The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-01-15
Seductive Advertisements.

THOSE in the habit OF reading thor
oughly the newspapers are doubtless
familiar enough with artificially worded
advertisements like the following, which
are only covers for a nefarious business
or for ingenious attempts at downright
swindling: twenty-five thousand
dollars cash will secure one-fifth in
terest in valuable mining claim in Ne
vada; three millions ore in sight, which
can be worked under patented electric
ore process at cost of 50 per ton. Ad-
dress Business, &C." Or, 81 have
eleven mines located together in New
Mexico; extraordinary prospects, l
want party to advance 81, 800, in month
fy payments, to sink shaft don't want
to sell, but will give an interest in the
property. Address Bona Fides," etc.
The don't want to sell =" in the latter
advertisement is well calculated to at
tract the attention of the supplemented
people to whom it is addressed, though
too transparent to deceive the most or
binary business man. All the fools are
not yet dead, and Bona Fides," whose
demands are certainly very modest, is no
doubt now in receipt, from more than
one quarter, of a handsome monthly in
come. "Bona Fides - will continue to
sink that "shaft " as long as his delud-
ed victims are willing to furnish regular
monthly payments in return for a
.shadowy interest in an apochryphal
property. The principal things re-
-quired under this system, to wheedle
out of unsuspecting and unsophis-
ticated people the accumulated re-
suits of years of toll, is little in
genuity in wording an advertisement,
a plausible manner, large amount of
assurance, and tolerable gift of Ian
.guage. To do this more effectually,
the services of confederates are
required, and these are always to
be found on the spot, ready
to render such as may be
necessary, receiving percentage on all
moneys realized from the jobs in which
they have hand. Last fall an adver-
aisement calling for young man to go
TO California appeared in most of the
New York papers. The applicant, by
giving 800 cash as security, was to OBJ
tain a good position, paying $50 q
month. This California advertisement
proved very successful. Some dozen or
more fools parted with 800 before the
accomplished swindler came to grief.
He told each applicant that he would
suit, agreed to furnish him with free
pass to California, and promised to re-
turn the 800, which he demanded as
security for good behavior on the part OF
his dupe, after the latter had been one
month in his employ. Written agree
ments were invariably drawn up and
signed by both parties in the presence
of confederate, who was represented
to be notary public. This simple, al
most clumsy, machinery, slightly
changed and modified, is still in active
operation, as may be seen by glance
at the advertising columns of our morn
ing papers.
Wall-Street swindlers deal largely il
seductive advertisements. They lool
chiefly to the rural districts for victims
Country papers TEEN with advertise
ments emanating from the swindline
f'put and call brokers'" headed, "HoV
to make Money in Wall-Street. Eacl
particular advertisement contains ex
travagant descriptions of the wonderful
exclusive advantages possessed by "ou
firm" for manipulating stocks. Accord
ing to the seductive advertisements o
the "Mutual Stock Operating Com
panies," it would seem that stock specu
Iation has been by them reduced to 81
perfect system that they can at an