Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-08-20
LOVE-AGENT
FORESEES TROUBLE
Mrs. Emma Burkett In Jail
for Using Fake Ads for Mat
rinnonial Swindle.
FEARS SHE'LL BE osTRAcizED
Men From All over Country Sent Her
Money and Offers to Wed, She
POSING ae Girl.

Bloomington, Ml.-An extraordinary
confession, telling how she made her
matrimonial bureau pay dividends has
been written by Mrs. Emma r. Burk.
cit, as she was completing the end OF
her two months sentence in the Yer.
million County Jail on the charge OF
conducting swindling game by means
Of fake ads. In which she represented
herself as seeking husband.
Mrs. Burkett, who was a prominent
church worker and who always bore
the best Of regulations in the COM
munity had been compelled to support
herself and children for number OF
years and found the problem diff.
Quilt one. Noting an ad in a matri.
monial paper one day, in which a
young woman sought husband, she
was struck by the thought that per.
haps she could pick up some money
In this manner.
Conscience told her that the prop.
osition was wrong, but, as she ex.
pressed 1t: Nobody knows how des.
perate a woman can become when
she sees every means of making an
honest livelihood slipping through
her fingers, unless they, too, have
had the same hand-to-hand fight with
poverty that / have experienced"
Mrs. Burkett argued to herself that
the class of men who would advertise
for wife or would answer any ads
that she might publish were not the
ones to break their hearts over any
Uirl mr. wnmoD ubafhar ba ynoda hor
acquaintance at social gathering or
through the United States mails. She
finally determined to write to the men
who advertised for wife and, going
through the list which she had pro.
cured she selected the names and ad.
dresses of sixty-eight and sent out as
many letters. In few days the re,
plies began to come in, all sections OF
the country being represented. All OF
them wanted photograph and further
description.
Mrs. Burkett complied. the photos
she sent them being those Of actresses
and which were cut from magazines
and mailed upon cardboard. The
work was SO cleverly done that the
pictures looked like real photos. The
nah were easily hooked and In short
time checks began to roll in.
mo pen can describe the horror
the shame and the terror of a first
Jail experience to woman. 1t is the
shame and the humiliation that hurts
II could bear 1t alone 1t would not
be 80 bad. but my parents and my
own family have suffered my disgrace
with me. II we count the cost II
the beginning there would be fewer
offenders. but that Is impossible: IL
all probability. some people read this
will say that I have exaggerated and
that a woman who could do what
have done would not feel the disgrace
20 keenly as that
when they have served a sentence
In Jail and emerge with that stigma
attached to their name. to remain witt
them always. they will know that
have not exaggerated. have brought
shame and disgrace upon all of my
family. but they have been true-blue
standing by me through the dark day
OF wretchedness that followed my ar
rest.
II feel as though could never fac,
the world again. 1t Is not alone IL
atty for misdeeds. nor is 1t the um'
we spend in prison that Furnishes. l
n after we are released; to meet tn,
same people: the sneer Of the pitiless
the pain Of being ignored by peopl
who once trusted you.
DO they say my punishment wa
too ughtf It isn't over yet. Indeed
the hardest part Is not yet begun.
shall emerge from the shadow Of prii
ON doors with the past behind me
. closed chapter. and take up tn
new life with clearer conception O
the real meaning of the business o
life, higher ideal. a truer standar
than I have ever been able to attai
before"