The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1876-11-16
Excessive CredulOusnesS.

The appended letter, says the Neps-
paper Reporter, has been sent to a 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 as 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 caution
against dealing with certain of the Wall
street genus, who live on their wits and
what they can swindle unsophisticated folks
at 4 distance out of:
OCTOBER Z, 1876.
Dear SIR : l received a pamphlet from
you a day or two ago and have read it,
and now do not know what to do. l shall
make a statement to you of my case and
ask your advice. l am a farmer and a
renter and a poor man, with four children
to keep My beloved wife died some two
years ago, and [ have not married since,
but keep a hired housekeeper, and can
hardly make both ends meet, and am in
debt some $500. One year ago last month
| received circular from -, of Wall
street, stating if would send them 500
they would invest it in stocks for me that
would pay from one to six hundred per
cent. So on September IA, 1875, l sent
the firm above named S106.25, and they
receiptcd for it, and said they invested it
in Lake Shore. They claimed they bought
me one hundred shares at 563, and so |
l waited till the thirty days were up, and
| saw by the papers that Lake Shore had
gone up as high as 61!, and [ thought l
had made a nice thing but in few days
they wrote to me they had to sell to cover
short sale, and had made nothing nor lost
nothing so [ set that down as a nice
swindle So last April received a 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 S112.5O,
and they claimed they invested in Lake
Shore, and also claimed they lost; so you
| see with these two firms [ lost S21S.75.
Then in July, 1876, [ saw a notice over
the name Of --, Park Row, Yew York,
stating if any person sent them So they
would send him half paid bond and five
| certificates in drawing to come off July
II. L
sent me a note few days ago stating my
half bond would participate October 2
but as yet l have not heard from them,
and | do not know whether this S5 will be
| lost or not Now, this money | borrowed
the most of it, and you may know just how
| feel. Next got a circular from -,
| Deyst., New York. | sent him an order
for S42.75, and he sent the things. l got
lot of pictures called the Lords prayer,
and 25cent paper 2. K. and perfume,
stone and shell and Chinese washing blue
and starch polish; but times are so hard
and money so scarce | could sell hardly
any, | did not not clear fifty cents per
day. Now | am almost dead broke, and
do not know what to do, and [ believe by
the reading of your pamphlet that you are
honest, and l write to you for advice and
to see if you think any of these parties
could be made to give up any of the money
they swindled me out of. l am poor but
honest, and | thought they would do just
what they said but insted of that | am
afraid all they wanted was the money. As
to agents, the country here is flooded with
them and times are bard and money very
scarce, and people cannot but if they would
By the reading of your circular think
you are wealthy man, and man of great
business qualities and Of good Judgment
am young yet (thirty-two) and poor
Now please give me advice and tell me JUS
what you think [ ought to do, and your
advice will be thankfully received.
Respectfully yours,
o. w. FoUCH,
Big Prairie, Wayne Co., Ohio