Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1872-02-23
The Alleged Farm Buying Swindle.
GRIEF Al LUDLOW.

The alleged farm buying swindle which |
for month or two past has attracted at
tention in some parts of the State, was
in one respect brought to head at Lud-
low last week. One George l.. Mussey
Of Rutland had victim out in An.
dover of whom he had bought farm
including the personal property, and in
accordance with the programme, he went
and seized the personal property and on
his arrival at Ludlow was himself seized
and demand made that he should give
upcertain papers and the property, which
he refused, and thereupon the crowd
gave him a coat Of tar and feathers and
rode him on a rail through the street.
After the riot was over he went to the
public house and removing his new toilet,
took the cars for Rutland next morning,
and has since appeared in the Rutland
Herald in a column and half, in which
he is very hippant and appears to justify
his style Of doing business.
OF course the violence at Ludlow can
not be justified however much may be
said in mitigation. Nor are we quite
clear yet as to this "game Of farm buy
ing" but there are one or two things that
may well be considered, of which one is
that when a person co mes along to buy
your farm and personal property or
any other property, and offers much more
than it is worth. it ought not TO take
great amount of common sense to
understand that here IS rascalty about
it somewhere, and drop it at once
Whenever a great fortune or bargain is
offered without dollar for dollar be sure
there is something rotten in Denmark. "
1t is this overreaching and cupidity to
make gain without consideration, that
makes so many victims for whom and for
this reason we may naturally have less
/ sympathy.
Ga the other hand if this alleged farm
buying swindle is of the same species Of
knavery as the patent gate and kin
bred frauds, and there is no law to pro-
,ect those who by false pretenses aud
trickery have become the victims, then
we may expect just such an appendix as
that at Ludlow and no sympathy will be
| likely to be wasted on the swindlers.
The Rutland Independent in abiding
to the riot at Ladlow has this explana
1 ton:
"GEo. L. MussEY & Co.-This firm
who have recently been engaged in nu-
merous real estate transactions in differ
ent parts Of the State were brought to
grief at Ludlow on Tuesday. Their US.
ual method of procedure is this: Mus
sey q Co.-the Co. is Or. AinsworIh
Of Walingford-go to some poor farm
er, who evidently don't take the papers
and propose to purchase his farm at an
enormous figure, giving note payable
at some future time, taking bond, for
a deed. The personal property is includ-
ed in the trade and is taken away and
disposed Of by Mussey IL Co. previous
to the time the note becomes due, the
farmer consenting, under the impression
that be is soon to receive an enormous
price for his farm, sufficient to cover all.
DR.. Ainsworth is represented as the mil
lionaire' of the firm and of course his
notes are considered as "good as the
wheat" Sometimes, however, the per-
sonal property is paid for in American
Marble Co. stock, which is probably
worthless, or nearly so. The result il
most cases is that the farmer has parted
with bis property and received WORTHLESS;
paper in return. The firm tried thi:
dodge on Tuesday on a farmer near Lud
low, and the result was the farmer soor
discovered that be had been sold and al
once followed Mussey and Co., to LUDLOW
village and demanded return Of hi!
property. Mussey persistently refusing
to give it up be was seized by mob who
applied coating of tar and feathers
and gave him a free ride on a rail through
the streets. He was rescued by the S er
lff aud taken to bis home in Rutland
where after a nights Rubbing and scrub
J biug he comes out as bright as ever anC
= ready to engage in another "transac
+ ton"
GRAND MASQUERADE AT BARToNs