Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-02-07
ADVERTISING swINDLEs.
Dfffe rent Phases OF the Confidence q
Game-Dupes sWanted."

d
Game-Dupes 'sWanted."
Chicago, like every other great city,
swarms with men, idle, unprinciped, dis
sipated, who are constantly taxing what
wits they have to obtain "A living without
labor, by imposing upon the confidence OF
, the credulous and inexperienced. The
methods which they take are generally
such transparent impostures that il is a
wonder that SO many are still entrapped,
especially since the daily press teens with
examples and warnings The fortune tel
lers, astfologises, gift book aud gift concert
operators. Peter Funk auctloneers. many
of the advertisers for partners, clerks and
/ time keepers ct ID Omae genus are members
of the great fraternity of swindlers. which
/ is much more numerous than is commonly
supposed.
/ One of the most frequent schemes of
/ these blacklers i that Of advertising for
employees of various kinds, with the direc-
ton to enclose fifty cents To pay for the adj
veriiscment Applications from the great
unemployed flow in at once in astonishing
numbers to the fictitious address given,
generally, in care of the Office of the news
paper in which the notice appears. or on
call at the post office; the advertiser comes.
rcaps his harvest goes and is seen and
heard of no more. The contiding respond
ents wait for the expected situation until
the more intelligent come To the conclusion
that their trusting natures have been triticd
with but some have So little suspicion OF
their fellows that they only think that their
letters did not reach the destination or that
| their requirements were not sufficient, and
sit patiently down, ready TO be entrappcd
again.
The advertising columns of the Tribune
are occasionally made unwittinsly the me-
/ diuin of introducing these gentry io the
public, as il is not always possible to tell
the true from the false advertisers. No no.
tices OF the kind mentioned. however are
admitted when their real character is
known but the mere suspicion of fraud is
not sufficient To justify the exclusion. \
/ short time ago an advertisement appeared
calling for two young men. honorable aud
of good character" for ''timc- keepers
also for = machnist, and offering To pay
three dollars per day. The usual fifty cent
/ fee was demanded to cover expenses. with
/ the promise that il should DC returned il
the application proved unsuccessful. Some
seventy or eighty letters at once poured
I into the Tribune counting rooms. but the
clerks had detected the nature of the game
and took pains TO hand back to the appi-
canis their replies. with little gratuitous
advice. A few OF the cpistles, which were
thrown down and left without observation,
remained in the Office. but most of them
were restored TO their too cOaiidinr wri-
tcrs. The man whose money making
scheme was thus blasted had little dingy
place, called an office, ON Clark street. up
many flights OF stairs, where other features
of his confidence game was carried on
Another similar character has for some
time been trying to make bis fortune by
advertising for "a partner with small
capital in iiOuriShing business" or clerk
or book-kecper - to take charge of real
estate office and deposit $500 ms securi-
ty." He has been repeatedly arrested be
fore his schemes came to head. and fined
or sent 10 the Bridcwell. from which secure
retreat he has just again emerged. The
plan of course was To- secure the amount
from as many as could be sufficiently dup
ed, and then depart suddenly. leaving the
- business to take care OF itself.
Other ferns of the confidence game '
might be instanced. The wcll-drcsscd
gentleman who desires q temporary loan on
watch or a check. or well-filled carpet
bag. or merely on the strength of the state
ment ;hat he is going to the same place as
the victim; tl'c panel game" when q
snowy female invcicies "a young man into
her apartments into which. when he begins
to take liberties. walks suddenly indignant
husband" and leyieS black mail 10 ap-
pcase. lis outraged honor; the widow >
who advertises for correspondence with a
similar object i'm view: the "aged physi-
clan whose sands of life have nearly run
ont these are few on the Ion list
+ We smile comfortably To hear that the lat
ter benevolent individual was appropriate
/ " answered 10y the wag who sent, by ex-
/ press . c. o. d." wcighty box of sand,
with a note stating that as he heard that
tine Z" Doctors sands were reaily run out
/ he took the liberty to send him new sup
ply.
/ 1t is no: intended. of course, 10 imply
that any grca: proportion of the notices Ol
clerks waH,cd, &c, are spurious. The adj
vcrising columns of paper are, in the
main, a faithful exhibit of the various bu-
sineSs wants of the community. and the
confidence items are but occasional cour-
/ terfei,s Of the genuine which The eXpericn-
ced will generally detect. IL is safe TO :
sumo that where the advertiser asks re-
mittance to secure situation. or pay for
/ the notice. or offers remarkably desirable
terms. there is " confidence game in the
I background. Fair, legitimate business
makes no very dazzling promises; hard la
Dor or hard cash are as a rule the only
means of acquiring fortune. If the many
who are watching eagerly for openings for
profitable employment will bear these facts
in view and look atinducements which are
held out in n reasonable light, many of them
will save themselves the modification and
loss of becoming victims to the thirsty
blood suckers who infest the city Chicago
Tribune.