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

ground of action against the swiul--.s
which would legally warrant their ARE.
So the victimized farmer returned to h.
pigs and poultry in Connecticut. adding
the expense Of his trip and his lost tine
to the other sums to be charged to Bars,
Bite & Co.
Perhaps the most notable instance Of
Gift Enterprise swindling was that recent
ly perpetrated by the Gettysburg Asylum
Company This company proposed TO
purchase on the battlefield of Gettysbure-
large tract Of land and erect thereon
home for disabled soldiers. To secure the
means to dc this, git scheme was IN
stituted. An individual in New York
having been victimized by a diamond bro
ker, found On his hands lot of boens
diamonds, for which he had paid full price
These he proposed to put into the scheme
/ for much larger sum than he had paid
and consequently for an amount equal to
five or six times their value. Another
person put in a farm for see, ,000, the as
sessed value Of which was s., coo. A great
variety of other prizes were put in the
schedule, all bearing greatly exaggerated
value Excepting the principal prize.
which was S100,0G0 IN greenbacks.j and
the company was ripe for action. 4 char
ter was, by some means, obtained from the
Pennsylvania Legislature, and several
prominent Generals in the army were in
duced to lend their names to the scheme
The total value of the prizes. according to
the advertisements, was about 500 600
and they were to be distributed amono
POO, 900 persons, proUtded that number
of persons could be found to buv tickets
at one dollar each. Having acquired a
quasi legal recognition from the State of
Pennsylvania. the company commenced
the sale OF tickets. BY liberal course OF
advertising, large number were disposed
Of, and finally the day of drawing was az
nounced. This produced quite furoI =.
und the rush for tickets was immense
About this time it was discovered that the
managers Of the scheme were well known
lottery swindlers, and consequently the
Pennsylvania Legislature withdrew the
| license previously given, the whole man
agement was denounced in Congress and
by the press, and the prominent men who
had lent their names to aid it withdrew
their support. Al this denunciation ONLY
| stirred the swindlers to removed efforts,
I glowing IN their descriptions and moro
| brilliant in promises. At length, a con
cert was given in New York, and Irving
| Hall was unable to hold one-half the
ticket-holders who sought admission
! Speeches were made, the golden promises
renewed. and those who had been disposed
to be suspicious went away satisfied. For
week longer the company fourished,
their business office on Broadway being
thronged at all hours with an eager crowd,
who jostied and hustled each other in
their efforts to obtain the coveted tickets.
/ One bright morning, the greedy victims
awoke to find the shoyy ctFce closed, and
the landlords sign Of 80 let :" conspicu-
ously posted on the windows The mana
gers the diamonds, the desirable farm,
the 100000 in greenbacks, had all dis
appearod-"ail at one fell swoop"-with
upwards OF 81 600 00Q of the peoples
money. From that day TO this, no trace
of the Gettysburg Asylum scheme has
been found, although many anxious tick
ct holders have made many anxious en-
dcayors to obtain some information with
regard to it.
1t is somewhat rc1larkablo that s. bare
faced and gigantic a swiudle could be car
ried on 50 publicly, and successfully. too,
in spite Of the bitter opposition to it, and
chat a million CT dollars could be thus
easily taken from the pockets OF confiding
victims, most OF whom were uneducated,
ignorant men and women. But such are
our laws; the fact that each ticket sold
entitled the holder to an admission to i
concert, enabled them to eYade the laws
against gambling, aad was legally consid-
cred valuable consideration for the mon
ey paid The same Gettysburg managers
are still in the Gift Enterprise business,
and may be seen promenaG;ng Broadway
almost any day, enjoying their ill-gotten
gains But as they conduct their business
through the medium of impudent clerks,
and are never visible t. ticket buyers,
they are known to bat few, and conse-
cucntl5 escape that Wcii-merited personal
chastisement which many Of their victims
would chceriuiiy administer, did the op
p5rtunity and the nan present them
selves.
trust | have gwen sufficient illustra-
ton and explanation of tie Gift Enterprise
business to convince every one OF my read
ers that each and every such scheme is
nothing more nor less than a swindle-a
, deliberate trap set by unscrupGlotts, sharp,
designing scoundrels 20 rob the ignorant
and unsuspicious Of their hard-carncd
, money. Their viliainv is the more afro
cious in that in most cases they assume to
be acting from patriotic or philanthcopic
| motives, and by appeals to the popular
, love for cur brave soldiers, or our soldiers
, orphans and widows, extort money from
. those who can lily afford to lose it.
( For all my aunts tickets I received a
-.:.Lhaal, y 18Th anh Tn. l.,1.eoninae in