The Republican journal., 1869-04-29
Swindling in New York

No sooner does one ingenious trick for
sVindling the eullible public begin to show
eians OF giving cut, either through the eX-
'p0sures in the papers. the action Of the po-
ice. or the natural exhaustion OF the mate
lIal On which its authors feed, than another
is devised; and forthwith the geese who
ought to be taken out on Sarum Plain, and
driven cackling home to Camelot, are once
more plucked, and the land is deafened with
their indignant misses.
MANY are aptto think that none but young
ana inexperienced people are taken by these
harpers. In the morn and liquid dew OF
voutA viastments are most imminent" and
au epidemic of thieyefy Of the baser sort Is
ure to prove fatal 10 the thin purses OF
Young rustics Of more credulity than Judge
nent. But the danger is not confined to
item. Old people Of both sexes, who have
lived through generations Of all kinds OF
sUiudle- are hooked by every rogue that
throws out printed line Of glittering prom
see. and their lamentations are sad to hear
Fhev read the warnings Of the papers, but
listen at the same time to the honeyed words
of the tempter, and again invest their mon
e. in his schemes, only 10 lose ii forever.
HOW TIKI sWINDIERs OPERATE.
There are one or two nondescript firms
ii New \ ork whose main business consists
ii collecting the names and addresses OF
obscure people throughout the country, and
renting the list 10 adventures at so much
per thousand names. One Of these firms
on Nassau st. is reputed to have genuine
4r
The Northern, Eastern and Western States
alone When gift enterprise adventurer
desires to SOW his circulars broadcast over
he land, be makes an arrangement with
The li.t-holder, and at a given price copies
rs many names as he may wish to use, and
i0r many days the owners OF these names
keep themselves in state of bewilderment
ia attempting to discover by what means
they are known by the single-hearted capt.
1alists OF the great metropolis. A large
proportion Of them feel hattered at the at
.e1tion paid them, and fall incontnently in
10 the LET Of the snarer,
One Of the most successful in the bust
ness Of quilting the innocents of the rural
districts was the notorious Kelley, whose
profits are supposed to have reached the
enormous sum Of S500.0 900. He was ar
rested two or three times here and in Chi
cage, On charges preferred by few Of his
victims, bui was never punished. Clark
d Webster, a bogus firm, supposed to be
Kelly under double name, were also en-
gagged extensively in the gift business, and
after making fortune, having never been
punished beyond the iuhiction of a nominal
fine. are now, doubtless, plying their voca-
lion under new title. The plan pursued
by these scamps and others who initiated
them has been 50 often exposed in these col
umns that it is not considered necessary to
say any more about it except that their VIC
Tins invariably gave their good and lawful
currency for nothing.
THE BARGAIN sNINDLER.
A ser Of rascals calling themselves -. B.
Hamilton & Co." have mailed to all parts
OF the country thousands of circulars in
which they promise to send ''l2 yards Of
poplin, like sample enclosed or 10 yards
Of muslin for the same price, or piece Of
10 yards for $3.50. They have taken ad-
vantage of the state of the market, they
say, and are thereby enabled to purchase
large quantities Of goods at far less than
wholesale prices. They send single pat
terms by mail, paying postage, &C., &c.
but Of course cannot make any reduction
from their prices. These thieves unhung
do not tell where they do business, but d.
rect their patrons to address all communion
lions TO 'Williarasburgh, n. Y"
THE sEwING-MACH1NE swINDLE.
One Of the cruelest swindles ever prac-
tised in this country is that Of the Family
Sewing Machine Company whose princi-
PIE office is said to be at No. 102 Nassau
St, New York. These heartless villains
hundred times meaner than he who opium
dered impoverished Africans of their very
girdles," the only garments which the dus-
Ky Ethiops are supposed to have worn in
very old times-publish circular which is
never seen within hundred miles of New
York except in their own den, but are mail
ed to country towns far away from the city
In this it is sci forth that they make and
sell the most wonderful sewing machine in
the market for the low price of five dol
lars that il can hem, run up, tuck, shirr.
gather, and perform all those other opera
tons without which the seanlstress could
never make so much as Guilty sark that
in addition, it sews with a straight needle,
makes the hand stitch, never gets out of or
der, is warranted for lifetime, and is de-
livered without risk or failure to each pur-
chaser. Hundreds Of poor girls in all parts
Of the country have been shamefully rob-
bed by the issuers Of this circular, and it
is to be hoped that, if it be not an absolute
lmpossibility to bring any Of the myriad of
swindlers Of the country to justice, these
fellows may ere long be made to suffer for
their objectionable villainy. Should the
vigilance committee ever start out fairly
Oh tour of lustration through the infected
districts Of Manhattan, it would be we'll for
them to call first at No. 1902 Nassau ST.. or
wherever else the ''Family Sewing Machine
Company may be found, and swing the
members of that organization by the heels
to the highest trees in the City Hall Park.
Another of these swinders is the Frank
lin Sewing Machine Company, whose office
is at No. 81 Broadway. The circular Of
this concern is Autographed, and the copy
IN our possession signed by Thomas Myer,