Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1890-10-04 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

STOCKTON HERALD.  EXPERMNCE OF MATRIMONIAL  ADVERTISERS.  The recent breach of promise case, Knowles v. Duncan, has, says a correspondent to the London Star, prominently brought before the public) how I eager the female sex are to enter the bonds of 1 matrimony, caring not what manner of means are used to gain that end. Until the last few weeks , some highly respectable daily and weekly papers I contained advertisements of this class, one, at times, having nearly two columns devoted to it. , Feeling curious as to the class of persons who resorted to this, and to the genuineness of the advertisements, I replied to several of these announcements, of course writing under an assumed name • and a temporary address. To all of my letters I 1 received replies by return of posts ddy first , correspondent was a cook, who made an ap. ! pointment to meet me. I went. She was .34 I years of age, very intelligent, good looking, and , most respectably connected. She fell deeply in love with me at first sight, and after a walk and a long conversation, she invited rue to i her master's house a few days later, the family ! being out of town. I went; she was alone. I 1 was shown over this mansion and left by myself in I rooms where most valuable property lay about. In the evening a hot supper VIEW laid out in honour of this foolish, reckless woman's ' betrothal,' as she called it. The party consisted of the housemaid ! , and her sweetheart, myself, and the fair advertiser, her master's silver being a feature on the table, and had I bail any dishonest intentions here would Lave been a capital opportunity to have I helped myself. This silly woman before I left • actually wanted the next day to transfer her 1 money in the bank to my name and put the: banns up. I did not see her again, but she wrote I several times to the address I gave, and even went so far as to advertise for me. The second advertisement I answered was that of a parlourmaid, aged 28, who acted almost as frinlishly 1 ,as the cook, and on soy second visit pro- j I ducecl £3O in gold and wanted me to take care of . it. The third was from a widow, aged 34, describing ! herself as being 'lonely,' who invited me direct to 1 ! her house, a few ralles from town. On my arrival ! at this pretty little villa I hesitated—the place looked so dillerent to what one would expect to see ' I—before1—before I knocked at the door, which was opened . Iby the said widow,' who ushered me into the front drawing-room, shut the door and came and sat ! beside me, telling me a long tale of the numerous answers she had received—in fact, showed me the ' letters, which were from all sorts and conditions of ! men, clergymen predominating. She pressed ins ! to stop to tea, as she was alone, her servant being ! , out. To tell the truth, I felt somewhat uneasy, as I fancied I had been trapped, as she , was CUB lovely and as charming a woman as I you would meet with in a day's march. Her 1 house, which she conducted me over, was most beautifully furnished with every mai fort, and, like herself, was as clean and neat as • new pin. She, like the rest, was most anxious for an early marriage, and told me she would request her trustee to communicate with me. Some days ; afterwards I received a letter from a gentleman holding a high position in London, stating the said 'widow' had been his mistress for some time, and that if I would marry her he would give me the house of furniture and £l,OOO to boot. I declined. I had several other correspondents—viz., a solicitors daughter, a companion to a lady of title, an ; independent spinster, and a rich widow, all of ! whom laid bare their family history, connections, land private means to me, a perfect stranger. After reading the above, the truth of which I vouch for, I can you wonder at the robberies and never-found-1 out murders that we hear of occasionally, entirely Ithrough foolish, thoughtless women ?"