St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-06-14
Caution to Farmers.
"spARE THE ROD" BUT KILL THf
AGENT.

uspARE THE ROD" BUT KILL The
AGENT.
| from the Boston Cultivator of june 81
The season has again arrived wnen
scbemers of every kind are aoroau, iiAe
one of old. travelling up and down on
the earth. seeking whom they may de-
vour. Prominent among them is Gne
Iigbtping-rod man. Again he is on ms
Summer campaign, plying his VOCATION
with an ardor worthy OF better cause.
The mordern lightning-rod man -
nrince of swindlers. He starts out MS
! forces with perhaps ten OF twelve was
ons. each drawn by pair OF hne HORSES
containing his stock in trade, togeIneI
with tools, ladders, etc., for eXecueiIs
his Jobs. These are preceded by the
business man, conveyed in costly car
rage. richly caparisoned, attended Dy
a driver, his own person sparkling wlth
diamonds and .jewelry. He calls upon
the unsuspecting citizen, while, in his
blandest and most polished style, ne IN
PRODUCES himself as professor OF cleo
tricity, agent for the great, magnificent
lightning-rod firm of some great west
ern eity-the only one, as he says, that
furnishes rods of any value; while, IN
fact. others are worse than none, for
thew attract the fluid but fail to conduct
it off.
All this he is ready to demonstrate
by a battery which he has with him.
He sets forth in piteOus strains the
havoc which lightning has played the
past year, though, fortunately, ne
claims, none of the rods he represents
have failed to protect. Here he informs
his unsuspecting victim that the pres
ent season is to be prolific in tempests,
as scientists have discovered, adding
that s'thus being forewarned, we should
be forearmed." Next he argues that If
his expected customer values his prop
erty, and, above all, the lives of those
most dear to and dependent on him, he
will not fail to avail himself of the only
mode of safety, now prOvidentlally
brought to his door.
Thus he parades his eloquent argu-
ment in language so fluent and uninter-
rupted that, before his victim is aware
of it, he has thrown a spell around him
from which he is unable to disengage
himself, but, like the charmed bird, is |
drawn into the coils of the serpent and
devoured. If the lightning-rod agent
finds all unusually obstinate man, he
works himself into the house, and lays |
siege to the citadel within by the recit-
al of the most heartrending cases that |
have occurred within his own knowl- |
edge. In this way he soon gets por-
ton, at least, of the family in tears.
This is more than his victim can resist,
for he loves his family. Now he begins
to parley with the professor about
terms; the crafty agent offers him ex-
ira terms out of special regard for his
family. He does not want money 4;
will take his note without interest the
first year, and wait until it is coBven-
lent to pay, at the same time insuring
the buildings against lightning.
The agent is finally asked what the
job will cost. The professor of electric
ity replies twenty-five or it may be
thirty-five dollars at most Thus he
draws his victim step by step, until he
secures his reluctant consent. By this
time the team has arrived, and is
drawn up before the house. The men
are ordered to proceed to rod the house.
Usually by this time the victim has be-
come so infatuated that he then yields
10 having the barn also furnished with
rods. In less than one hour the build
ngs are bristling with ornaments. Dur
ng this time the professor has not been
die, but has the papers ready to be
signed. Now then he is in great hur-
v, and if he can so confuse his victim
Is to get his signature without reading
he paper he will contrive to do it;
)ut the victim is stunned when he
earns the cost of his folly, which in
many cases has been Sl63, in some
1914, and upwards. AS soon as the
signature of the owner is affixed to this
document, every dollar of his property
S securely pledged for the payment of
his lightning rod folly.
AS soon as the designs of the light
hing professor are accomplished in that
ocality, these pledges are all transfer
ed to other parties, and presented at
'nce for payment. To the certain
knowledge of the writer, the bill for
furnishing some buildings with rods, in
his State, has amounted to more than
he buildings were worth. R. d. E.