Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-15
UNCLE SANS MAILS.
How They are Used by Clever win
dlers Who Fleece the GuIhbl.

! How They are Used by Clever win"
dlers Who Fleece the GuIlibl
FRAN he O1Jcago Tribune.
! WASHINGTON. D. c.. Jan. 9.-Cfrupt
men have used the mails ever sine the
I government took control of that ser'ice to
swindle the public. The maintenance Of
( a large force OF trained detectives, " Gin
/ spectors,' as they are designated upon
( the rolls Of the Post Office Department,
! has greatly pu flied this branch IF the
/ service in the particular mentioned, but
/ an infinite number OF swindles are stlll
I carried ou through the agency VI the
/ mails. Tue government cannot under
/ take the guardianship OF individual fools,
1 but collectively 1t is of great berett TO
( them, ana by the enforcement OF general
rules saves them large amount ofnoney
every year.
Svndl ers reach their intended victims
by circulars and by advertisements IN
careless or characterless newspapers.
Iue former method is preferred by sharp
ers, as being the least likely TO come
under the notice Of the official spies q the
departing {. 1t is an easy matter 10 OBJ
tain tool-lists of any required number OF
names, running up into the mihlons.
LoUrery companies make = bunness
of selling lists OF the names OF
|
ling concerns which obtain orig
mai lists are addicted to the same prac-
tice. CouGtrymen who reply to any OF
The hundreds Of lsnSp advertisements
wonder how it IS that the managers OF
fascinating enterprises from one end OF
/ the country TO the other obtain their adj
dresses, and they feel some way, that
they must oe persons of Importance.
/ Their vanity is fattered, and III lnnumer-
/ aniA InCtam ThlN must UNDERGO q rEHl-
/ lar course of training before they acquire
a sufficient fund of experience TO enable
them to realize that they are on the
wrong side Of Institutions for feeble
minded.
/ The art craze, which during the last few
/ years has spread over the country like an
/ epidemic, has developed aswindle that is
very hard for the department 10 reach and
which affords a livelihood for q large num-
| Der Of ehArprising and interruptions per
/ sons. The kn6ves tax the great army OF
/ unsOphlsticated girls who imagine they
/ have artistic tastes by showing them,
! through the medium ofcirculars, now they
! can put themselves in the way Of earning
/ com Portable incomes with the expendl-
! ture OF a trifliug sum for an outfit.
/ They promise to take work that is pro-
duced according to their system" and
in every instance require small cash
/ pay ment in advance from the favored az
/ tsts. tins almost unnecessary to state
! that the whole business is an unmltlga-
1 ted sWindie. The department finds this "A
most troublesome class OF cases to deal
with, the Originat0rs protecting them
/ selves very completely, as rule, against
/ prosecution. The art sWinIle is not q new
I thing by any means, but as women and
girls are not careful readers Of newspa-
pers the crop Of victims appears to be in
/ eXhaustible.
/ First and last, Chicago has furnished a
/ list of swindler5 who operate through the
mails. There are several of these artful
art establishments located there who do
/ business in various guises. With the
/ Fund W schemes newspaper readers are
/ familiar, aud the same things, with mOdi-
ticatiOns, amendments, and variations,
/ mas been tried in many other places, none,
I however, on so ambitious scale. Ad-
/ vertisers in Out-of-the-way places who
promise to send pianos, organs, barOme-
| tiers. threshers, cOrn-shellerS, sure-cures
tor all ailments OF the flesh, gold watches,
| sewing machines, books, and almost
! every article in use on payment
of a small sum are numerous. The Post
/ Onice Department spent months trying to
/ break up the scheme of man who con-
/ tracted TO send pianos ana organs from his
: manufac tories in Maine and California TO
any part of the United States on payment
I of 81 or So or - to delray the cost of box
1 ing the instruments. The articles were
received according to contract, but they
proved to be cheap toy pianos and organs,
/ the expense of boxing which was about
/ 10 per cent. OF the sun RENTED in each
case. Another fellow made lot Of money
/ by boxing and forwarding very cheap
mouth-orgaus 10 all who patrOnized him
through the mails.
The proprietor OF a snlde but harmless
/ cure for deafness reaped a harvest OF $50
or $40 a day for a long time. His head
quarters we're in New York. The presi-
/ dent Of a b0gus medical college did 8
prosperous business 10 selling spurious
diplomas. but IS the men WAO bit at his
bait We're cCnfessedly as great sWindlers
as he was, the department was a long
time getting at bin. This was a sWindle
pure and simple.
A flaming advertisement, by which it
vas made TO appear that Z. p. Tiffany, of
/ New York. would express q gold watch TO
amy BODY in the United states for -, was
. published in a great many news papers
I not SO very long ago. Thousands OF
raoDle supDoslng this TO be the great
/ New York iewtlry house, sent on their
7 contributions. An immense number Of
orders were received before the postal
/ authorities could interfere. Several
bogus cattle and cutlery companies have
| DefEDtFdLH q sNANUltS On Lub EAllUlC
[ public, and graveyard insurance COM
I pauies and marriage associations have
had their runs.
An army Of rurslists forwarded hard
earned dollars for a knowing machine
kuile-sharpener. simple, effective, and
I easily operated" and received in return
sticks dipped in emory-dust and pieces OF
iron. Another ingenious operator found
"a market for thousands OF copies OF a
{ cheap edition Of the scriptures by repre-
/ s,Nting the book to be q collection OF very
1 tCu.h stories. L is not recorded that the
department interfered with this mission
airy enterprise.
The foregoing comprises only very
/ small Uer centa9e OF the games that ar.
/ attempted to be worked upon the credu-
/ lous through the medium of Uncle Sans
/ mails, but the list is long enough to give
/ an idea of some Of the laoor that is re-
/ quired OF the postal detectives. and OF the
/ difficulties that are encountered IA pre-
serving tie service in n clearly condition.
( THE BiLL-TERRY ROMANCE.