The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1908-06-03


nuts to crack since he began smash
ing the trusts, but he never set for
himself a more peculiar task than
when he undertook to crush the "af-
finity trust"
II was a comparatively easy prob
lem to follow the trail of petroleum
from hole in the ground In Ohio to
the tin can from which the worlds
farmer fills his kerosene lamp. 1t is
a long jump, however, from freight
rates on oil shipments to tariffs on
love missives; from a prosecution In
which there were rebates to blaze the
way to one wherein nobody except the
trust ever got anything at all, except
now and then bomely wife or hus-
band with wart on his nose.
In the beginning of what shall con-
stitute some day the history of the
Governments war on the affinity
trust" there was no inkling of the or
ganization of such monopoly. Chi
cago clergymen, to be sure, had re-
ported constant diminution of mar
riages effected through the ordinary
channels, but this condition was as
cribed to young mems growing aver
sion to contracting additional respon-
sibilities in dayswhen salaries seemed
out of proportion to the cost of liv-
ing.
Nobody suspected that the old
fashioned method of courting-hold-
In han nd nf
nook or cooling in hammock on the
front porch, when there was one
had been superseded to large extent
by trust system.
The Searchlight Club was the
means Of awakening the Government
to the destruction Of competition and
oldtime rivalry in love making. In
the course of long court contest
Uncle Sam learned through this
club that it was only one Of hun
dreds of the same kind In various
cities and towns, that all were allied
to central headquarters in Chicago,
and that all would guarantee to dis
cover the affinity, the genuine soul
mate, of any person who would. pay
their fees. A marriage was also guar
anteed
The Soul Mate Provider.
The pretty town of Elgin, ILL.,, hug
ging the banks of the Fox River and
famous as being the focus of the
Watch Trust, was the home of the
Searchlight Club. The president of
this organization, which was no or
ganization at all except as 1t formed
a part of the affinity trust" was Miss
Marion Grey, dashing, handsome, ap-
parently possessed Of great deal of
money and for long time mystery.
! IL she had confined her operations to
finding soul mates for the thousands
Of girls In the watch factories of the
town she might have amassed for
tune. But she sought fame as an
affinity joiner in a larger field. Using
the United States mails led Post
Office inspector to her richlyfurnished
suite of offices after she had taken in
about $4,000 In three months.
The postal inspector pretended to
be in search of an affinity. He did
not make a Misrepresentation. He
was hunting for the beautiful young
widow, possessed of $33,000," WIZ;
Miss Grey had selected as the affinity
of William Grabell, lank farmer of
Dearborn, Mo. The Missourian ac-
cepted and married the woman to
whom Miss Grey had introduced him
by mail, but he said she was homely,
penniless and misrepresented. He
had wooed beauty by mail, but
welded plain affinity at the altar.
This Missourian had paid the
Searchlight Club SIS to discover his
affinity" After he married her he
complained to the Government that
he had been swindled. He wanted
Miss Grey punished. He took his
wife to Chicago during Miss Grey's
trial. Although 1t was shown that
hundreds of others had paid Miss
Grey IS each without even being in
troduced to possible affinity, 1t was
on the specific complaint of the Mis-
souri, man who welded the one she
provided that Miss Grey was found
guilty by jury and sentenced to
prison.
Miss Grey's offices were raided and
she was arrested when the postal in
spector failed to get a clew to the
identity of the wealthy and beauti-
full young woman, unincumbered, -
who had been promised to the Mis-
souri, farmer. Thousands of letters
were seized in her offices. She had
kept several stenographers busy.
Miss Grey confessed that she had
sent the photographs of Mrs Cline,
of Omaha, to 1000 men who sought
wives, bat none of them was able to
win the beautiful, rich widow"
This Affinity Paralytic.
Scores of men and women were
taken to Chicago as witnesses for the
Government Among them was WILL
lam Griffith, sixty-three years old,
who lives at Amsterdam, Pa. Miss
Grey had sent him picture of his
affinity and promised to bring about a
marriage, he testified, and he was SO
tickled with the prospect that he at