Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-08-01
A ROARING LION.
Reading F0I. Farmers.

Under this significant title, the Rural
New Yorker, publishes a letter from
correspondent, exposing gang of swind-
lers who are operating in New York,
Pennsylvania, and perhaps many other
states. The method is another g light
ning-rod swindle," only these fellows
operating with fence, and the way it is
done is thus described:
A man will call on q farmer, stating
that he is introducing new kind of
fencing, called the Steel Barb Wire
Fence. He is very generous especially
to farmers, as he proposes to give them
the privilege Of advertising the fence.
NOW, says the agent, we propose to give
to one man IN every town fifty rods of
fence, If he will put it up in a conspicu-
Gus place beside the highway and give
him the agency for his town with a
profit of from thirty to fifty per cent. on
all he can sell. If the bait is tempting
enough for the victim to bite at, he pro
ceeds to write an order for two coils of
wire, which he says will make just fifty
rods of fence four strands high. The
victim signs the order and considers
himself, for once, lucky man. In
about a week the newly made agent is
called upon by another with bill for
steel barb wire fencing. which he wishes
him to settle at once. "What does
this meanY' says the farmer. II have
nothing to pay. | only put up the
fence as an advertisement for the COM
pany; it comes to me free Of charge"
But" says the agent or collector
Eve have your order for two coils of
wire. You are to have fifty rods free,
and there are one hundred and fifty
rods of wire, for which you are to pay
four cents per FOOT After consider
able parleying q compromise is made,
by which the farmer gives his note for
about $780, supposing he has two
hundred rods offencing; but when he
comes to investigate, he finds he bas
but fifty rods four strands high, Or two
hundred yards single strand. Now,
brother farmer, the advice of one who
has been caught in trap is this: When
an agent presents himself, offering you
something for nothing, just give him a
ride on the toe of your boot to the high
way and tell him to git"
The editor remarks as follows:
The above is a sample of letters fire.
quently received by us, but generally
bearing SO few marks of authenticity
that they cannot be published in the
Rural. The head centre of the gang of
swindlers alluded to above, is not I'M
known to us unless we are greatly mis-
taken, and will some day find his level,
as sure as running water does. From
corn-shellers to wire fence is but a small
step, and from petty swindling to mag
niticent rascality is distance easy
travelled by a man emboldened with
the success which has attended this
fellow. While we always uphold the
majesty Of law, and advise everybody
against disorderly conduct, we are
obliged to confess that there is violent
prOvocation in the case above cited for
the remedy there given. The mistake
In the instance above mentioned is in the
compromise. Never compromise any
thing with such villains. Let them sue,
and then you can confront a jury of
twelve fair men with correct state
ment of the whole transaction Your
verdict will be safe enough. The fellow
who is at the back of this system of
knavery, lies in the interior of this state,
and has grown rich upon the proceeds
of his practices, though his creditors
have always been unable to discover
his property. We have heard of him
in several localities in Pennsylvania,
where he is operating, running OCCASION
ally across into the southern tier of New
York