Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-04-23

THIEFEtt4 AS a SCIENCE.
The EeW York papers give some interesting de-
tsils Of the various nodes Of sEi1dling that ere
resOrted to in that modern sOdOm- From an article
on this subject in the Tribune, headed "ths uses
and abuses Of credit" we extract the following.
Rsadit:
Take recent instance Of the prevalent infatuation:
swindler in this City sends ont circulars to fifteen
thousand country merchants, whose names he had
surrpetGOusly obtained proposing to sell them West
India coffee low rates eight mOnths' credit bHf
they must send him SIS or $40 for sample package
to be Immediately forwarded to cover the expenses
of advertising, sc. The swindler probably never
ventured 10 advertise except in his lying circular,
never owned bag Of coffee in his life and did not
pref end 70 refer 70 any house Of known respon
sibility as guaranteeing his solYeney. Who could
imagine that go transparent a fraud as this would
dupe any one who could possibly obtain credit for
the rent Of the shabbiest country store, or work
himselfintO any better business than the pedding
out of keg Of strychine whisky in quarts and pints
to the topers Of his neighborhOod And yet hun
dreds if not thousands Of men who are called mer-
chants greediy bit at this naked hood sending in
their money and orders; and, though never pound
of coffee was ever dispatched TO of these credu-
lous customers, the knave was raking down 81 900
to $4,000 per day, when the Mayor stepped in and
rudely arrested his career. We presume cash and
orders FOR coffee from remote points have not yet
done pouring in
Take more recent case:
It seems that certain swinders, located mainly in
Connecticut, have been selling lottery tickets and
taking in cash for them for several years past
draoiBg scheme, and of course having no prizes to
pay. Ifthey issued any pretended drawn nunibeTs,
they we're very sure they were such as did not ap-
pear on the faces of the tickets they had sold for that
lottery Yet they vent swimmingly on taking in
greenhorns and cash at jolly rate, until they had
- II, 3 81 IL dill aud
made several independent fortunes, at the cost of
any number ofsilly gamblers all over the land, who
persisted in fighting very savage tiger, though he
drew blood every spring, and they never had even
chance for lick at him. We presume they would
have gone buying tickets and paying money TO
these eonfederated sWindlers for lifetime had not
Mayor Tiemann smoked out their game, and, thing
ing it entirely too steep, put stop toll But others
will doubtless take 1t up, or some Of these rascas
will choose some new location, OF new dodge, and
start fresh career Of successful experiment on
public gullibility.
As to the Gift swindlers it does no good to expose
them but we will say, though for the hundredth
time, that he who buys book, or subscribers to
periodical, does anything Of the sort, in the
peotaGon and for the sake Of obtaining gold
watch, passage ticket for California, house and
lot or farm as a prize in some lottery connected
Herewith, deserves to be cheated. To be sure, he
is probably simpleton but why should not the
BILE and less ridiculous way! Why should fool No.
1000 GOO consent to be cheated precisely as 999 500
other fools have just been2
Understand that there ia nothing dishonest nor
discreditable in offering specific gift induce.
ment to customers or patrons If publisher or
merchant shall see fit to offer package of seeds,
beefstesk yard of calico, fan, penny whistle, to
every one who buys Of him TO the value Of dollar
with larger rewards for ampler custom-he does
not thereby leave the domain Of Trade for that of
Gambling. We may consider his offer in bad taste,
as disparaging to his own proper wares, or con
demned by the canons Of legitimate trade-thst is
all. But whenever one advertises that he will give
something of uncertain value-Which may be worth
$500, and may not be worth o cent--to each Gus
toner or subscriber, then be sure that, though he
proposes gambling, he really meditates fraud. His
protFers are delusive his gifts not worth half
what he pretends they worth; and those of real
value are very rarely doed out Is not all this plain
to men of sense? Why should we be asked to write
letters to A, and c, saying that this that Gift
enterprise is or is not sWindle, when we have so
often pronounced them all sWindles, and nothing
else?
One more variety of the sWindling schemes Of
our day must suffice for this time. We allude 70
sFindling by Matrimonial Advertising The follow
ing note, just at hand, may serve an illustration.
To the Editor Of the ~ r Tribune
SIR: An old bag in Philadelphia gets her living
by occasionally advertising in your paper "a pre-
possessing and confdag young ddy IN rant of hus-
band" From those green enough to reply, she man
ages, by various drlf PTetsnsss to extractfrom S.
to SlO and then drops the correspondence and goes
in for another haul. You ought to expose her.
Ns'0 York, April IA, 1865. VICTIM.
We do not mean to take the part Of sWindlers; but
We can't help believing that i" A Victim" has been
served just right-as many victims had been before
him, and many more will be after him. For how
came he to respond to this prepOssessing " and
confding young ladY?" Was he really in want of
a wife If he were, are the prepossessng young
ladies within the sphere Of his acquaintance in
vincibly aYerse 10 mstrimony that he can make no
impression on the obdurate heart of even one among
them? If 50, we must believe his experience
uncommon one. But nO-those who really desire
to make Orimprove the acquaintance Of young ladies
with view to marriage, under necessity of
either advertising responding to advertisements.
This is not the mode in which any young woman who
desires and deserves worthy life partner is at all
likely to seek one, or ought TO do so. Probably
nineteen Of every twenty matrimonial advertisements
are decOys, put forth by libertines or " bags to
lure victims into their tolls; and those who respond
to them usually quite as bad as their authors
Sometimes they originate in spirit mischief rfrOl
&C. sometimes they traps laid to effect particular
purpose; but usually they lures to vice nets
for gudgeons-and it is pretty apt to be 50 diamond
cut diamond" between the advertisers and the re-
spOndelt5.
MORALE entreated, virtuous greenhorn to
keep your money in your own pocket until you kHow
TO whom you moved to intrust or pay it, and Just
what you to receive in return for it. If stran-
ger asks you to send him dollar that he may return
you good many dollars worth for it, have sense
enough to know that he is fishing for FOOLS and that
you ought to know better than to bite. And if any
" prepOssessing young lady" should advertise for
husband let the naked fact Of advertising prepos-
sess yOu against having anything to do with her.