The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-22
Assert a Company With 100000
Capital Proposes to Revive
Methods oi Days of the
white Slave
PLOT EXPOSED IN ST. LOUIS.
Seth C.. RseS, Head of Apostolic
Holiness Union, Who Has Been
Conducting Investigation,
VIII Start Active COM
raign Against Scheme.
Rt;ptRI.Ic SPECIAL.

iREPu RI.IC SPECIAL
J Chicago. ILL.,. Dec. 21.-Secret investiga-
Hons which have been carried on for
sscme time by rescue mission workers
Throughout the country have brought &c
flight the existence OF a syndicate. which
shss been organized for the purpose OF
Importing girls from the country to St
IJouis during the Worlds Fair.
The disclosures already made lsai to
the belief that the promoters intend to
return TO the methods employed in the
days OF the White Slave" and that
agents now are in the rural towns Offering
Inducements to girls to so TO the city.
The investigators assert that the st.
Louis syndicate is endeayorinG to obtain
1o.oN girls from country towns and viii
lagos. Its agents are also working in
Europe. and will send thousands of women
across the waite. The company, 1t is
asserted. has s1000o0 of capital behind it,
CHURCH PAPERS WILL
GIVE SCHEME PUBLICITY.
Church papers throughout the countr,
z are preparing TO take up the investigation
and give 1t the widest possible publicity
80 that the agents will be marked wher
they invade the country districts.
Seth &. Rees, head Of the Apostolic Holi
3 ness Union and superintendent of half E
d dozen rescue homes IN as many different
q parts of the country. has been in the Eas
Investigating the matter for the last s,i,
fwnehs. He Will return to Chicago from
{Roston Tomorrow and Immediately be.
( gin an active campaign against the syndi.
cate.
/
I Austin tonight and said that her hus-
band was aroused over the audacious
plans Of the syndicate and that he was
being Supported in his crusade against i,
by rescue mission workers in parts OF
4 the country.
Il They want TO get 6O.O00 innocent girls
I TO st. Louis" said Mrs. Rees. 1.-The plans
Of the syndicate are appalling and some
drastic measures must be taken to stop
this outrage. We have information now
1 10 the effect that agents are quietly work
Ing In the country towns, offering all sorts
Of Inducements TO unsophisticated girls.
CONSPIRACY FIRST
DISCOvERED IN ST. LOUIS.
or course. the work is carried OH under
cover. as the promoters know they would
be held on criminal charges If they were
discovered. One of our rescue mission
workers in St. Louis first discovered that
I there was scheme of this kind on foot,
The Information was given out at a con-
! vention held in St Louis, but the dele
gates were warned to keep the matter Sc
jcret until they could secure some tangible
evidence.
j The matter was then taken up at our
Holiness Convention. held at Willard Hall
early in October.
I AT this meeting the delegates were in
structed to sound the warming in all of the
towns and villages in their various dis
tricts. The convention had representatives
from all sections of the country, and in
tthis way we have been able to plan a sys-
Itematic campaign against the machina-
ttions Of the promoters
NAMES OF PROMOTERS
MAY BE GIVEN OUT TO-DAY.
Mrs. Rees said she I'D not know the
pfanes Of the men who are promotins, The
Scheme. but she thought Mr.. Rees would
Thave some definite information to make
public tomorrow.
Colonel Sowton OF the Salvation Army
said tonight that the rescue mission
workers of the Salvation Army in st.
Louis would take up the matter. Church
workers assert that If sufficient evidence
can be secured criminal prosecutions will
be begun.