Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-10-31

Society in New York and Newport is
paying its tribute of coin and broken
hearts to a flock of human vampires,
men and women, which for years have
been preying upon the members of the
richest and most exclusive families in the
East. 1t is an extraordinary situation,
OF which an instance is furnished by the
charge against Charles II. Able, who is
accused of attempting to blackmail MEM
beers of the fashionable colony. He, it
is alleged by Edward NJ. Post, attempted
TO coerce Post into buying a book deal
ing with scandalous affairs in higher life
in which story concerning Post would
be printed if he did not subscribe. This
is but an incident in a long series of al
legged crimes of similar nature. which
have in rare instances crept into the
public prints and which have broken up
homes, separated engaged couples, es-
tranged relatives and dragged members
of the proudest families in the mire or
divorce courts. Hundreds of cases go
unnoticed. 1t is only when an occasion
of unusual public interest, some mystic
rious affair happens, that the general
public gets a glimpse of the blacllmail
and graft that goes on behind the scenes
in Fifth avenue and in Newport.
THE fact that the public hears of
these things but at long intervals" said
a well-informed student of the doings of
society, must not be ,uken as an evil
dence that the Matchmaking of society is
sporadic. 1t is going on all the while.
Year after year the vampires arc at their
work. The system, as the police or
Wall street would call it, is at work in
cessantly. The threat of publicity is
the chief weapon of the social vampire,
and when there is the hint of mystery
and it is suddenly hushed up, you may
rest assured that the vampire is hard
pressed to hold the grip and is playing
for high stakes. While the social high
wayman is rare, the vampire is ever with
us. The social highwayman, in the ma
ture of things, cannot last. But with
the vampire, if once they gain a foot
hold in a family, there is but little chance
to get rid of them.
Lead Victims Into Trap.
IF | so desired | could name a num-
Der of young men who have wormed
their way into the most exclusive fami-
lies of the city, and who are widely
known because Of that fact. They are
handsome and accomplished men, who
have carefully trained themselves and
who never tire in the seeming devotion to
the persons to whom they have attached
themselves, and one will aid the other
until at last all are fattening upon some
Of the most prominent homes in Newport
presided over by matrons who can all
claim the title of leadership in society
without fear of contradiction.
This is the most common form Of
Matchmaking and the methods of all
these men are similar. They are persist
ent when once they have obtained the
slightest hold upon their victims and
finally in a false spirit of daring or bra
vado against social usages and customs
they lead their prey into a trap carefully
set until the tongue of scandal begins
to wag and the victim is hopelesslv in
the tolls.
"Once established firmly, the demands
of these vampires know no bounds. They
even presume to dictate the lists of
guests at social entertainments and stir
up useless and scandalOus feuds between
families allied by marriage and friendly
interests that have extended over gen
erations. The demands increase until a
halt is called and then come threats of
| exposure. Family councils are called and
in the end a compromise generally is eff
fected to avoid publicity and the attend
ing disgrace. Seldom do the facts be-
come known beyond a certain favored
coterie of the inner circle No family
seems to be safe from the operations of
these vampires, none too proud or too
exclusive to be dragged in the mire
''Only recently a bogus baron, who
babe fair to fasten himself on one of the
best known families in Newport, was
driven away by exposure of him printed
in the newspapers The woman at the
head of the household was very sorry
to lose the baron's society, even after
his exposure, but the baron did not wait
to find out what her attitude would bes
He was thinking only of swift justice for
the crimes of forgery and swindling, but
the woman thought only that he was
handsome and would make a good orna-
ment about her household"