Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1868-12-12
From Hours at Home for Ortobes.l
Gift Enterprises.

ltlIc past tnt prime oI Hte. Irih, pre-
cse. good Presbyterian and the mother
oftwo pretty cousins of mine. She lives ON
the banks ofthc Gcnesce river, near the
beautiful city Of Rochester, and regularly
every Sunday rides into town to listen Ia
her favorite parson. Her weekdays are
usually spent among her chickens, Pigs
cows and other pouitry or in putting ur
pickles and preserves Occasionally, how
ever. she is obliged to go to the city TO make
purchases. and it was on one Of these Oc-
casions that she was recently inveiglcd by
designing men, into speculation by means
Of which she lost few dollars. and sue
cceding in bringing me in contact with a
numLcr of "Gift Enterprise" swindle~,
whose tricks to en,rap the unwary pro-
rvsc to write about:
ROCHESTER,, Nov. 22d, 1867.
My DEAR NEPHEW by reading this
letter patiently through You will discover
that hage some queer business on my
hands, and need your assistance to help
me out. Some time since ! thought to
make my "cycrlastin forum" by invest
ing the sum of one dollar in Gift Enter
prise, the proprictors of which advertise
that their headquarters are in that iniqui-
tous city in which you reside. at No.
broadway. l was going to be very sly
about it, go l 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, in case my ticket
did not draw valuable prize Being a
crcdulous body put faith in their prom
iscs,. and induced some Of my friends to
buy the tickets. You will probably laugh
at the idea of your aunt Sarah becoming
the agent of Il Gift Enterprise, but it is So
Well, l sent the money for the tickets, and
have just been notified that one of them
has drawn prize valued at 5000, and that
l can have the same on payment of five
per cent. of the value. l understand that
the prizes sent out by this concern arc
mostly petroleum stocks, and rs | am nci-
thcf an oil dealer nor Wall street spccu-
lator, / do not propose to send them so
until | know what sort of a prize have
drawn. Now, | want you to go and sec
these persons, and if am really entitled
to valuable prize, pay the charges. and
send the same together with the bill, to
your atEcctionatc aunt. SARAH.
y. S.-Address me in my right name,
as usual, and don't let the girls know that
| have an alias.
Enclosed with the above letter were the
tickets which aunt Sarah" had purchased,
a. IL l.,I 4
invest in the gift speculation. insert
the letter to show by what shallow devices
unsophisticatcd persons are induced to part
with their money. With the exception Of
the name of the enterprise, (for which the
reader may insert that Of my gift scheme
known) and the names Of the persons sign
ing it., (thc real ones are omitted to avoid
legal annoyances-the, truth being somc-
times considered libclous)-thc letter reads
us follows: ..-.
Office ofthe Garycteys and Robbers }
Grand Presentation Enterprise. 7
No Broaduay, ". Y.
Mrs.. Sarah Dutton-AIadam Yours
received, containing one dollar. Your tick
ct is correctly registered. Enclosed we
send you sixteen tickets and proposition
that VIC think will prove satisfactory to
you, and great benefit to us and our Gu
terprisc. 1t is this-lf you will send us
thirteen dollars for the enclosed sixteen
tickets, we will register them to you With
the understanding that, in case the tickets
do not have q valuable prize awarded thom
We will send you present valued at $3.50,
if you will agree to exhibit it to your
friends, and state that you received it from
the &C. aud X. p. L. Co." s
Yours respectfully,
BARK, BITE 4 Co.
This absurd proposition is found by the
gift enterprise people to work 30 well that
it has been neatly printed, and scattered
through tho country broadcast. Their
theory of human crcdulity appears to be,
that when person is foolish enough to
put one dollars worth Of confidence in
their advertisements, by purchasing sin
gle ticket, he or she can be easily induced
to swallow a few more dollars worth of ex-
ira promises. aud pay for them according
ly. As their dealings are mostly with
country people, this theory is found To
work well practically, and to bring many
dollars to their pockets.
On receiving the above lOt.er my aunt
Sarah was overcome with visions Of
speedily acquired fortune, and forthwith
be-,irrcd herself. ~ become duly accred-
itcd agent of the -Garroten and Robbers
Grand Presentation Enterprise, to dispose
Of the tickets which had been entrusted 10
her la the course of few days she die
covered several female fricads qsise o.
crcduious as hen-eif. shs hastily sciEed the
opportunity ~ -fuander their husbands
money. and thirteen tiekcss vcre speedily
disposed Of. and the proceeds duly f'~ward-
cd b BARK, Bite 4 Co" Scarpely
week clar-ci before the god lady was
thrown iuto a great futier by the receipt
of letter, neatly printed, which read ms
f,,il,.vs.