Richmond democrat., 1881-02-17
SEDUCTIVE ADVERTISEMENTS.


doubtless familiar enough with |
artificially worded advertise. |
monts like the following, which !
are only covers for neiarious bus.
iness or for ingenious attempts
at downright swindling:
Twenty five thousand dollars |
cash will secure q one-fifth inter
est in a valuable mining claim in |
Nebraska three millions ore in
sight, which can be worked un'
der patented electric ore pro.
cess at a cost of 81 per Ton. Ad'
dress Business, &c." Or, have
eleven mines located together 10
New Mexico; extraordinary pros
poets; | want aparty to advance
sl 800, in monthly payment, to
sink q shaft; don't want TO sell but
will give an interest in the prop
erty. Address Bona Fides.H etc.
The don't want TO sclln IN the
latter advertisement is well cal
culated to attract the attention
Of the simple minded people TO
whose address il is addressed,
though too transparent TO de-
ceive the most ordinary business
man. All the fools are not yet
dead, and Bona Fidcs, whose de.
mands are certainly very modest
is no doubt now in receipt, from
more than one quarter, ofa hand.
some monthly income. Bona
Fides' will continue to sink that
shaft as long as his deluded VIC.
Tins arc willing TO furnish regu-
lar monthly payments IN returl
for a shadowy interest in an
apochryphal property. The prin-
cipal thing required under this
system, TO wheedle out Of unsus.
peciing and unsophisiicated pco.
pie the accumulated results OF
years of toll, is "a little ingenuity
in wording an advertisement, 4
plausible manner, large amount
of insurance, and tclerRble gift
of language. To do this more
elfectually, the services of con.
federates are required, aud these
are always to be found on the
spot, ready to render such as
may be necessary, receiving Il
percentage on all moneys Tcaliz.
Ell from the jobs in which they
have hand. Last fall an ad-
vertisemcnt calling for a young
man TO go TO California appeared d
in most Of the New York papers.
The applicant, by giving 500
cash as security, was TO obtain a
good position paying $50 4
month. This California adveI;
( tisement proved very successful.
/ Some dozen or more fools parted
with 500 before the accomplish.
ed swindler came to grief. tie
! told each applicant that lie would
suit, agreed TO furnish him with
q free pass to California, and
promised TO return 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 agreements were iu-
yariably drawn up and signed by
both parties in the presence o4 a
confederate, who represented to
be a notary public. This simple,
almost clumsy, machinery, slight
ly changed and modified, is still
in active operation, as may be
seen by glance at the adver.
tising columns of our morning
papers.
Wall-Street swildlers deal
largely in seductive advertise
ments. They look chiefly to the
rural districts for victims. CouE-
I try papers TEEN with advertise
ments emanating from the swind
ling "put and call brokers'"
headed, "HOw to make Money in
Wall.Street." Each particular
advertisement contains extTava.
CANT descriptions of the. wonder
/ ful exclusive advantages pos
sessed by "our firm" for manipu.
latiDg stocks. According TO the
seductive advertisements Of the
"Mutual Stock Operating Com.
pauies,' il would seem that stock
speculation has been by them re-
duced to so perfect asystem that
they can at any time during bust
ness hours dip out large blckets
full OF gold from tGe Pactolian
stream popularity supposed to
! how steadily through Wall-Street
into the East River. There ex.
| lists in New York a certain class
of sharp tinauciers, who, having
no money Of their own TO invest,
give their whole mind to the in,
yestment of other peoples
money. These investments arc
permanent, in fact, for the mos
part, too permanent. The adj
yertisements OF these philan
thropists explain that they hav,
facilities for loaning money OF
first mortgage security of choice
farms in the West, where the
legal rate of interest is almost
double what il is in some OF oul
Eastern States, and where the
security is more amply than can
in the majority OF cases, be ob
tanned here in the East. This
reads well, but when the investor
is further assured of SO per cent
guaranteed" we can readily un-
derstsnd that here aud there an
amateur capitalist might be Sc
duced into investing in these
precious securities. The adver'
tisements naiyely states that
"these Investments are unlike
other Investments