Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-12-26
A lightning Rod swindle.

/
A correspondent of the Rochester
On. T. Democrat and Chronicle, writ.
ing from Livonia, exposes a new swim
die, ia regard to which our country
readers would do we'll to have their
eyes open. He says:
Our town has been of late the
theater, and several of our citizens
the victims, of a new lightning rod
swindle. This is how il it is done
A smart-appearing, oily CANNON
agent calls on farmer and proposes
TO put lightning rods on bis buildings.
The farmer either has rods on his
buildings or says he don't wish to
buy any. But says Mr.. Oily Gam
mon, "You will surely buy when |
tell you how cheap they are. The
season is getting late, aud we have
but few rods left and will only
charge you cost price We will put a
complete set of rods on your build
lngs, including all the fixtures, for
twenty dollars Farmer Objects
says he never has been struck by
lightning and guesses be will
risk it n while longer Oily Cams
mon is not TO be put off by any COM
mon refusal aud offers to do it for
ten dollars, which is so "dog cheap"
that the farmer consents. Oily Gam
mon produces q printed blank which
he proceeds to fill out. What is
that 2" asks the farmer. "Just an
order for the goods that | want you
TO sign, 50 | can send it to my men,
and they will understand just what
to do" Farmer at first objects, but
the thing looks so plain, and the or
der so innocent, that he finally looks
it hurriedly over and puts his name
TO it. With satisfied smile and a
polite good day. Oily Cannon takes
his leave and looks for q new victim.
In day or two the teams and
men make their appearance and COW
er all the farmers buildings to his en-
tire satisfaction When the job is
completed the farmer offers TO pay
according to contract, and gets out
his ten dollars. "That won't do"
says the head man, "here is the con-
tract you made with our agent, read
it yourself-your bill amounts 1915 "
Our farmer, with eager hands, grasps
the little ''order" he signed and reads
as follows:
This is to certify that | have this
day ordered of the United Light
ming Rod Company Cushman's ca
Die lightning rod, with all the points,
fixtures, etc., sufficient to rod my
(here the description Of the various
buildings is written in by Oily Gam
mon) in the town Of, county of
-, State Of Now York, for which
| hereby agree to pay the sum of
twenty dollars per set, forty feet to
constitute set"
This latter clause is an eye-opener
to the farmer. To his great confu
sion he discovers that be has been
deceived and sold. He remembers
that when be signed that paper be
asked Oily Cannon why It read
twenty dollars per set, when the bar
gain was for ten dollars for the whole
thing, to which .. G. replied that
chat was their regular printed
price, but he would endorse ten dols
lars on the back of the order" and
surely here is the endorsement Re-
ceived on the within, ten dollars"
right on the back of that innocent
order which was given, "just because
II was their way" In one instance
the farmer saw that forty.foot clause
and asked what it meant, and Mr..
Oily Cannon said:
"Oh, nothing at all IN this case"
In this dilemma some farmers
have given their notes for the full
sum claimed. Some have compro-
missed and given notes for part, and
few have stood out and refused to
pay anything over the agreement as
they understood it.
The result of some of the farmers
resisting payment has been tho ar
rest OF the oily agent. one James Fl
Rivot, of Canaserage He is held IN
80 500 bail. The defense is that il
was legitimate business transac-
ton,