Yank Must Find Bride in Twenty Days or Lose $10,000

1920

Says He Wants Wife Anyway — Is Tired of Wanderer's Life

BOSTON, Mass., March 18. — Sergeant Edward J. Seitz of Camp Devens has 20 days to choose a wife or lose an inheritance of $10,000.

By the stipulation of a wealthy New York woman — a near relative — who is still living, Seitz must marry as soon as he is discharged from the Army. His discharge will take effect in about three weeks.

Sergeant Seitz is an overseas veteran of the Canadian and American armies. Together with the prospective dowry of $10,000, he has the following attributes to offer: Six foot 2 inches of perfect manhood, good looks, splendid habits — smokes but doesn't drink — college bred, druggist by profession, musically inclined and a companionable sort of chap.

Seized With Wanderlust

Sergeant Seitz is a "top" in charge of a medical detachment at the Devens Hospital. He stated that he was born in Buffalo 25 years ago. From Buffalo he went to Chicago where he attended St. Ignatius College for three years. On leaving college he entered the drug trade and was progressing rapidly in his profession when the wanderlust seized him.

From Chicago he journeyed north, south, east and west. He visited many cities in the United States until 1916.

Then he went to Canada and enlisted; went to England and was discharged; came back and enlisted in the field artillery at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. From the field artillery he was transferred to the medical corps at Fort Leavenworth. Then overseas, one year spent in France, Belgium and Germany and back to Camp Devens.

Wants a Loving Wife

Sergeant Seitz has at last called it a day. The old wanderlust has left him. He is thru with the Army. Now he wants the "right girl" and his inheritance.

The sergeant told his story.

"I am tired of going and I want to stop. I've seen, heard and done enough, and now I want to settle down. I want to marry the right girl, a real girl, who will make a good home-loving wife.

"In twenty days I leave the Army. Forty days from today I want to have a girl who will be my wife. When I am married, and I must do it as soon as I get out of the service, I will receive $10,000."

Wants "Magazine Cover Girl"

Here is the secret of the dowry that goes with Seitz's marriage. "About eight years ago," said the soldier, "a close friend of my family, a well-to-do New York woman, became interested in me. She wanted me to be a druggist and settle down, but I couldn't see it. Recently this woman, I cannot tell her name, told me that she would present me with a check of $10,000 if I would start anew — if I would marry and make a home.

"Now my predicament is the girl." The sergeant talked earnestly. "I have met plenty of girls, many nice ones; but in all my travels never the right one. I have a fixed type, a girl like that," and the soldier pointed out a magazine picture of his moving picture dream lady adorning the wall of his room.

— The Saturday Blade, Chicago, March 1920.

Cruelty to Shop-Girls

1899

Medical authorities generally agree that it is cruel to compel shop-girls to stand all day, and that serious forms of disease can be traced to the practice. Nearly twenty years ago, a leading English medical journal — the London Lancet — tried to correct it and published a list of the employers who persisted in the system. In this country public sentiment has been often appealed to, shoppers have sometimes cooperated to refuse to buy at stores where the girls were not allowed seats, and in at least one state a law has been passed to compel employers to give women clerks seats that can be used when opportunity is given.

The British Parliament, at its recent session, had under consideration two "Seats for Shop Assistants" bills, one applying to Scotland, and the other to England and Ireland. The Scotch bill was defeated, but the other passed the Commons without opposition, and received the support of the Lords by a large majority. Lord Salisbury opposed the measure, promising the appointment of a commission to consider it, if the bill were withdrawn.

The chief argument used against the bill in Parliament was that it would work hardship to the girls, because their employers, rather than give them seats, would fill their places with men; but the fact that men's wages are higher than women's will prevent such a change.

Some of the shopkeepers who held meetings and wrote letters to protest against the measure may yet find it working to their advantage. Girls whose physical strength is not needlessly wasted by being compelled to stand all the day must be in the best condition to serve their employers. Tired bodies make tired minds. They hinder activity and thoroughness in store duties, and prevent alertness in the treatment of customers.

The evils of the present system are apparent, and are greater than those inherent in the proposed change. In the one humanity is outraged. In the other it is honored; and obedience to the "higher law" not only neutralizes many an evil, but it ennobles business life.

County Jail Could Be New Country Club

Kingston, New York, 1916

STREET GOSSIP ABOUT TOWN

We see that it is now recommended that the county jail be supplied with hot water. We always labored under the impression that it was only those who "get into hot water" ever went to jail.

Our own report of an inspection of the Ulster county jail made after reading in The Freeman how the jail needed shower baths, hot water and other luxuries:

It was exceedingly gratifying to find all parts of the jail satisfactorily clean. In this connection we would say, however, that it works an unusual hardship on a prisoner confined in the jail as he is not used to such cleanliness, and it is liable to make him homesick. We would therefore recommend that the jail be kept not quite so clean.

We also noticed that the prisoners were forced to sleep in bunks. This inflicts untold privation on a prisoner, especially when he is confined in the jail for any length of time. We would recommend that brass beds be installed in each cell.

Prisoners are also forced to make up their own beds each morning. This should not be allowed to continue. The county should employ a chambermaid as it is not a man's work to make up his own bed.

Another bad feature of our present system in the handling of prisoners is the question of meals and the prisoner has absolutely no choice in the matter. He must eat whatever the jail authorities provide.

This is not right and the system should be abolished and arrangements made with the leading hotels to supply the meals.

We therefore recommend that each cell be equipped with a telephone so that the prisoner may have the privilege of calling up the hotel chef and ordering and selecting his own meals.

The idea that a man who commits crime is sent to jail as a punishment is no longer tolerated in the best society of long haired men and short haired women and is old-fashioned. We should remember that a jail is not intended for the punishment, but the uplift of the prisoner. Spell "uplift" in capital letters.

If you don't believe us we simply refer you to any report of an inspection of the jail made in the past few years.

As everyone knows the average jailbird is madly anxious to bathe himself. Usually when out of jail he bathes once each year, and that in July, but as soon as he is confined in jail the unnatural desire assails him to bathe every day.

"We recommend therefore that a large swimming pool be constructed on the first floor, and a shower bath be installed in each cell.

After our inspection of the jail we have reached the following conclusions which we group under the head of further recommendations:

The jail ceils are altogether too small and each prisoner should be furnished with a room at least 10 by 12 feet with hot and cold water, bath, gas and electricity, telephone. brass bed, and all the most modern improvements. He should also be given an electric fan for warm nights.

Each prisoner should be allowed two boxes of cigars a week, several packages of pipe and chewing tobacco at the expense of the county. He should also be given his favorite beverage in as large quantities as he may desire.

An elevator should be installed in the jail as it is too much to ask a prisoner to walk up to the third tier of cells.

We also recommend that the prisoners be furnished with Fords by the county so that they may enjoy some slight recreation in touring about the city and county when it is fair weather.

Another recommendation is that the rear of the jail yard should be excavated, a large pond built and stocked with fish and several rowboats placed thereon so that prisoners who do not care for automobiling may fish and boat to their heart's content.

In conclusion we rise to say that when our recommendations are carried out, as they should be, we expect to hit a policeman over the head with a club so that Recorder Lang will sentence us to at least sixty days in the new county clubhouse.

—The Kingston Daily Freeman, Kingston, New York, June 30, 1916, page 6.