Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-04
HER AUCTION IS
ONLY AN ''AD"
CHICAGO GIRL WHO OFFERED
TO SELL HERSELF RECANTS
says She Is Not Sorry, as She Is "lt''
Now, and Has Plenty Of Chances
to Secure Fame and
Fortune
Special to The Herald.

.CHICAGO, NOV. 3.-BnzaDeth Magic,
the young Chicago stenographer who
decided that typewrlting at $40 week
is hell" as she expressed It, and
offered to sell herself at auction to the
highest bidder, is not washing her own
shirts this week, according to hor per-
sonal letters, not intended for publica-
ton, which she has sent to her mother
In Washington.
Elizabeth has received an ocean Of
bids" as a result of her "For Sale" adj
vertisement which did not get into the
advertising columns of a Chicago paper
| because of the alertness Of a front
counter boy" but which resulted in her
getting all the space she wanted. Her
"ad." started on the first page of the
| newspaper, instead Of among the want
lads" on the sixteenth page. The
| bids include one from millionaire and
range downward. Her letter follows:
~ Am It," She Declares
Dear Folks at Home-There's some
thing doing. / am 1T. Things are COM
Ing my way. BY one fell swoop, l have
arrived. l can have anything 1 want,
from foreign titles to 100000 cash. a
place as servant; as dime museum
freak, or a star.
II have marriage proposals by the
| bushel from men who have discovered
In me their affinity; publishers want
me to write books: newspapers want
my services; everybody wants my pic
| ture. L have been interviewed by
dozens. 1 have laughed over some of
the letters, and cried over others. All
auctioneer has sent me his card.
Wasn't that a joke? But l have cried
over letters from poor girls who are
| having the same hell of a time to live
as had.
"a week ago had no idea of this no.
| toriety. I didn't mean to do it; l
would not do 1t again. My statement
| has been called by many the most re-
narkable document that ever emanated
from the brain Of one person. / dashed
| it off in about two hours week ago
last Sunday without any definite idea
Of doing anything witt 1t. 1 never
meant to have it published over my
own name, anyway. l didn't have any
great hope of having it published at
all, even if I paid for it.
| IT copied 1t Monday, read it over
again, and it began to look pretty good
to me. Then took 1t to a few news
papers and asked for an estimate for
printing it as an advertisement. 1 ex-
editors got 1T, and they did the rest.
was ready for an earthquake when
| saw it in the papers the next day
81 will stand by the document but
am to say which is the highest bid
der. 1t will be an honorable one-you
can bank on that; and the one that
will give me most opportunity to de-
velop myself and do what II can for
II others Up to last Saturday morning
toI, N
an offer of a good home with nice
respectable couple down on a farm,
where l could have plenty to eat,
plenty to wear, the use of a good
piano and library, where 1 could live
close to the heart of nature, and do
just as 1 pleased without giving any
thing in return. They said l could
even say damn occasionally. They
are the right sort.
"Since then I have been approached
by the representative of New York
newspaper, and have contracted to
write a column article each week for
| twelve weeks on Girl Slaves of a
Great City" This will give me time
to consider other propositions.
Don't worry about me, dearies. 1
am the same old girl-out for honor,
truth and a square deal all around.
I'll stand by my document but I
won't touch for interviews. Yellow
journals are the damndest liars in the
world. Just see how much lingerie
they made out of nothing but 10
cent gauze undershirt.
Sinclair Indorses Her
ST have received some excellent ex-
| pressions of commendation and appre-
| citation from those who really under
stand Upton Sinclair, the author of
The Jungle, says that my letter is
wonderful and that 1 have in me the
making of revolutionist.
"Please save all the papers you get
hold of that have anything to say
about me. Tell me what my friends
are saying. I suppose more than half
of them don't understand. DR.. Kent
will, but there are few like him.
"I am not washing my shirts this
week. 1 haven't time.
II used to say, In fun, If / am dis
covered, 1 will be found 1 am dis
covered. 1 will make good, now that
| shall work for the people-men.
women and children--slaves of all
kinds-poor devils. God bless them.
The American people are pretty good
stuff after all, If you only know how
to reach them You can sit up on
your dignified perch all day and de-
clare that you have messages from
high heaven and you will get only a
solitary few to listen. If you want
to reach the people-the masses-you
have got to come off your perch and
| talk to them in their own language
descend to their level. Give them the
| truth in any old way, just so they get
1t. Shock them into it; that's the
best way-then they will remember it.
| Glory be to Peter. But l have done
it all right, haven't I?
"You can tell the people that 1 am
over 20, If you want to, but don't tell
them that I'm 65. They won't believe
1t.
How do you all take this thing,
anyway? l hope l haven't turned you
all gray. Cheer up-the worst is over.
I'm anxiously waiting to hear from
you. Lovingly yours,
"ELIZABETH."