Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-08-21
BUCKET SHOP VICTIMS.
Tempting Advertisements and the
Persons Who Answer Them.
The Sad Experience of a Country Angelo
Who Was Effcctually ..Wiped'-
How the Law is Evaded-
Typical Schemes.

Timothy Pitchfork was an honest
tiller of the soil. %unlearncd in the devil
Gus ways of worldly temptations. Born
and bred on a farm in one of the south
ern tier counties in this State, he had
been accustomed to simplicity and
economy all of his life. He followed
his pillow, MIXED his cows, harvested
his crops and fed his chickens with no
other ambition than to get enough
money to buy a tempting strip of
mcadow-land which adioined the little
farm left him by his dead parents. The
price of the strip of meadow was one
thousand dollars. and the industrious
Timothy had managed to put six hun
drcd dollars in the village bank toward
the purchase. His savings accumu-
lated slowly but steadily, and he was
contented. He had few cares and good
health, and was happy.
One day a specimen copy of a new
weekly paper started in Il neighboring
village found its way to the Pitchfork
farm. Timothy had learned to read
and write, and he took the paper Gag
-erly. and told his widowed sister. who
kept house for him, that he believed he
would subscribe for it if the price of
butter continued to go up. He thought
that he was getting old enough to
learn something about what was going
on in Che outside world. He had never
been away from his native town, and
had but a vague idea of life in a large
city. His thoughts had turned city
ward quite frequently, however, since
Farmer Blossoms daughter Rose, the
sprightly playmate of Timothv's boy
hood, had gone to New York to seek
employment more c%ongenial to her
than the dull routine of a farm.
The weekly paper was read by the
young farmer with such thoroughness
that even the advertisements were al
most committed to memory. One adj
vcrtiscment in particular caught Tim
othy's fancy and set him thinking
oRTUN MADE IN A WEEK.
Five hundred dollars profit on an invest
mcnt of fifty dollars and five thousand dol
lars profit on an investment of five hundred
is not stock speculation, it is simply IL
legitimate system of investment. con-
Quoted under the managemc'' OF a
rience in Wall street enables him to
judge accurately the fluctuations OF the
prices of stocks; grain and provisions, by
cooperation on the part Ola large s,umbcr of
investors the undersigned is cnanled to WELD
Il powerful influence i'll advancing prices.
Persons who desire to realize handsome
profits speedily. without running any risks,
are invited to send such sums ashley wish to
TAKE-1r s. KEEp-lT,
o,,l-nr oY,5 Jl,.pl-nrc NJ - Tlrnn1u-n,- IN,
York City.
N. BAH transactions strictly confiden-
Timothy pondered for several days
over this advertisement. 1t was tempt
ing. Timothy had never heard of the
Elusive 'bucket-shop." His six hun
bred dollars in the village bank was
the result of four years savings, and
at the same rate of accumulation it
would take him two years and a half
morc to swell the SUI to the required
one thousand dollars. Why should he
wait SO long when here was an oppor-
tunity to make perhaps five times the
amount needed in a week. "Absolutc
safety was guaranteed by a firm Of
Broadway bankers and brokers. Tim
otly refrained from talking with his
sister OF any of his neighbors on the
subject, but he made up his mind to
send one hundred dollars to Take-it e.
Keep-it and sec what would come Of it.
He went to the village bank and got
the teller to give him a hundred-dollar
bill, which he sent in a registered letter
to the address stated in the advertise
ment. He instructed the "bankers
and brokers' TO send him back his
money, together with his profits, at the
end of the week. He waited with .
fair degree OF calmness forthe outcome