TITLES AT WHOLESALE RATES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16905, 2 December 1922, Page 19

TITLES AT WHOLESALE RATES.

“ VONS ” SOLD FOR DOWRIES. A comecr in the market for titles oi nobility came clashing down with the arrest of Ewald vou Maussier, who until a year ago was a mere office manager, says the Berlin correspondent of the “ New York Herald.” As a result of the collapse of his title trust, mothers who aspire to wed their daughters to the scions of noble families are obliged to deal directly with tlie holders of the titles instead of getting the advantages of wholesale rates as promised by Haussier’s well organised business. Since the arrest of the magnate already seventeen erstwhile Countesses, baring Haussier’s name, have presented themselves to the authorities, telling how they were duped. It is believed that many more were similarly victimised, bub fear to face public ridicule. Ha ussier, who comes from a genuine roble family, bestowed his name upon Hilda Kutzner during the latter part of the war, receiving a. dowry of several thousand marks. A short time later he married another girl, receiving an even larger price in exchange for his blue blood. Following such signal success Haussier placed the title trade upon a business basis. His agents brought from far and wide the names of families whose daughters wore seeking alliances with the nobility. How many lie himself married the authorities do not know. But tho business grew rapidly, and lie added a department of forged pedigrees. hiring a corps of young men to bear the titles thus produced, wed girls who coveted them, and bring the dot. back t-o the firm’s treasury. Legal advisers to the trust hinted that there ivight lx* penalties for the operation of the concern. so Haussier gave up marrying personally, and selected as agents young men who were mildly insane, in view of the fact that tlie marriage code holds insane persons irresponsible. The half-wits made successful wooers, acting as if they yore perfectly sane so long as they held their titles, nnd for a time busi-

pees seemed on the high road to oolosSrnl success. But when Haussier’s first two wives met at a reception in the circle of society to which they had been elevated they discovered that thy had a husband in common, title and all. Tt was their joint determination to be avenged magnate, and to the end of his career as the titular head of the title trust.