Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-12-08
FLEeCINo The uNWARY.
A Concern Which Promises to Grow Fat
at the Expense OF Fortune Seekers.

a Concern Which Promises to Grow Fat
st the Expense OF fortuneSeck
IN Y. Cor. Chicago Tribune
A seductively-haitel trap has just been
set to catch unwary Americans. A COM
mcdious Office has been hired and occupied
by claim agency" According to the
announcements of this concern there is a
chance for many to get rich. Enormous
fortunes" says the advertisement await
ing claimants, lie buried in the courts of
ehancery, Bank OF England, Germany and
other countries, over 81 J0,9oo, 90, which boz
long to people of all classes in the ccr.mu-
nity." This vast sum is duo in various
amounts to an army of 50. 00) individuals
who have been vainly advertised for in
papers from all parts of the world The
agency has a list of these names and is will
ing to furnish then to the fortune-seek-
ing public at a reasonable rate. The
methods of the concern are peculiar. A
distinguished-l man is the manager
He is tall and has preanatursly white hair
and short dark mustache. For all pre-
hminary Information he refers the visitor
most politely to a pamphlet published by
the company, incidentally remarking that
the Tees detailed in its pages represent just
what II costs the agency to do the work
for which the fee is charged. In other
words, the agency will examine records of
various kinds at cost price to see if tho
would-be claimant has a fighting chance
for wealth, and if he has the agency teien
under axes to collect for him at a percent
age OF tho amount recovered Mr.. Man
ager avoi Is questions from his visitors, as
uring them that every thing il explained
IN cook, price nifty cents; but il pressed
he Will say that the concern has been
Established in London for thirty years.
The compiler of tho pamphlet, howov,r,
neglected to mention the London address
OF the concern or to note thai there is a
London end.
On the title page it purports to contain
ehO Of I,~f]sosis .-l.S,yo :. e...
OF kin, heirs at law, and personal repre-
sentativeS are wanted; also persons who
have 'boen advertised for to claim vast
sums Of money and property in Great
Britain and all parts of the world. These
names are said to have been collatei from
advertisements since away back in 1859.
Scattered throughout the pamphlet are
pages covered with alleged extracts from
newspapers, anecdotes of great fortunes
suddenly acquired, curious will cases and
the like, all to excite the reader with the
hope that similar luck may be in store for
him. Here is one OF the bricsest from
many: "a Liverpool tram conductor has
received an intimation that ho is next in
kin to West Indian planter named Cort
who has left e10o,00." Tho catalogue
gives surnames only, and the Christian
names will be supplied to tho applicant
at the rate of two dollars per fam
lily. That is, to suppose case,
some person by the name of Campbell
gets the fortune hunting craze, aud, buy
ing the pamphlet, finds that the Campbell
has Isl marked after it. This means that
in cases of intes:ates 1S7 persons by name
OF Campbell have been advertised for since
1850. the fortune-hu ter, for s2, gets tho
given nanes of the 1877, in which list he
may search for his own or that of some
ancestor. The majority of the names have
no numbers after them, srgnifying that
only one of the family has ever been miss
ing when there was money to be distrib-
uted. But it costs tho fortune hunter 81 just
the same to get the giv5n mama of tho SOL
itary heir. Having obtained so much he
is requested to pay IS more if he wants to
seetle advertisement in which the name
was mentioned If he is still hopeful he
may have the ''decrees, orders" etc. at
chancory offices searched to see il any
money stands to his credit for $13.25 The
indications are that thousands of fools are
being caught IN this trap.