"He introduced me to a nice Jewess, and her father gave me
$400. I started an office on Fourteenth street, when a man
from Philadelphia recognized me, and told her father, a rag
dealer, that I was a married man, named Hausen, just in
time to prevent the marriage.
"I left Chicago as Dr. Weston and went to St. Louis, where
I started an office in Olive street as Dr. A. Dresser, and
there I advertised and selected from a number of letters
that of a farmer's daughter that had $1,000, and married
her (Katie). Six days after I left her and left America and
went to Roumania, and married a girl, a Jewess, in Pitest,
and lived in Roumania as Dr. F. A. Shotz.
"Happy six months; I got 3,000 francs, and we left for
Germany. There we had a quarrel, and she returned to her
parents."
Dr. Witzhoff further states that the number of all the girls and women
he merely promised to marry and secured money from would reach over
one hundred.
One of the women Witzhoff married lived in Chicago, Ill.
May 13, 1903, John J. Marietta (alias Homer C. Reid, Harold C. Mills,
A. S. Anderson, C. H. Huston, C. B. McCoy, H. C. Jones, Harold C.
Reed) was arrested through exposure by Laura E. Strickler, a beautiful
young girl from Cincinnati, Ohio, who boarded at the Young Women's
Association, Chicago. She had been lured to the Newport Hotel, 73
Monroe street, where he proposed marriage and attempted liberties.
Miss Strickler became frightened, jumped from the second story window
and was badly injured.
Marietta married no less than six women, three of whom, Sophia
Headley, Marie Butler and Flora Beals, appeared in court to prosecute
him September 28. He was convicted. Judge Brentano's court of bigamy,
and given five years in the Joliet penitentiary.
[Illustration: TITLES ARE CONSIDERED GREAT ORNAMENTS "For as it was in
the beginning, the American girl came over and energetically pursued
the Lords."]
[Illustration: (Men appealing to lady sitting on chair)]
Marietta said he secured most of his wives through the marriage
agency. Mills said to Miss Headley, after meeting her the second time:
"How anxious are you to marry me? Make me an offer in cash of the
sum you are willing to settle on me." "Three thousand dollars," she
answered. "All right," he replied, "but you know I am from Missouri,
you will have to show me." She gave him the $3,000 and they were
married.
At the time of his conviction Marietta had in the bank $25,000, said
to have been secured in the above manner.
[Illustration: (Man and two women in fancy clothes)]