Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-01-21
BOHEMIAN OATS.
How Farmers are Swindled by the
Rascals.
Ifrom the Mt. Vernon Banner |

AsASCaAH.
IFrom the Mt. Vernon Bannerl
From time to time, during the pas
two years the local columns Of the Ban
ner have contained stray paragraph
concerning one of the boldest and mos
bare-faced swindles of the age-namel
the Bohemian Oats" racket. TIL
scheme is said to have originated il
Ohio, and has been worked so success
fully and so often, that the victims q
the swindle have been looked upon a
frank suckers" and unworthy of sym
pathy.
The scheme is so plausible that minis
ters, lawyers, and all sorts of business
men have been captured by it.
THE ORIGIN OF BOHEMIAN OATS.
In order, that the reader may under
stand how the scheme originated it will
be well to begin at the beginning. A
few years ago a gentleman found 0
queer looking patch of oats growing in
Canada. The grain was like the ordin.
ary article except it was, hulless and
was said to yield as many bushels on O
given amount of ground as the common
oats would. The grain was alleged to
have been originally imported from Bo-
hemia. 'F@
The Ohio man who discovered the
cereal In the Queens dominions obtain
ed some of the seed and brought it
home. Now the Bohemian oats swind-
leris notorious over Ohio and adjoin-
ing States, and many have made for
tunes out Of it. The grain itself is pro-
baby all right and Just as good and
profitable as the old time article but 1t
is the bunko game practiced in dispos-
ing OF it that is complained of.
While the swindlers have been dup
ing people in all portions of the State.
Knox county has been overlooked and
for the past two weeks agents have
been at work.
THE dODUs oPERANDI.
The method of operation Of the oats
sharks is somewhat as follows: A good
talker goes to a farmer whose financial
standing he has taken especial means
to ascertain, and offers to sell him from
ten to fifty bushels of Bohemian oats at
$40 per bushel. The worthy granger.
to whom dollar looks as big as a cart
wheel, turns up his eyes in holy horror,
and says he could never pay such a
PAASC. VAaO AC udS uUt CIlaC muCl
money. "But wait a minute, z saws the
schemer. you don't have to pay me
= single cent down. Just take twenty
bushels and give me your note for $500. |
Out of your first crop we will buy forty
bushels at the same price, and you will |
Just double your money, and give you
q bond holding us to our agreement. |
ana the note viii not he presented un-
til the bond is lifted.'
This opportunity to make a hundred
dollars or two out Of nothing inyari- |
ably catches the sucker, and he readily |
signsthe blank note which is presented.
The note is always negotiable, being pay
able to the party it Is made out to or |
bearer. The agent atonce turns this over
to the President Of the company, and |
inside of q week 1t is in the hands Of |
some n0teshayer or has been discounted |
at q bank. These notes are what the
brokers would call gilt edged; as they
are all signed by men who own farms. |
stock and implements. There is no
possible way Of getting out Of paying
them, as they are negotiated, and are
In the hands ofinnocent parties.
OF course, the agent does not raise
the bonds and buy twice as much oats