LURE OF THE EAST

Evening Star, Issue 21505, 1 September 1933, Page 1

LURE OF THE EAST

ENGLISH GIRLS IN HAREM In recent years fifty-six English girls have fallen for the glamour of the East. And now—so their matchmaker says—they are happy with their _ Moslem masters. Arrested at Constantinople on the complaint of the French Sureto Generate in connection with the circumstances under which an Englishwoman and a French woman were induced to sign contracts to enter Eastern harems as “ supernumerary wires,” Henry, Saunier a French subject, aged fortyeight, and said to he .well connected, is alleged by the police to have established in Constantinople an agency which aims at putting English and other women desirous of entering harems into touch with likely partners.

There is no suggestion that the main' business of Saunier is illegal in Turkey, whatever it may be in the countries where his. circulars are issued, but it is because of some irregularity in the.-, transactions with two clients, whose names are not yet disclosed, that tho arrest has been' made. One of these clients was an English girl who went to Paris for an interview with Saunier, and was afterwards sent to Constantinople along with the second girl, a young Parisienne. The police credit Saunier with a long ; statement in which he declares that ; there is a growing demand on the part ; of English girls particularly to become ; supernumerary wives in Eastern har- * ems. He declares that he takes every care to exclude from his books undesirables, and that the girls he makes ;£ “ matches ” for are satisfied with their \ lot. He adds tjiat he is in a position S to furnish the names of fifty-six young 'j English women whom he has placed in this way in recent years, and that all ; are happy, finding their harem life easier than they could hope for at home. He adds that he has had no complaints from these women on the score of jealousy, but, on the contrary, hasreceived letters saying how happy they are, and thanking him for his services in making the matches for them. The police claim to have found a large volume of correspondence showing that Saunier was getting daily, requests from Englishwomen seeking eligible partners in the East. He ascribes the boom in his business to the glamour of the “ Sheik ” stuff seen on the films. s The demand for English wives among Moslems is also on the increase, and though there are many women ready to marry Moslems, he finds it difficult sometimes to meet the demand for “ brides.”