The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-19
HOW FARMERS ARE swINDLED.
The Neat Little Game Which a New York
sharper Is Playing.

iNtW lO4k l4u4t3
MARLBOROUGH, n. Y, Feb. l3.-The par.
ticulars OF an enticing and plausible sIic-
die were learned this afternoon. The new
dodge IS planned TO suit the present more or
less bard times, and the way it is worked"
is IS ingenious as it is new. Letters, not
Autograph copies or imitation type writer
epistles, sre used, and all emsnste from one
source in New York City. the only address
given being a Dox al the General Postofsics.
/ 10Ta accounts received this evening
by the Times correspondent from localities
ID the counties of Sullivan, Orange. Greene,
Dute sSs ana Ulster it appears that al the
lettev sent ont are written IN one man's
hanc with E. who claims to be q lawyer rep
reseIti1g people DESTROYS OF investing
mon in real estate, especially SO IN small
fruit arms and other country property. The
New York sUindlsr apparently has scanned
the country directories carefully for IN
nearly every instance he says this OF that
gentleman, naming some Well-known man,
has informed him that she mans of the re-
cipient of the missive was mentioned to
him, and be knows that money 50 put outii
will be perfectly safe. he then goes on TO
say that ne, as the representative OF Russell
Sage, Cyrus w. Field, and number OF other
brokers and msneyed Wall street meu, offers
10 loan a sum not exceeding $500 at 4 per
cent. The representative" states that be
has made thorough inquiries az % the stand
ing anu fespOht1olIty OF kle DaTty 10 WHOM
the money is offered, and 81 the latter has
to do Is 10 sand his note and the interest %
the amount desired - be borrowed The
swindler naively adds that the interest
skked is so low that y must De paid in sd.
vance. It is pointed Ous that OF necessity
everything Is square and above board when
such men as Messrs. Sage Rnd Field back an
enterprise OF this kind. Moreover the
tempting offer gees on to state. the risk IS
ell on the capitalists side, but inasmuCh as
they have tasen pains TO guard against loss
from wicked paOpls-for, the letter states.
tbere appears 10 ne such IN the rural districts
IS we'll as in the mstr0polis-they freely and
unTeservediy offer the party addressed. al
ways through the representative" SOC or
less on the conditions already stated.
Farmers and others 10 the number o. a
score or mofs n the counties named during
ne past few days have seized this which
seems to them ~ first sight 70 be golden OBJ
portuDity of borrowing $500 for $50 cash
down for long term of years and at low
rate of interest. The lawyer, alleged or 9TH
erwise, has several aliases Archibald Secor,
Francis B. Stephens and John Choate being
the leading ones. This is taxpsyipg time in
the HCosoa River counties, and interest Oh
moTtgaged farms viii be due IN week or
two, ard the Wy innocent and condding
victims have Jumped at tie transparent
swindle is astonishing. The old note and
patent right games are worked annually
with vary ing success, but this new swindle
is admitted to be the checklist and neatess
racket and the most Temunerative intro
ducsd into the Hudson Valley territory in a
long time.