To describe adequately the technicalities of the marriage agencies
and bureau swindlers' methods would be impossible without presenting
actual copies of documents necessary to the system. Early in the
investigations the discovery was made that the scores of matrimonial
agencies, "introduction bureaux" and "marriage clubs" were using
practically the same literature. Few departed from the stereotyped
plan for "pulling the suckers on." For the most part the prospectuses
and "follow-up" letters were identical.
As often happened, however, when a victim was "landed right" and
ventured to Chicago from his distant rural retreat prepared to carry
out in earnest the game that had been worked upon him in a spirit of
mercenary recklessness, the methods of handling him were varied in
respect to both finesse and effectiveness.
Any person familiar with the uses of the typewriter easily could have
discovered that the "personal" letters received from time to time were
nothing more than circulars printed by the thousands. So vast was the
number of the gullible that seldom, if ever, was an actual, bona fide
letter sent in reply to those from the victims.
Space was left at the top of the stock letters for the insertion
of the name of the person to whom it was sent. In their haste the
swindlers often begrudged the time necessary to change the "Dear
Sir" to "Dear Miss" or "Dear Madam" when a woman was addressed on
stationery intended for male clients.
[Illustration: (Men on knees, arms stretched towards large image of
a heart-shaped lady)]
[Illustration: NOTICE! SHE'S ENGAGED BUT ENGAGEMENTS HAVE BEEN BROKEN
SO HURRY BEFORE THE WEDDING BELLS HAVE RUNG.... GOING! GOING! THIRD
AND LAST CALL!]