The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-11-09
Excessive Crednlnnsness.

The appended letter, says the Ne,Ds-
paper Reporter, has been sent to pro-
minent business man of New York, and
is SO remarkable an illustration of the
persistency with which some men allow
themselves to be duped az to be worthy
of publication on that score alone. A
further reason why it should appear in
our columns is that it serves as a canton
against dealing with certain of the Wall
street genus, who live on their wits and
what they can swindle unsophisticated
folks at distance out of: Aa.s ~.
OCTOBER Z, 1876.
Dear Sir: l received pamphlet
from you day or two ago and have
read it, and now do not know what to
do. I shall make statement to you of
my case and ask your advice. / am a
farmer and renter and poor man,
with four children to keep. My beloved
wife died some two years ago, and have
not married since, but keep hired
housekeeper, and can hardly make both
ends meet, and am in debt some $500.
One year ago last month 1 received a
circular from --, of Wall street,
stating If I would send them 800 they
would invest it in stocks for me that
would pay from one to six hundred per
cent. So on September IA, 1875, sent
the firm above named $106. 25, and they
receipted for it, and said they invested
it in Lake Shore. They claimed they
bought me one hundred shares at 56i,
and so waited till the thirty days were
up, and saw by the papers that Lake
Shore had gone up as high as 613, and l
thought had made nice thing; but in
few days they wrote to me they had to
sell to cover short sale, and had made
nothing ncr lost nothing so set that
down as nice swindle. So last April I
received circular from --, stating
they bought and sold on what they
called guaranteed chances, or they
guaranteed you from all loss SO about
the middle OF April sent them $112.50,
and they claimed they invested in Lake
Shore, and also claimed they lost; so you
see with these two firms 1 lost $218. rs.
Then in July. 1876, L saw notice over
the name of -, Park Row, New
YORK, stating if any person sent them So
they would send him half paid bond
aud i've certificates in a drawing to
come off July 4. Well, did not draw
anything, so they sent me a note few
days ago stating my half bond would
participate October 2 but as yet have
not heard from them, and do not know
whether this SIS will be lost or not.
Now, this money 1 borrowed the most of
Ut, and you may know just how I feel
Nextl gotta circular from ---, Dey ST. !,
New York. I sent him an order for
$42. rs, and he sent the things I got O
lot of pictures called the Lord prayer,
and 25-cent paper P. X. and perfume,
stone and shell and Chinese washing
blue and starch polish /; but times are so
hard and money SO scarce L coul sell
hardly any. 1 did not clear fifty cents
per day. Now am almost dead broke,
aud do not know what to do, and be
lieve by the reading of your pamphlet
that you are honest, and l write to you
Tor advice and to see if you think any
OF these parties could be made to give
up any of the money they have swindled
me out OF. am poor but honest, aud /
thought they would do Just what they
said but instead of that am afraid all
they wanted was the money. As to
agents, the country here is flooded with
them, and times are hard and money
very scarce, and people cannot buy il
they would. By the reading of you,
circular think you are wealthy man,
and man of great business qualities
and OF good Judgment. I am young vel
(thlrty-two) and poor. Now please give
me advice and tell me just what you
think 1 ought to, do, and your advice
will be, thankfully received.
Respectfully yours,
o. ". FoUcH,
Big Prairie, Wayne Co., Ohio.