The Washington herald., 1907-04-07
WIDOWS SEEK HOME
Dan Cupid'sAgent Gets Many
Replies by Mail.
LETTERS NOW BEING SORTED
Detectives and Postal Authorities
Take Charge of correspondence
Found in Williams Possession
When Philadelphia Bureau Is
Raided-Wanted In New York.

Philadelphia. April e-Of the 5000 and
odd letters from women found in the
trunks Of James Matthias Williams and
his wife, who are in Jail. accused Of
swindling by means Of a bogus matri-
monial bureau, three-fourths are from
widows. About half of the remainder are
from young unmarried women and girls.
and the others were written by the class
commonly known as odd maids"
IN the Office of Bryant's Detective
Agency a force Of men are still busy sort
ing the letters and filing them according
10 states, TO be used as evidence against
the accused man and woman. In the post
Office building postal inspectors are taking
charge Of letters which are still coming
in from all parts of the country addressed
10 the Mrs. Edith Ross Society" under
which name Williams and his wife oper-
ated at 5122 Brown street
Both Bryant's assistants and the postal
inspectors have been struck by the curl
Gus psychological phase OF the matri-
monial bureaus exposure. presented by
the preponderance of widows among the
victims. Almost every letter perused by
them is from a woman who has once be-
fore had the experience OF married life.
and who expresses the hope that the gen
tiemsn of means" mentioned In Williams
advertisements may I'LL the place left va
cant by husband No. ].
II am so lonely" is the declaration Of
most Of the writer's. 1t gives a pathetic
side TO communications which are rem
dered otherwise humorous by such ad-
missions as Il am not so good looking as
I once was" or Il am forty-seven. but
my friends tell me I look much younger.
Many from Young Women.
The letters from girls and young wo-
men 10 whom matrimony is an unknown
world. are generally eouched in language
meant TO convey the impression that they
are half joking IN resorting to advertise
ments TO find a husband. "Of course
don't expect anything 20 come Of this, p"
they write. still. who knows that you are
not the man who was destined for me?''
Many timidly ask for the assurance that
the gentleman Of means does not drink
and has no bad habits, and some inform
him that he must get their parents con-
sent before they viii ever agree 10 take
him as their husband.
Captain of Detectives Donaghy has re-
celved a telegram from the police at
Schenectady. n. Y. stating that Williams
is wanted in that city for grand larceny.
and asking that they be notified what dis
position is made OF the prisoner In this
city.
All Of the letters found IN the search Of
the Brown street house since the arrest
Of Williams and his wife. following their
exposure at the hands Of Miss Friel, OF
1525 Summer street whom Williams mar
ried in February, bear dates OF the pres
ent year II was in December that the
marriage bureau advertised extensively IN
newspapers Of this Stale. New York. and
several of the Western cities. and the
flood of correspondence was at its height
when the police nipped the scheme in the
bud a week ago. Buffalo was a produc-
tive field, and hundreds OF letters were
received from observation-disclosures in that
city.
Detectives to-day began investigating
new feature of the affairs Of James NJ.
Williams. who. the police say. has scores
of wives, in trying TO discover what has
become of a small boy who was seen
about Williams home when the couple
came here IN December and then sud
denly disappeared. A neighbor told about
the child and picture has been found.
Williams is throwing no light on the
mystery, and the detectives cannot dis
cover his identity or get any inkling OF
what became Of him.