The Wild Tale of Bina Verrault & The Love Syndicate

In this special on-location episode, Amanda dives into a bizarre and enthralling early 20th-century true crime tale that starts in New York and ends—by wild coincidence—right here in Tonopah, Nevada. This is the story of Bina Verrault, a conwoman at the heart of a romantic swindling ring dubbed The Love Syndicate.

Bina, along with her notorious friend Izella Pemberton Brown, duped dozens of men out of thousands of dollars by posing as wealthy widows, spiritual mediums, and charming fiancées. Their elaborate schemes involved fake companies, newspaper personal ads, and an entire supporting cast of “maids,” “butlers,” and even an amateur sculptor.

Amanda takes you through Bina's troubled upbringing, her marriage to George T. Verrault, the formation of the syndicate, and the eventual unraveling of the con. You'll hear about love-struck victims, staged telegrams, fake dinner parties featuring nonexistent political guests, and even a bizarre ambush involving a horsewhipping in a New York alley.

After escaping justice, Bina resurfaced in Tonopah under the alias Helen Hamilton, where her cons finally caught up to her. She died penniless and alone—buried in the Tonopah Cemetery, just steps away from the now-infamous Clown Motel.

📍 Location Highlight:This episode was recorded at the world-famous Clown Motel in Tonopah, NV—right next to Bina Verrault’s final resting place.

📰 Research Notes:Amanda dug deep into early 1900s newspapers to piece this wild narrative together. Due to the age and inconsistency of sources, names, dates, and occupations vary slightly across reports. All source material is listed on the webpage for this episode.

🧵 Key Topics Covered:

• Bina’s early life in Ironton, Wisconsin

• Meeting Izella Brown and the origins of their criminal partnership

• Elaborate cons using spiritualism and fake business ventures

• The Love Syndicate's cast of shady characters

• Multiple love scams and lawsuits

• Bina’s dramatic move to Tonopah and mysterious death

• Paranormal legacy: Is Bina still haunting Tonopah?

Episode Transcript- https://www.nydarksidepodcast.com/episodes-11-15/episode-12-bina-verrault-and-the-love-syndicate/episode-12-transcript

References:

Unknown Author. (1906, August 28). Another Fake Now Alleged. The Boston Globe, p. 3.

Unknown Author. (1906, November 19). Bangor Man in the Love Trust? The Bangor Daily News, p. 2.

Unknown Author.. (1906, December 10). Mrs. Verrault's Ideals Too HIgh. The Evening Journal, p. 1.

Unknown Author. (1906, September 12). New York Love Syndicate Comes to a Sudden End. Wilmar Tribune, p. 3.

Unknown Author. (1906, August 21). Raids Planned on House of Spooks. The Buffalo Enquirer, p. 3.

Unknown Author.. (1906, August 16). This Pretty Woman. The Topeka State Journal, p. 5.

Unknown Author.. (1908, May 13). Drink Ends Her Career. Baraboo Weekly News, p. 1.

Unknown Author. (1908, May 15). The Pace That Kills. The Searchlight, p. 1.

The intro theme for this podcast are sections of Nightmare Machine by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons