Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-06-29
Impostures.

The order of the Postmaster General to the
! Postmasters throughout the country, directing
them to retain all letters received at their Offices
addressed to fictitious names, has fallen like 9
wet blanket upon class of sharpers who have
grown rich in practising on the creduty of the
public. There are half dozen or more Of this
class located in Albany, whose profits have been
seriously affected by the order of the Postmast-
er General. One has grown to opulence by ad-
| vertising that he is the manufacturer of "love
powders" which ''possess the power OF charm.
ing to your embraces the proudest beanties and
and the most intractable of the serner sex ~
These powders are sent by mail at three dollar,
box. They cannot cost the manufacturer
much more than three cents each. he assures
the gullible that the Use OF one box is generally
sufficient; second is almost certain to capt..
vate the codest but in rare instances third
must be resorted to. Ihat, however, was uev-
er known to fail The victim receives the first
and second boxes in return for his six dollars {;
| but he never gets return for his third invest
ment. He might write fifty times after that to
the love powder man, but ne will receive no an
swer.
| Another sharper advertises that he is the man.
utacturer of bogus coin, which will pass for good
even at the mint-a description Of coin that
will successfully stand all the chemical tests and
| defy the shrewdest bank detectives. The rogue
who would deal safely ia bogus money sends
FIVE dollars to purchase some. He receives in
return ten doars'in good coin manufactured at
the mint. The sharper is now OUT five dollars but
his victim, finding that the ten dollars sent him
pass readily at profit to him of fifty per cent,
| concludes to 60 to work on larger scale. He
sends fifty dollars and expects one hundred OF
the perfect bogus" in return; but lie hears
no more from the coin operator, who by giving
ten dollars for five dollars gains fifty dollars
This fellow, it will be perceived, is completely
secure from criminal prosecution. He does not
deal in bogus coin at all, and his victims dare not
complain, because in doing so they would be
compelled to admit to the world that they were
anxious to operate in counterfeit money.
| Another adverJises that for the moderate sum
of fifty dollars he will ilnpart to any lawyer q
secret that will, beyond all chances, enable him
to win every suit in which he may be engaged,
whether of law or love- The charm consists
in the possession Of the eyes of very rare Egyp-
tian fowl, which none can procure but the ad-
yertiser! Strange as it may seem, this fellow
has caught some flats and pocketed their money.
| When asked what return he proposed to make
to one of his victims, he replied that he would
90 into State street, purchase spring chicken,
cook and eat the meat, extract the eyes and
send them to the wisttul lawyer, and it they
could see further than his victims eyes, of
which he had NO doubt, he might win the suit !
These sharpers bear fictitious names, and
hence all communications to them are retained
They will be sent to the dead letter office.
1t may not be amiss to say that the general
order affects few, in this city and elsewhere,
whose business is deemed by the public cofnpar-
atively legitimate, but who, for reasons best
known to themselves, have thought proper to
conduct il under nalues other than their own.-
the difficulty with regard to them is very easily
remeded. They have only to abandon their a.
liases aud their letters cannot be withheld.-At
bang Argus Of the sth.