The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-03-20
The Art Of Swindling

thunder and improbable love stories,
published in the so-called literary week
lies, under a caption OF a true story,
are often found to be as demorslizing
as they are nonsensical, and it is really
no wonder that there are 80 many
IDIOTS To be found in the world when
grown people and children indulge in
the light literature of the day in pre-
ference to that which would entertain
and instruct. 1t is just such papers
as we have here made reference to
which confidence people seize upon and
patronize in order to make dupes.
In recent number of Boston liter
ary:production. published weekly are
fully half dozen columns Of adver-
tisements $50 cents per line each in
sertion), and they are intended chiefly
to catch the eyes and the dollars OF
foolish people who delight in read
ing stupid stories of fiction instead
of familiarizing themselves with the
study Of literature and history, which
is combination Of something useful to
the student, the pursuit Of which is q
source Of knowledge as we'll as pleas
ure. In the literary weekly we have
before mentioned it is not necessary
to name the paper-some of the sdver-
tisements are novelties in their way.
For instance: One advertiser. signing
himself the - Importing company,
--Broadway, New York. agrees to
send half dozen fine hemstitch hand.
kerchiefs, worth and usually sold for
IS per dozen, to every subscriber of a
cheap literary weekly for Is cents.
The weekly is a blind inducement.
Read the order!
Out THIS oUT-GoOD FOR HALF D0z.
~ EN- HANDKERCHIEFs.-rh
ing Company, No. - Broadway. New York
This IL to certify that am . subscriber OF this
paper. and am entitled under your premium to
half dozen fine hemstitched handkerchiefs, with
my monog raph initial On each. inclose 75 cents
to pay costs Of initiating and express charges.
On receipt Of this order and rs cents TO pay
for initiating andexpress and packing charges, we
agree to send, free of charge, half-dozen hem-
stitched handkarchiefs, and which We gusrentee
will be the same we sell to the trade at Sc per
dozen,
isignedl MANUFACTURING CO.
BROADWAY, NEW YORK.
Any sensible person must know after
reading such an advertisement that the
scheme is q swindle. The advertisers
agree to sell the handkerchiefs as q
premium to the subscribers of any
paper in which the advertisement ap
pears No doubt the recipient could
purchase the handkerchiefs at any
Cincinnati store for nickel each, or
twenty-five cents per half-dozen.
They could be mailed to any part of
the United States for three cents. The
Importing Company is no doubt a
myth. They sail under false colors and
should be avoided.
The other day the Commercial con-
tanned in its local columns complaint
about the dealings of the Cincinnati
Monitor Manufacturing company.
Here is the advertisement the company
utilizes in these cheap literary week
lies to trap the unwary:
yXTANTED.-MEN TO TRAVEL AND SELL
w goods TO dealers. No peddling $50
month, hotel and travelling eIpenscspaid. Cincin.
natl. o.
These are very hard times, and many
u fellow with no experience, who sees
the advertisement. would hasten 10 re-
ply To it. The advertisers have invited
him, like the spider did the fly, to
walk into net. He gets fleeced be-
fore he knows it, So do thousands.
Only the wise beware. Any sensible
person can read fraud on the very face
of such AN advertisement. Here 10 an
other:
OpnA wEEK-MALE OR FEMALE. NO
OOO capital. We sivo steady work that will
bring you 3?sJ month 81 home, day or evening.
". Y.
Others advertise that their agents can
make from eight TO twenty-five dol
lars day selling some article which
the advertisement does not state, and
the idiot who answers such an induce
meut, of course finds that all he gets
for his pains are few mysterious cir.
culars. which costs him dollar or so;
but he obtains the worth of his money
in experience and wisdom.
Then there is the bankrupt Milton
gold jewelry swindle, where the adver-
tisers, in Philadelphia, agree for fifty
cents to sell jswelry enough to open q
small retail establishment. The Mil
ton gold is represented as pure as vir-
gin gold. Here is an indueement, GER
tainly.
One pair elegant slssve-buttons. with In.
dependence Hall engraved. retail price 81 %
One sst spiral shirt-studs, retail price,. rs
One beautiful coral scarf pin. retail price IS
One elegant gents wstch-chain, latest pat.
tern. retail price. ...:............... i SO
One collar button, retail price. 81
One elegant wedding-rtng, very heavy, re-
tail price. ......................... 90
Total ............... so
Remember wewfll send you the above named
six articles which we have retailed for s6 so. by
mail post paid, for atty cents or four sample
lots for $50.
What q wonderful bargain,' some-
one will exclaim, and then immediate
ly send FIVE dollars for lot of the
stuff. He will find that his invest
ment is brass on its arrival. and turns
in few days TO resemble the color of
the coal we burn in Cincinnati foundries.
For one dollar somebody promises to
send . lady q recipe to enable her to
retain her youth and beauty, or to re-
gain the former and obtain the latter
If she never had any. For twenty-five
cents. q Massachusetts, Yankee will send
a recipe TO make whiskers grow an q
fifteen year old school-boy. Then there
are other advertisers who agree, for a
confederation, 10 furnish wives aud
husbands ard fortunes, and there are
always fools to rely on such swindlers.
OF course occasionally an honest sdver-
tisement mixed with thisclass is found.
but in large majority of cases they
are the other kind. intended solely to
drain abe money from the pockets of
the foolish people who patronize the