The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1868-11-05
Gift Rnterpr1sea-
HISTORY OF THE GETTYSBURG AND OTHER
LOTTERY swINDLEs.

have an aunt in the country-one of
the incest women in the word-a widow,
a little past the prime Of life, prim, pre-
else, and the mother of two pretty cousins
of mine. She lives on the banks of the
Genesee river, near the beautiful city Of
Rochester, and regularly every Sunday
rides into town to listen to her faYorite
pastor. Her weekdays are usually spent
among her chickens, pigs, and COWS, or in
putting up pickles and preserves. Occa-
sionally, however, she is obliged to 90 to
the city to make purchases, and it was on
one OF these occasions that she was recent
ly inveigled by designing men into little
speculation, and succeeded in bringing me
in contact with a number Of "Gift Enter
prise" swindlers, whose tricks to entrap
the unwary propose to write about.
But first let niy aunt tell her own story,
which she docs in the following letter, and
then l II tell what came Of it:
COLCHESTER, Nov. %, 1867.
MY DEAR NEPHEW By reading
this letter patiently through, you will dis
cover that have some queer business on
my hands, and need your assistance to help
me out Some time since, | thought to
make my everlastin' fortune by investing
the sum of one dollar in Gift Enterprise,
the proprietors Of which advertise that
their headquarters are in that iniquitous
city in which you reside, at No. = Broad
way, New ! Iork. | was going to be very
sly about it, so | assumed the name of
Mrs. Sarah Dutton. When they sent me
my ticket, they also sent sixteen others,
with the assurance that If | would dispose
Of them they would guarantee to make me
present valued at $3.50, III case my tick
| ct did not draw valuable prize. Being
Il credulous BOBBY, L put faith III their
promises, and induced some Of my friends
to buy the tickets You VIII probably
laugh at the idea Of your aunt Sarah be
coming the agent Of Gift Enterprise, but
so it is. Well, [ sent the money for the
tickets, and have just been notified that
one Of them has drawn prize valued at
$500, and that | can have the same on
payment Of i've per cent. Of the value. ]
understand that the prizes sent out by this
concern are mostly petroleum stock, and
as | am neither an oil dealer nor Wall
street Spectator, do not propose to send
them SO until | know what sort of a
prize l have drawn. Now, l want you to
90 and see these persons, and if [ am
really entitled to valuable prize, pay the
charges, and send the same, together with
the biz, to your aunt, SARAH.
''P. S.-Address me in my right name,
as usual, and Font let the girls know l
have an alias
Enclosed with the above letter were the
tickets which aunt Sarah had purchased
aud the letter which had induced her to
invest IN the Gift speculation. l insert
the letter, to show by what shallow devi-
/ ccs unsophisticated persons are induced to
part with their money. With the excep-
ton cf the name of the enterprise, (for
which the reader may insert that of any
Gift scheme known, and the names of the
persons signing it, (the real names are
omitted to avoid legal annoyances-th the
truth being sometimes considered libel
Gus, the letter reads as follows:
/ Coffee or GARRoTERs & RoBBERs' J
/ GRAM. PREsENTATIoN ENTERPRISE,
"No. - Broadway. n. Y.
! Mrs. Sarah Dutton -Madam-Y ours
received, containing one dollar Youi
ticket is correctly registered. Enclosed
we send you sixteen tickets and propo
sition that we think will prove satisfactor,
to you, and great benefit to US and GU
enterprise 1t Is this: If you will SEND
us thirteen dollars for the enclosed sixteel
tickets we will register them to you will
the understanding that, in case the ticket
do not have valuable prize awarde,
them. we viii send you present valuet
at S163, if you viii agree to exhibit it t