Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-04-30

has been called repeatedly TO specimens OF
the hundreds Of circulars, scattered over
the land by means Of the mails, which arc
nothing more or less than lying advertise
ments of concerns, which dc a swindling
business by wholesale. n all their forms,
whether lottery schemes, gift concerns, Jew
elry agencies or confidential letters, they
are unmitigated bumbugs.
The press has done much to ventilate
them and show up their fraud, but many
people seem TO have a passion for being
swindled, and no sooner to they hear from
some gentlemauly and generous stranger,
who for a small, and merely nominal sum
promises to get them a prize of sI00 or SIO,-
600, or to send them valuable gold watches,
or diamond rings, or rich jewelry sets "all
for one dollar" than they proceed at once
to pin their faith to his coat tail and send
on the "sman sum OF hard earned cash,
to receive an. article of no value, OF per-
haps nothing at all; in return.
And people who patrouize these swind-
ling concerns, are often persons who drive
sharp bargains at home, who lock their
granalies and horse barns, aud have no
more faith in humans, when they meet
them face to face, than is warranted by ex-
perience is this wicked world.
But let some oily tongued villain in New
York or Covington or Baltimore, send on a
"circular" and they walk into the trap as
blindly as if they had no eyes. distance
lends enchantment," and they revel in goI-
den dreams of gain oaly to wake up and
find themselve the " victims of misplaced
confidence"
Il is hard to explain why men otherwise
sensible viii be guilty Of such folly. Com
mon sense ought to teach any man that no
stranger will give him more for his money
than it is really worth, unless he IS sure of
getting moro by the Investment than he
could make in any other way.
Any person who has ever seen iewelry
manufactured knows that the articles sent
out by the great gift sale concerns of New
York and Phi ladelPhia are worth only a
mere trife. 4 bushel of the trashy stuff
would not be worth the price ct which sin
gle articles valued by these ~philanthro-
pic dealers who are so anxious to confer ia
vors on the public.
There are few persons who have not seen
exposures ofconcerns of this kind. Scarcely
a day passes but some new one is found out
and broken up by the Guthoritiss in cur
cities.
But lei them start with q new plan and 8
new name, in some obscure garnet on some
street with a high sounding name in New
York or Philadelphia, with a stock of cireu-
lars and postage stamps o1ly, and ia a few
DAYS money is poured in from every quar-
ter by the gullible people who swallow the
new bait.
Line upon line and pTecept upon pre-
cept" avails nothing against these cunning
swiudlers. So many men aud women covet
money which they have never earned, and
grab 50 greedily at any plan which seem:
to promise gain that these leeches neyer
want for victims to bleed.
The fact that our mail bags are crowded
with the circulars and q" confidential" letters
of these " agents" and dealers" proves thai
the business IS q paying one.
Before as is the circular of ". W. Leash
& Co., Box 1926, New York. They claim to
be U. S. Licensed Lottery Agents, and send
the plan Of a lottery to be drawn in Coving-
ton, May Slst. They enclose, also, a very
1attering copper plate " confidential" letter
" strictly private" in which they say they
have selected US SIS " discreet and reliable"
and propose to send US a rich prize, which
we ere to show our friends, in order to ex-
tend their business in this section O. coun-
try.
For the small sum of $40 they propose to
send a lucky package, which has been care
fully selected and laid aside to await our
order, and, in case it does not draw 50, 900,
they pledge their honor to send on a full
package Of tickets in their Brilliant Extra
Lottery"
Now if they had really believed US " dis
Greet and reliable" and the man "to aid
il the enterprise, they should have ordered
the package of tickets, registered them in
our name and, having drawn the prize paid
all expenses, and forwarded the balance.
That would be convincing proof that they
mean " fair play" Iii little less han an
insult to ask to ask one for SO when they
have found him discreet and reliable" and
propose to secure his influence by q (" bonus
of $1,000.
These gentlemen say that they don't pro
pose to pay the sum out of their own pock-
ct, but propose to deal unfairly with their
employers and other customers, and send
the prize to US. Such kindness is truly
wonderful, and ought not to go unrewsrded.
The fact, however, that some thousands
of these letters go to various discreet and
reliable pers rs in This section of country
BY every mail diminishes our chances of
winning a good deal.
So long as these rascals can make it pay,
to food the country with their barefaced,
lying letters, SO long we shall be sure that
" the fools are not dead yet"