Evening star., 1922-08-28
LOVE CULT VICTIM
MAY Be A SUICIDE
Coast Guards Drag Lake for
Husband Estranged
From Family.
WIFE BELONGED TO SECT
Her Membership in "Life Insti-
tute" Was Cause of
Quarrel.
WIFE BELONGED TO SECT
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
CHICAGO. ILL.,, August 28.-A tragic
sequel to the exposure of the love
cult of Albert ]. Moore and his Life
Institute loomed today as coast
guards dragged Lake Michigan Tor
the body of suicide feared to be
W. w. Talcott, estranged husband OF
one of Moore's most devoted follow
ers.
Talcott has been mysteriously miss
| ing from his home since THURSDAY
noon. when he bade his children an
affectionate farewell, saying he would
spend the night at his mothers home.
He and his wife had not been living
together for four months and he has
been very Respondent over the
estrangement, due to Mrs. Talcotts
adherence to the teachings OF the
Moore cult.
Thursday afternoon an unidentified
man jumped from the deck Of an ex-
cursion boat just after it put out
into the lake. He sank before the
crew could reach him. The two mys-
teries were not linked until Talcotts
continued disappearance led his SIS
ter, Mrs. George Rett. to get the au-
A haberdasher identified the straw
hat left behind by the suicide as one
| he had sold to Talcott a few weeks
| ago. Members of the crew of the ex-
| cursion steamer declare that Talcotts
! description answers that of the man
| who jumped overheard.
Wife's Dream Shattered.
| Meanwhile Mrs. Talcott. her dreams
and ideals shattered, her faith in
ling, sits at home wringing her hands
| in anguish and hoping against hope
that the man who leaped to death
| in the lake was not her husband.
II would do anything In the world
to have him back" she means as she
dren she was accused Of neglecting
during her recent infatuation with
the teachings Of the Moore institu-
tfon. II cannot believe that he has
ended his own life. I know he must
return"
Even now Mrs. Talcott will not say
anything to condemn Moore. although
tshe admits that her views have chang
ed since the disappearance of her
husband 1t was Talcott who exposed
Moore's love cult and instigated the
recent court proceedings. in which
| $3.50 and costs. AS chief complaining
witness Talcott showed that Moore
had wrecked many homes and mulcted
numerous women Of unreasonable
money fees under pretense OF raise
cures for ills of the flesh and spirit.
Mrs. Talcott herself. her husband
claimed, had contributed $4,000 to the
| Life Institute.
Husband Disappears.
When Mrs. Talcott continued to
adhere to Moore. even after his con-
viction. Talcott had his wife's sanity
tested at the Psychopathic Hospital.
But when she was declared perfectly
sane she took up her work at Moore's
temple with renewed zeal, and Talcott
became strangely Respondent and
moody
II am through with the struggle"
he said to his sister last Wednesday.
The next day he disappeared.
Dependency over the estrange-
ment with his wife and the strain and
worry over being chief witness at
the trial have made my brother pos
lsibly temporarily mentally deranged,"
said his sister today.
Talcott was a successful business
man and very highly regarded by his
associates.
Copyright, 1927