Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-03-26
Swindles.

steady game Of throat-cutting. Business in
the majority of cases is but game Of cheat,
and the shrewdest swindler is the smartest
bushes man and receives credit for the great
est talent. Worst Of all, the great majority
of the newspaper press lend their aid, know
ingly, to these swindlers. A couple Of weeks
ago we mentioned the arrest Of one Benson
at New Haven for swindling people through
an advertisement in the Christian Union.
A short time ago we received PROPOSE
ton for an advertisement from the Triumph
Truss Co., 9th Avenue, New York, giving
the names Of several well.known and respon-
sible men in various parts of the country as
references and claiming that nearly all the
partners of the company were Patrons of
Husbandry. We wrote to one of the gentle
men referred to and the reply came II know
nothing of them pro or con-" The gen.
eral superintendent, "Dr." G. w.
H. Burnham, claimed to DO Patron and to
have travelled long time organizing grang-
es He referred, among others, to o. II.
Kelley, secretary of the National Grange.
We wrote to Mr.. Kelley and he replied
that he had emo personal knowledge Of Mr..
Burnham. They advertised to cure all cases of
rupture, and charge nothing unless a cure was
effected. A St. Johnsbury man wrote them,
describing rupture of 10 years standing,
and asked if he could be cured. The reply
came promptly that he could be cured in
less than three months, if he wonld send
them $50 for one Of their trusses. They
would make no charge for their skill in cur
ing him, but only for the truss. Now in all
probability $3.50 truss which can be had
at any drug store at home would be quite
as good. They know they will never get
the pay for curing the patient, SO they make
their profit on the trusses. The man replied
that he would deposit the $40, together with
the fee required, in the st. Johnsbury bank,
subject to their order whenever he was cur
ed, provided that was within six months,
and he would agree to faithfully follow their
instructions He has not heard from them,
and probably will not. He was too cautious
for them. What they want is the small sum
of $40 for truss, and then if they don't eff
feet cure they won't charge anything more.
Well, isn't that enough for man to pay
not to be cured
One can hardly look at a newspaper now
a'days without seeing offers to send valuable
articles, pictures, &C., free. These city
sharpers are remarkably generous. The pc.
etry on christian Advertising" on the first
page, is to the point.
The swindlers, however, are not all in the
cities, and their victims are often on the
farm. As far as these city swindlers are
concerned, man is generally safe if he re.
fuses to allow his money to leave his hands
until he receives the article purchased
Many concerns advertise to send goods by
by express, G. o. D., at marvelously low
prices; people think this must be all safe,
so they send an order. A box comes to them,
with bill. They cannot examine the goods
until the bill is paid, so they pay it. Then
they may find something worth half their
money, or they may find nothing at all, but
they have no redress. The express company
returns the money and the swindler has got
it and is not to be found, if legal steps are
taken, which does not happen in one case in
twenty.
Our advice to all is to keep their money and
be content to earn living by honest la
Dor, and shun doubtful speculations. Re-
member the Norway oat swindIe the branch
ing corn, the Early Rose potato which sold
for 81 per pound and now is worth five to
ten cents per bushel less in market than the
old jackson White. See the Hulless oats
which are being sold for 81 pound or $40
bushel, while correspondent a few weeks
ago told how he got two bushels from the
West and after the expenses were all paid
they cost him but So per bushcl. If they
were considered sufficiently valuable to raise
as crop they could doubtless be brought
here by the car load as cheap as any
other oat. These new and high-priced
varieties of produce may indeed be better
than the common article, but when you are
asked from GO to 100 times the common
price it is we'll to be little shy.
Among various other humbugs are nearly
every patent medicine going by the name of
"bitters." An article few weeks ago from
the Health Reformer told considerable truth
about the much lauded California vinegar
bitters, which have been advertised as a tenn
perance medicine. Not only is the money
paid for these patent bitters usually
thrown away but 1t actually results in inju-
ry to the purchasers. Instead of being
something to make a sick man well they
would make well man sick. "Hostetter's
stomach bitters" are nearly half alcohol
43.3 per cent, according to the analysis Of
the state assayer of Rhode Island. "Drake's
plantation bitters" are 1924 per cent alco-
hol. "Flint'S Quaker bitters" 2O.54 per
cent alcohol. "Dr. Walkers vinegar bitters"
1928 per cent alcohol. We have known of
habitual drinkers who made it a point to
drink so many bottles of'bitters" every week,
and who bought and used no other liquor,
yet who were two.thirds drunk one.half the
time. We have seen man get 50 he could
not walk straight by using "vinegar bitters"
fresh and pure, just as they came from a
temperance drug store. Of these rum Bit
ters HOstetters seem to stand at the head,
and the Wisconsin Grand Lodge of Good
| TemDlars nj its fifth session daclared TINT