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SPEAKER_02: Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica. This month we're talking about mischief makers, oddballs, chameleons, and non-conformists, queens of quick wit. Today we're talking about a confidence queen who fleeced men out of thousands of dollars using her smarts and charisma, despite her unconventional looks. Let's talk about Big Bertha Heyman. Bertha Schlesinger was born in Prussia in 1851. She did not have the best role models growing up. Her father spent five years in jail for forging checks, setting in motion a long line of cons and swindles for Bertha. In 1878, Bertha moved to the United States. Her first stop was New York, where she met and married her first husband, Fritz Karkow. Bertha then moved to Milwaukee and married her second husband, John Heyman. Bertha was still legally married to her first husband when she married John, but she took Heyman as a last name anyway. At five feet, four inches, and 250 pounds, Bertha was a force. She was described as elephantine and unattractive, but she had enough charisma to charm any man, and charm she did.
SPEAKER_02: Bertha often claimed to be an extremely wealthy woman who had trouble accessing her accounts. All she needed was a generous man to lend her some money. When Bertha received the loan, she disappeared with the cash and never paid the unsuspecting man back. Bertha would also drift around cities stealing jewelry and forging checks, which often landed her in jail. But jail didn't stop Bertha's cons. She once tricked one of her visitors into giving her $900, the equivalent of more like $20,000 today. Bertha then used that cash to bribe the warden for special treatment. The Department of Corrections investigated this strange scenario, and revealed that Bertha swindled her into a work detail at the warden's home as a servant. Bertha was eventually released from jail, and by February 1888, she'd made her way to San Francisco. There, Bertha visited the chief rabbi of a temple and started spinning another story. Using a false last name, she claimed she was a widow. She had inherited $300,000 from her first husband, and she was looking for a new Jewish husband and father for her stepson, Willie. Willie was actually just a friend of hers. To seal the deal, Bertha also offered $1,000 to the person who could help her find the right man. Luckily for her, the rabbi's brother-in-law, Abraham, was a wealthy businessman and single. Abraham quickly fell for Bertha. He proposed, and Bertha charmed her way to the temple's top social circle. Her $1,000 donation bought her invitation to many parties. When Abraham pushed for marriage, Bertha claimed Willie disagreed with the union. Abraham lent him money to gain approval. With the cash and some stolen jewels in hand, Bertha and Willie took off. Bertha's check to the temple bounced, and Abraham went to the police. When he described Bertha, the detective took out the book "'Professional Criminals of America' by Thomas F. Burns and asked, is this the woman?" There was a picture of Bertha above the caption, Bertha Heyman, alias Big Bertha, confidence queen. Willie and Bertha were eventually captured and arrested in Texas. News of the crime spread like wildfire, and Bertha became a media darling. Her outraged innocence caught the eye of a show promoter who bailed her out of jail and gave her a one-woman show. Bertha had swindled herself into celebrity. Still, Bertha couldn't help herself. One night after a show, she told her promoter that her suitcase had a false bottom with $10,000 in Canadian bonds and jewelry inside. She eventually convinced him to buy the trunk, but before the sale went through, he snuck into her room and discovered the grift. Bertha was always intentional about her cons. She didn't look for an easy mark, and she reveled in the art of trickery. She once said, "'The moment I discover a man's a fool, I let him drop. But I delight in getting into the confidence and pockets of men who think they can't be skinned. It ministers to my intellectual pride.'" Eventually, Bertha faded from the public eye. It's unclear exactly how and when she died. All month, we're talking about mischief makers. For more information, check us out on Facebook and Instagram at Wamanica Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow.
