The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1908-06-18
RICH WOMAN WOULD ADOPT
ADULT MALE.
Is Worth About 100000, All of Which
viii Go to Fortunate Man on
Her Death--Many Applioa.
tlons from Farmers.

st. Joseph, Mo.-There are nearly
5000 young men in America. any one
Of whom is willing to become the
adopted son of rich widow, As years
old, who says the one she adopts will
not be required to work.
A widow whose home Is within three
miles Of the city called on William A.
Ziemendorff, humane agent, and stated
to him that she wanted to adopt son,
blond preferred, between the ages of
23 and rs. The woman is said to be
possessed OF real estate and other
property valued at 100000, but has
no near relatives, her husband and
fair-haired son both being dead
The story was given wide publicity
and since then letters have been COM
ing In scores to the humane officer
each day. He has received letters from
New York. New Orleans, San Francis
co and Montreal, Canada, and from
many intermediate points. In all he
has received about 5000 applications,
many of the applicants sending their
photographs and locks of hair Hun
dreds of them have stated that they
are good looking, although the widow
did not specify that the successful APP.
plicant should be handsome youth.
The fact that the woman desiring 20
adopt son lives on a farm is taken
to mean that she wants a farmer for a
son. At, least 1000 of the young men
who have applied state that they are
| f1rmarG nr haUa 1uad ON far
The other applicants are divided up
among many occupations. and some of
them have no occupation whatever
One admits that he is so years old,
but says he looks younger.
Tell the widow that II she will
adopt me I will spend the money she
has" writes ST. Louis youth. "She
may not want to adopt son with
| that inclination, but | notice that the
sons of rich men and rich women
| spend 1t as fast as their parents can
hand 1t out to them, and think can
hit gait as fast as the best of them"
Two-thirds of the applicants say they
are poor and want a home, and others
say the money is no consideration to
them, the widow having stated that
her adopted son will inherit the FOR.
tune at her death. The widows name
is being suppressed. She is not seek.
Ing notoriety, the humane officer
says, and he will not subject her to the
opportunities of those desiring to be
adopted
Il did not know so many young men
would be willing to be adopted" she
said to Mr.. Ziemendorff when he de-
livered to her the first batch of appl.
cations, consisting of more than 1000
letters. 81 had looked around among
all the young men of my acquaintance
and did not know OF young man
who would suit me for an adopted son
That was the reason | ssked that a
suitable one be found. | am over.
whelmed by these letters, and / shall
make no effort to answer any of
them 1t is possible that | may be a
year in making a selection, for when
| have selected one l shall make every
possible inquiry about him and know
for a certainty that he is the one /
want before l complete the adoption"
Many of the letters are hardly
legible, and the grammar and orthog-
raphy are noticeably deficient. A
small proportion of them show bust.
ness ability, and most of the appli-
cants depend mainly on the statement