The Washington times., 1922-03-26
SW|SSbLAMES
JEALOUS RIVAL
F0Rk|DNAP|NG
Pittsburgh Society Aroused by
Sensational Charges of
Handsome Butler.
GIRLS BRAND STORY FALSE
Misses Mckay and Mellon Say
They Knew Him Only as
Servant.

NEW YORK, March U.s.
Waiting in the detention quar-
ters on Ellis Island for the final
decision as to whether he shall
be deported to Switzerland be-
cause of the irregularity of his
entrance into This country. is a
man of humble origin and sta
ton whose fantastic story of ro-
nance with Pittsburgh heiresses
has stirred nationwide interest
and made him the subject Of d
Federal Court inquiry.
Sensational Story.
He is August Probst, spectacular
~ discharged butler of the Rolling
Rock Club, near Pittsburgh, COM
posed of the elite Of that city. In
significant Of stature as he is Of
position in life, Archie" Probst
sonality that, his lawyers assert,
substantiates his dramatic story of
having won the friendship of two
Pittsburgh heiresses and Of having
won the heart and hand Of one
Of them.
In court he named the girl he
alleged had accepted his proposal
and exchanged love notes with him.
He narrated a sensational story of
having been bundled from the club
In the dark Of night at revolver
point by prominent members Of the
club, kidnapped and transported to
New York, held prisoner in an
apartment and thrust into the
hands of the authorities and ad-
judged insane. All this, he said,
was because he dared love the
daughter of a millionaire and had
succeeded in winning her love.
Names Society Girls.
The names he mentioned fur
nished one of the startling phases
of the weird case. for they were
those Of two of the most prominent
society girls of Pittsburgh, Miss
Virginia Craigie Mckay and Miss
Sarah Mellon. He said that Miss
Mckay was the one who yielded to
his proposal Of marriage and &C
cepted him.
the daughter of j. Albert Mckay,
chum, Is nineteen, and the daughter
of r. B. Mellon. He is multi
millionaire and a brother of Andrew
w. Mellon, Secretary of the Treas
ury.
Probst is twenty-four and a native
of Switzerland. This is the story
he told before Judge John c. Knox
when he appeared in court on a
writ of habeas corpus resulting
from his order of deportation as an
insane allen:
He came to the United States last
June as steward on the steamship
Olympic. 1t is charged that he
signed for round trip and deserted.
He denies signing for the return.
But he admits the irregularity of
his entrance, for, on reaching New
York, he went to Pittsburgh with
out registering at Ellis Island, and
obtained a job as butler at the club.
Became q Favorite.
BY his own admission the butler,
CARRIED there in blue uniform and
buttons, became a favorite of all
the guests of both sexes"
He told the court he was taken
up at once by the members and was
taught to play golf. Because of his
the piano, he said, he made a hit
with the young women who fire.
quented the club. He was especially
fond. he said. Of two Of them, Miss
Mckay and Miss Mellon.
The two girls and he exchanged
fond notes, he went on. He was
asked the name of the girl he was
most fond of, the one he had really
fallen in love with. He said she
was Miss Mckay, and went on:
She loved me. We planned TO
be married"
Over the long-distance telephone
Miss Mckay was asked about Il.
Miss Mckay said:
This mans story s. infamous.
Whether his curious story is a re.
suit OF insanity or an attempt at
blackmail / cannot say. have
been to the club only twice and
did not even know the buffers last
name until I heard of his wild story
I'm New York
Miss Mellon and I knew him only
casually as a servant. OF course,
we never wrote to him and we
never received notes from him. The |
whole thing is disgraceful am
sure no young woman connected |
with any family enjoying member. |
ship in the club ever wrote any
notes to him.
Neither Miss Mellon nor ] knew
OF the man until his discharge. It |
seems to me l heard he was mixed |
UP in a scandal with maid. |
Whether this was the cause of his |
dismissal I do not know. 1t is mon
strous for him to draw our naraes
into this matter. Our families re.
sent it bitterly and we will have
legal redress If possible. He is
either insane or a blackmailer'
Jealous Rival Appears.
Probst's story continued:
II worked at the club until Feb
ruary 70 last. The girl with whom
i fell In love also fell in love with |
me and we were to be married. We
wrote to each other. A Pittsburgh
man OF means was constantly in the
company of my sweetheart. He was
very Jealous. He glowered at me
and once laid on the table a big
.45.calibre gun to intimidate me. But I,
/ wasn't frightened. / continued to
walk and talk with the girl. Short
ly before Washington's Birthday my
girl stopped coming to the club. Our
last evening together at the club we
played the piano and sang.