Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-02-07
HUMREG,
An Interesting Chapter ON Lotteries
and Gift PrOjects-The Science of
Modern Robbery.

and Gift PrOjecfs-The Science of
Modern Robbery.
The fools are not all dead yet" The
explosion and exposure of various gift en-
terprises, lottery swindlea, and similar
frauds, which have been extensively adj
vertised throughout the country for several
years, do not seem to discourage unprinci-
pied adventures from starting new under
takings of the same dishonest kind, nor to
diminish the numbers of gullihle victims.
The highwaymen, who made it business,
in former times, to rob the mail, made
small profits by their most successful feats,
compared with those Of the rogues and
robbers of our own days, who use the facil-
titles of the mail to fleece the unwary and
unsuspecting all over the country. A
northern contemporary deyotes several
columns TO full expose Of the various
frauds carried on through advertisements
and through the mails, OF gift enterprises
bogus jewellers, lottery and employment
agencies, the charitable swindles, confidence
men and their operations, and how names
and addresses are procured in different
parts of the country to enable the swim
ders to find out 10 whom to address
their circulars. The meanest of these
swindles are those which appeal TO the
sympathy of the public on the plea of re-
lieving the wants of the destitute and sui-
fering. We have had such experience in
these matters in this community as ought
to have sufficiently en- ightened and warned
all in regard to them. Those ingenious de.
vices which for so long time, some months
ago, were kept before the public here and
throughout the South, under the pretense
of founding a Southern Orphan Asylum at
Richmond, through grand lottery scheme,
the headquarters of which was attempted
to be made in Baltimore, in spite of even
State prohibition of all lotteries, served to
draw from the pockets Of thousands, in the
South especially, large amounts of money
for tickets which, 30 far, have never been
accounted for to the satisfaction of the
people or ticket-holders
One of the bogus lottery contrivances,
referred to by our Northern contempora-
ries, is a circular from protested lottery
agents, neatly Autographed in fac simiIe Of
q good business hand, and thus we'll calcu-
lated to deceive the unwary, informing the
person to whom it is addressed that the
writers desired to increase their business ia
his part Of the country, and consider the
safest plan 10 do so is to send prize of a
handsome kind to some discreet and re-
liable person, who will have no objection
to show the money and state the fact to his
acquaintance that the prize was drawn by
q lucky investment in their Office. He has
only to send on ten dollars to pay for
splendidly arranged packet ofeight tickets,
carefully selected subject to his order.
Whilst hewill be gamer by few thousands,
they will be the gamers ty the number of
new customers that the knowledge of his
good luck will attract. The offer e made IN
strict confidence. Many persons are duped
in this way into sending Ten dollars, and,
if they do not bite at once, they receive
another letter informing them that they
have drawn prize, and if they will en-
close the price Of the ticket in the agents
possession, he will manage that their pre-
vious failure to forward the price Of the
ticket shall not prevent them from receiy-
ing the money or such other prize as il may
be- These circulars, or similar ones, are
dated from all parts of the country, showing
that this mode of deception has become
general and thriving.
n IittNA Vi Otlih hAlo received one OF
these tempting bats at time when his
funds had run rather low, wrote back to
the lottery man, ordering him TO send on
the prize a large sum in greeDbacks) at
once, deduciing the ten dollars called for.
That proved his last experience with that
lottery.
There are many schemes Of smaller
sort, in which The plan il to number each
article in an imaginary stock Of articles
which the swindlers profess 20 have, such
as plated ware, watches, sewing machines,
jeweiry, etc, valued at various sums, from
$40 10 $500, many circulars and tickets for
which have been received from time 10
time in Nashville, the names Of persons 10
whom they were addressed having been
obtained, il is presumed from the Directory.
Another plan Of swindlers is 10 notify
persons in distant places that the
writers have received valuable articles for
them, which will be forwarded by paying
certain amount Of charges. One other
means adopted by the rognes to obtain
names and addresses in different parts of
the country il the sending, of blank forms
20 the postmasfers Of the little towns and
villages of every State, requesting them to
hii the same WITH the nitntcs OF ttduthiueti,
manufacturers, clerks, professional men,
farmers and public officers, the pretext EN-
pioyed TO cover the object being that the
party sending the blank h' engaged in com
piling q gazetteer and business directory Of
the States, and the inducements to send
names being copy Of the work when
finished. 1t would be endless work TO re-
count the various devices for making a
profitable commodity of the popular Gre
dnliiy. The press might render the public
substantial service by exposing fraudulent
schemes whenever they are brought 10
their notice, though until the proportion
OF gullible men in every community be
comes good deal smaller than at present,
We may expect that az so,n as one class Of
operators exhaust their credit, othef and
perhaps more ingenious deceivers will be
let loose upon society,