Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-01-14
AQ0sIlR, GIRL / |
CUPID, f|L|.EECES
SWANS. Of Cash
Jewels Pour 10 Cd Woman
Accused Of Matrimonial
Mail SWi0d|e

lu0lanapOllS, Jan. l3.-Ml6S Louise
Farris, the pretty Princeton, Ind. cir
who, according to her plea Of guilty
and her confession to District Attor.
ney c. W. Miller was the decoy in q
matrimonial bureau swindle by which
a small fortune in cash and jewels
was obtained from SWANS who
sought her hand in marriage, she al
one time being engaged to so men.
will have to appear as a witness this
month against her own parents, Mar
tin w. and Emma Farris, who are al
SO under indictment on "a; charge OF
using the mGiISsssto defraud. Louise is
much grieved just now because her
father and mother are saying that she
alone is to blame for the Cupid cam
paign" and that they, know nothing
about her love affairs as they call
them.
1t was believed that Farris and his
wife would plead guilty, but when ar
raignment day came and the nature
Of the charge was explained to them
by Judge Anderson they both declared
that If the postal laws had been vio-
lated In the manner stated it was "en-
tirely Louises doings." Trial is set
for Jan. 81.
Operates Matrimonial Bureau @
Mrs. Miller told the court that Far.
ris, who is about SO years old, was
an old time sewing machine agent at
Princeton. and that from the evidence
at hand the family, consisting Of Far
ris and his wife and daughters Louise
and Ora Mable, had formulated the
scheme to operate a matrimonial bu-
reau. Louise was. to advertise and
carry on the correspondence and Mrs.
Farris was to mail the letters. Ora
Mable was to warn away the suitors
who were attracted for the hand of
Louise, and Martin W. Farris was to
threaten them II a warning was not
sufficient, according to the statements
Of the district attorney.
The business flourished and the dis.
trict attorney told the court, and, res
ponding to the encouraging letters Of
Louise, five suitors called at Prince
ton ct the same time on one occasion
to claim the hand Of Louise. But
It was not In the plan, the district at
torney said, that things should ever
60 so far. as the family preferred to
carry on the negotiations at a dis
lance, and, after money or jewelry
had been received. to break up the
love affairs and have Louise call OF
the engagements" At one time,
Louise, admitted, Attorney Miller said,
she had been engaged to so different
men. One Of the victims, he said,
was 2 famous pugilist, and he had
sent her a 800 bill.
9s3 Scramble 70 Open Letters.
MI. Miller told the court that there
was always q scramble at the Eorris
home to receive the letters and pack
ages and that whoever opened them
retained the contents and gave the
letters to- 40nise to answer In order
that more presents might be forth
coming. Ora, who was not indicted
with the other members Of the family,
according to the district attorney,
withdrew from the scheme after writ
ing one letter and tried to persuade
the rest Of the family to give it up.
One man sent a diamond bracelet,
others sent engagement rings, and
still others railroad tickets. Friday,
Attorney Miller said, complaints be-
gan to be received from both the
victims and the postmasters at vari-
GUS points. and these finally resulted
in the indictment and arrest Of Far.
'ris. When the father saw that real
trouble was brewing he is said to have
sent Louise to Washington, where she
was later arrested. About thirty
rings and nearly $1,000: In money were
found in her possession, in addition to
hundreds jof photographs intended,