Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1883-03-01
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The following gietter from Judge s. N,
Owen. fully explsihsa new and success.
tpl syindls which aisi being -operstef ID
the satisfaction OF the, operators and ID
the detrimsnt of innocent Interested par.
-. cousf ROOM, DErIIscE. o.. lAs
February 0, 1888. fga
II the eonnding public persist in con.
tinuing the prey Of the p~ihdling adveu.
turers who fnfsst the land, Il win not be
the fsultof the country press. which has
so sturdily set its face against them and
Their plausible schemes, and % faithfully
keeps before the public It's expositions Of
the impositions Of these industrious and
ingenious Artistssii Still another plan OF
attack upon the pockets Of the nm wary
has just nov. for the fourth ntime. come
to nay notice-a plan 10 cunnipg and
mischievous that trust It will not seem
indelicate or in, doubtful taste for me, to
call your attention to it and 90 enable
you, IL you feel it Of sufficient ,conse-
quencs, 70 sound the, alarm, against the
approach Of Q scheme Of imposition and
fraud whose iniquity Is equalIed only by
its ingenuity. The plot or the operator
presupposes that the, victim has already
given his note genuine n6te1lon time.
There b no question about thei consider
alton, Or the entire good faith of the
transaction leading To- the giviag Iof the
note.as Before the note tmatnrsa, the
maker Of it is approached by O stranger
who exhibits q note which yths former
at once recognizes as an old acquaintance.
The date, amount, time OF payment. rxts
OF intepsst, name Of the ypayee. all cor
respond 70 the. one he gave and there 10
what he,oynsto, be his own autograph.
That it 70 his note he does not pause to
question. The holder 10 prepared to
allow him a handsome discount il he pay
the note now. The offer seems generous.
even benevolent, and, being not at all
distrustful, he pays the sum demanded
cheerfully and even with, thanks and
gratitude takes up the note and says,
with Miccawber, "another obligation
cancelled" and is happy. But when his
note natures he is confronted by some
innocent purchaser of his paper, who is
unquestionably the owner OF it, and that
in good faith. In worl he has paid
and taken up-perhaps destroye1-a
forged note and there before him he be-
holds. in confussion and dismay, his gen.
uine promise to pay. He is helpless.
Another plan of attack is this: The
spurious paper is offered to some dealer
in notes who goes with the holder at the
latter's request, to the maker who assures
them that the note is call right" and this
Of course, confirms the title Of the pur-
chaser. and after this note is paid his
genuine paper transpires and must be
paid. / have seen no expose Of this novel
scheme OF entrapping the unwary, which
seems to me to involve the very romance
of fraud and villainy, and this prompts
me to call attention to it. When the
maker OF genuine commercial paper is
approached by a pretended holder of it
with such generous and tempting offers
to throw off," he will do we'll to "be-
ware of Greeks bearing gifts" await the
maturity OF his paper and then be as.
suresf tkSrrit Is bis own. In two of the
four cases referred to the victims have
sunsuccessfully resisted payment OF their
genuine paper in the courts by pleas Of
payment. In the other two they have,
more wisely, paid them, being satisfied
of their genuineness.
SELwYN N. OWEN.