Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-08-08
SWindling Farmers,

Farmers get swindled; there is no
doubt of that at all. But they are not
alone in that unsatisfactory experience.
This world is divided into two classes,
the swindler and the swindled, and the
latter class is a great deal the larger one
AS we have many times said, the farmer
falls more easily the prey of sharpers
because he is honest himself, and thinks,
as an honest man always does, or at least
is apt to, that everybody else is honest.
There are SOME swindlers Of which the
farmer is the victim, that he might es-
cape, no doubt, if the press did its duty.
newspapers would just stop to con-
slider moment, and let little common
sense shed its light upon the character of
certain swindles, instead of quietly and
respectfully stating as matter of news
that some farmers had been swindled
through the wiles of lightning-rod or
some other similar impostor, they would
point out the fact that the farmer could
not be held upon many of these con-
tracts. A lightning-rod man is very apt
to blunder in making his famous con-
tracts, but, however much he may blum
der or whatever degree of fraud may APP
pear in the transaction, the papers have
been accustomed to say: "ltis too bad;
let the dog loose the next time a light
ning-rod man sets foot on the premises
If u heavy bill has been already paid,
this advice is a good deal like locking
the stable door after the horse has been
stolen. The time to have let the dog
loose was when the swindler began to
pour forth his eloquence. There is not
bit of danger that the lightning-rod
man will victimize the same farmer the
second time. A burned child breads the
fire. and man who has had his fingers
! burned once, will take care of the next
| live coal that he sees, without the aid of
any dog.
Usually the farmer has the law upon
| his side, and if his newspaper were care
! full to keep that before him, and not to
| lead him by inference to suppose that he
is bound by the terms of any written con-
tract to which he happens to find his
name attached, he would often refuse to
pay money on paper which is frequently
forged. There has been recently going
the rounds of the press something like
this: "a new swindling scheme has
been developed in Iowa. A man goes
among the farmers and buys eggs, paying
good price and cash for them. Upon
payment of the money he begins to write
a receipt with lead pencil which does
good service until the last word before
the signature is reached, when the point
conv eniently breaks off. He then pro-
duces pen and the farmer signs his
name in ink. Then the pencil writing is
erased and promissOry note written
above the signature, and the note thrown
in bank, and the deluded farmer is COM
PEELED to pay it.
This is such a stupid performance that
we can hardly credit it; but taking it for
granted a man can be found reckless
enough to make such prominent bid fol-
the penitentiary, it is not matter of
much concern to the farmer. 1t may, it
is true, put him to the expense Of law
suit, but he is no more holden upon such
note than we would be, and instead of
stating this matter in the press in such a
way as to induce him to believe that he
is holden, he should be given Just the in
formation that we have here conveyed.
Such note is q forgery, and in ninety
nine cases out of hundred the micro
scope would show it to be such by re-
vealing the impress of the pencil, which
together with the defendants own testi-
mony would convince any jury on earth.
1t is high time that farmers had begun
to show fight in such matters. Most of
the notes given are without considera-
ton or are fergeries. When without
consideration, the law holds that a note
becomes valid when in the hands of an
innocent third party-that is in the
hands of one who has bought the note
in good faith, supposing that it was given
for valuable consideration. But how
many of such notes are held by such
parties-parties entirely ignorant of their
characterP They are usually sold to the
local banker. They must be sold to
some one who is acquainted with the
alleged maker, for no one else would
buy them. Now this local banker knows
how such notes are secured in the ma
jority of cases. He knows that they are
a fraud, still The buys them. Not one in
q hundred could be collected at law.
1t may be well to repeat here the adj
vice often given to the farmer: Never
| sign your name to any paper presented
by a stranger. Don't sign! Don't sign
Follow that advice and it will save you
lots of trouble. But if you have already
signed, then fight the thing if it is not
| all right Western Rural.