
and
fairly
good
looking,
soon
learned
to
command,
and
grew
up
in
the
belief
that
mankind
was
created
to
do
her
homage
and
minister
to
her
wishes.
How
early
she
started
in
her
present
career
is
not
yet
known,
but,
as
she
is
still
young,
if
not
in
the
heyday
of
youth,
it
is
supposed
that
she
early
entered
the
crooked
paths
in
which
she
has
since
strayed.
Eveline’s
methods
were
admirable
in
their
simplicity.
Fearing
that
the
sturdy
common
sense
of
the
majority
of
her
countrymen
might
not
prove
favorable
to
her
schemes,
she
long
since
transferred
herself
and
her
belongings
to
French
soil,
finding
in
Paris,
and
the
general
practice
of
patronizing
marriage
bureaus
and
answering
advertisements
holding
out
attractive
inducements
to
commit
matrimony,
a
congenial
atmosphere
and
much
encouragement.
Behold
her,
then,
located
in
the
gay
capital,
if
she
could
be
said
to
have
a
location
when
the
necessities
of
her
trade
compelled
her
to
be
as
locomotive
as
a
grasshopper
and
quite
protean
in
her
many
disguises.
Of
course,
a
woman
of
Miss
Neal’s
genius
could
not
adhere
slavishly
to
any
particular
method.
She
had
many,
but
a
favorite
scheme,
and
one
that
won
her
much
wealth,
was
the
announcement
in
the
journals
that
she
was
a
widow,
with
a
fortune
varying
in
different
advertisements
from
200,000
to
1,000,000
francs,
and
desired
to
marry
a
gentleman
in
good
circumstances
belonging
to
“high
life”
if
not
to
the
nobility,
or
to
the
select
circles
of
commerce.
Answers
were
directed
to
be
sent
addressed
poste
restante,
where
they
were
called
for
by
an
accomplice.
The
latter
then
selected
such
of
the
replies
as
madam
was
pleased
with
and
made
appointments
for
an
interview,
not
with
the
English
maiden,
but
only
with
her
friend.
At
this
meeting
the
accomplice,
M.
urges,
passed
the
candidates
in
serious
review,
noting
down
carefully
the
physical
characteristics
of
each,
the
amount
of
fortune,
etc.
In
cases
where
this
examination
proved
satisfactory
the
victim
was
invited
to
madame’s
sumptuous
apartments
in
sight
or
the
Rond
Point
in
the
Champs
Elysees,
or
some
equally
attractive
quarter
of
the
city.
On
every
occasion
the
widow
assumed
a
new
name,
but
each
time
she
told
a
pitiful
tale
of
how
she
had
been
married
against
her
will,
and,
while
she
would
like
to
please
herself
on
the
present
occasion,
she
still
had
a
mother,
her
lather
being
dead,
whose
wishes
she
must
consult,
and
who
still
deemed
her,
in
spite
of
her
previous
matrimonial
experience,
“o’er
young
to
marry
yet.”
In
short
the
applicant
must
wait.
Then
began
the
most
profitable
portion
of
the
game,
the
courtship
being
made
as
expensive
as
possible
for
the
suitor.
Nothing
but
the
most
costly
presents
would
placate
the
imperious
beauty,
and
if
they
fell
off
in
the
slightest
from
her
high
standard
of
quality
and
quantity,
the
dream
of
the
infatuated
admirer
was
promptly
ended.
Nor
was
this
done
in
any
disagreeable
manner.
There
was
no
scene,
no
reproaches,
no
tears.
Madame
simply
disappeared.
The
profusely
bled
victim
sought
her
in
her
accustomed
haunts,
but
the
most
diligent
search
failed
to
reveal
her.
It
goes
without
saying
that
the
presents,
constituting
the
magnificent
“Corbeille,”
[A
tradition
in
19th
century
France,
the
corbeille
de
mariage
was
a
gift
basket
given
by
the
groom
to
the
bride
upon
the
signing
of
the
wedding
contract]
were
also
missing.
The
precious
stones,
rich
jewels,
and
other
valuable
booty
were
not
only
invisible
to
the
donor,
but
he
would
have
been
compelled
to
take
ship
in
order
to
see
them
again.
They
had
been
safely
transferred
to
the
madame’s
snug
little
mansion
in
the
suburbs
of
London,
which
was
rich
from
garret
to
cellar
with
the
proceeds
of
her
Parisian
industry.
But
madame
had
yet
another
method.
In
cases
where
something
more
than
the
sedate
joys
of
a
French
courtship
were
needed
to
induce
the
fiance
to
part
with
his
means
in
sufficient
abundance,
Eveline
kindly
consented
to
an
actual
marriage,
which
piece
of
gracious
condescension
never
failed
to
produce
the
desired
effect.
The
“Make”
and
the
church
would
be
visited
in
due
course,
the
wedding
breakfast
eaten,
and
the
presents
duly
received
and
ticketed,
but
when
the
shades
of
night
had
fallen
on
the
scene
the
groom,
who
mayhap
had
indulged
too
freely
in
Chambartin,
would
suddenly
be
rudely
awakened
to
the
knowledge
that
both
bride
and
gifts
had
departed.
The
French
police
declare
on
their
honor
that
in
1881,
when
Eveline
was
brought
to
their
official
attention
for
the
first
time,
she
had
been
married
in
this
peculiar
way
thirteen
times,
but
that
now
she
had
increased
the
score
to
the
extraordinary
total
of
forty-three.
The
cause
of
the
present
unsought
publicity
given
to
Eveline
and
her
ways
is
her
experience
with
a
certain
viscount,
which
led
to
her
arrest
at
the
Hotel
Meurice
yesterday.
This
gentleman
had
ruined
himself
by
gambling
and
was
naturally
anxious
to
obtain
more
wealth
wherewith
to
regild
his
tarnished
escutcheon.
At
first
attracted
by
Eveline’s
supposititious
millions,
he
at
length
became
really
in
love
with
the
adventuress,
and
followed
her
and
her
companion
with
canine
fidelity
in
their
travels
throughout
England,
Belgium
and
Norway,
the
expenses
being
paid
by
the
nobleman,
who
borrowed
right
and
left
on
notes
of
hand
based
on
his
expectations
of
marrying
a
wealthy
widow.
This,
however,
could
not
go
on
forever.
The
viscount
insisted
that
the
happy
day
should
be
named;
Eveline,
knowing
that
no
more
presents
could
be
gained
by
an
actual
marriage,
declined
to
do
so,
and
her
suitor
laid
his
case
before
the
police.
Eveline
was
astonished
at
her
arrest
but
is
a
woman
of
too
many
resources
to
be
greatly
cast
down.
[“Married
Many
Men.
–
Extraordinary
Matrimonial
Career
of
a
High-Spirited
English
Girl.
–
Eveline
Neal
Achieves
Fame
and
Fortune
by
Wedding
Gullible
Frenchmen.
–
She
Also
Reaps
a
Heavy
Benefit
by
Selling
Nuptial
Gifts.
–
Her
Little
List
of
Sorrowing
Husbands
Now
Foots
Up
Forty-Three.”
St.
Paul
Daily
Globe
(Mn.),
Mar.
30,
1891,
p.
1]
Original Story on AVFM
These stories are from AVoiceForMen.com.
(Changing the cultural narrative)