Walkabout: Where’s Mrs. Bradford? Part 1

Read Part 2 of this story.

Mrs. Kate Bradford lived at 658 Bedford Avenue, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. The year was 1894, and Mrs. Bradford was a popular member of her community, active in her church, and with her family.

Her husband, Charles Bradford, was the owner of a Manhattan mattress company, and the couple had two young sons. They lived on busy Bedford Avenue, near Rutledge Street, in a two story brownstone, in a row of similar brownstone houses. Today, their building is no longer there, but the houses next door still stand. It was a comfortable upper middle class neighborhood, in a fashionable part of Willliamsburg.

Kate Ward Bradford had been a teacher, before her marriage, and she said that she still kept in touch with her old profession by lending money to her fellow teachers, helping them make it from payday to payday.

All seemed to be well, on Bedford Avenue, until the first week of May, when she abruptly up and disappeared, and was never seen again. Where was Mrs. Bradford? The story that unfolded would have tongues wagging, and teeth gnashing, in Brooklyn, and across the country, for months.

Kate Bradford was around forty years old when she disappeared. She was a petite woman, and according to those who knew her, was pretty, with large, dark eyes, dark hair and a charming manner about her. She dressed in the height of fashion, wore the latest jewelry, and seemed to have an unlimited amount of money at her disposal. According to family, neighbors and friends, there was no warning, no sign that Kate was leaving home.

As time went by, it soon became apparent, that not only was she gone, so too was money that she had received from those same family members, neighbors and friends; a lot of money.

She claimed that she lent money to just about every teacher in Brooklyn, providing them with a financial bridge between paychecks. On payday, they would pay her back, with an enormous amount of interest, and that was how she was able to make such a good living.

She told people that she was collecting higher interest rates on her money than any bank or institution was able to give, and her loans to teachers were bringing in returns of $1.50 to $2. on each $10 borrowed, depending on the total amount. After she disappeared, investigators were not able to find a single teacher who was borrowing from her. The story was a complete lie.

They did find family and friends who had given her money. Kate had promised them that she would invest the money for them, and would pay them back, along with a higher rate of interest than they would receive anywhere else.

She claimed that her business with the teachers was so good, that she had begun investing on Wall Street, and was making a lot of money. If friends, family, and neighbors wanted to invest; in lending to teachers, or the market, she would gladly do it for them, and they would be able to see a huge return on their money. She showed them records of moneys paid to her teacher friends, and her own lifestyle, as proof of her success.

She was an excellent salesperson, and soon, she had money from her father-in-law, her nephew, her wealthy neighbor, fellow church members, neighbors and friends. Does this story sound familiar?

Her largest investor was her neighbor, oil dealer Alfred C. Squires, who lived next door. He invested $30K with Kate, and mortgaged his house in order to give her money. He also got his friends to invest with her, as well. She managed to get most of her block and those around the corner to invest, including Mr. Probst, the baker, and Charles Stoll, the local butcher.

Most of her female neighbors and fellow church ladies had given her money, as did her father-in-law and her nephew, David Judson, who had invested several hundred dollars; all the money he had saved up for his upcoming wedding. She even got her own maid to invest, the woman gave Kate all but a few dollars of her salary, each month. All of that money, estimated to be up to $100,000, was gone, along with Kate. So, where was Mrs. Bradford, and more importantly, where was the money? GMAP

(Photo: Googlemaps)

Want to know what happens next? You’ll have to wait for the next installment.