The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1868-11-05

These are printed from a nicely engra-
we'd plate, in all the gorgeousness of blue
ink, with vignette representing the God
dess OF Plenty scattering her favors broad
cast over the land You pay your
money for that" said the New York man
ager to me. at promises YOU nothing.
and you get what it promises. You may
be notified that you have drawn prize,
valued at $500, and you send Us the five
per cent. asked for. We send you a
watch, rayned at $500, but worth 500
What are you going to do about it What
does your ticket call for We admit the
swindle, but what are you going to do
about it ? You've got no claim on us be-
yond an admission to Irving Hall, and
We'll admit you-when we agree to. We
haven t fixed the time YET c,,r ,,
Bite & Co consist of what purports to be
shares in the Thieves and Burglars Pc
troleum Stock Company" These are raL
aed at 500 each but, it is scarcely
necessary to say, they are utterly worth
less. There is no such petroleum conipa-
nv. and if there is, it don't own any land,
and if it does, it hasn't got any oil in it.
The whole thing is simply and purely 4
fiction, having 70 better foundation than
the printed scrip, which is wicked waste
of white paper. These bogus shares are
sent out bv the thousand, and not one in
a hundred Of the number who receive
them ever takes the trouble to complain
| or denounce the swindlers lie has been
victimized first, to the amount Of one dol
lar paid for his original ticket second, to
| y. r, Ii tho. 4,al-,+, h hoe hnar
induced to purchase and, third, to the
amount of the five per cent. assessment OF
which he was notified. Recognizing the
swindle, he is chary of prosecuting the
matter further, for fear Of being bitten
again.
When the New York manager (whom /
afterwards ascertained was but an ordina-
nv clerk) had learned from me that ! held
a number Of tickets which were said to
have drawn prizes, he did not hesitate to
inform me that they never intended giving
prizes of any value, and justified such a
course by saying that every person who
bought a ticket did so in the hope OF
gaining an advantage over some one else
= of getting prize worth five, ten, or ff-
tv times the amount he invested. To use
the expressive language Of the manager.
they hope to beat US, 50 we make sHre-o1
beating them. They want ten dollars for
one, while we make ten for nothing
| Where's the difference between us They
fyy to overreach us, and we do overreach
them. Morally considered; which IS the
worst 2"
The answer to this is simply that the
chances are not equal-or rather, that
there are no chances The Gift Enter
prise people so conduct their business that
the person who invests money in THEN
tickets does so with the certainty Gun
known to him) Of losing 1t, not with thc
chance of doubling it.
During one Of my visits to Bark, Bit'
& Co, a farmer-looking man entered, auC
presenting notification TO the clerk, De
manded the prize which he informed hin
he had drawn, valued at $500 The obi
ging clerk offered him three shares in tn
Thieves and Burglars Petroleum Stocl
Company" The man didn't want them
and after considerable talking, refused t
take them, threatening to cali in the %
, lice. He said that he lived in Connect;
cut, had bought ticket, had been notiiie
, that he had drawn prize, had sent tn
Eve per cent. demanded, amounting t
. So, and not hearing from it, had com
J down to see about the matter The cler
: denied having received the Sl5, and II
fused to do anything for the poor man bu
5 give him his petroleum stock \ detet
: tive policeman was summoned, bat h