The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-08-03

The "green goods" swindler is at present
reaping rich harvest, particularly In
Pennsylvania. The entire State has been
flooded with circulars of the most alluripg
description, showing how fabulous sums
may be made by dealing in counterfeit
money. Nearly every day fresh victim
comes to light. The police and govern
ment officials have been working hard to
stamp out this species of swindling, but
notwithstanding all their efforts there are
more "green goods" swindlers in the coun
try to-day than has ever before been
known. Nearly everybody who reads the
newspapers is familiar with the methods
used by the "green goods" man, but there
are countless thousands who do not read
the papers, and it is upon this class that
the clever swindler depends for his victims.
The "green goods" man has formidable
rival. He is called the ''yellow goods"
man and his modes of catching the unwsry
is precisely the same. The "yellow goods"
man claims to sell gold coins which are so
perfect that even the most expert numis-
matist cannot detect them from the genuine
coins of the realm. OF course the "yellow
goods" man has no such COIN but he dis
plays to his victim few genuine gold
pieces, and then sells him package of
worthless brass metal
The counterfeit money swindlers are the
hardest kind of ''crooks" to catch. They
cover up their tracks so well that they
| battle the shrewdest government agents.
When they send their alluring circulars out
they always put an address where
''strlctly confidential may be sent. 1t is
safe to say that fully fifty out of every one
hundred circulars that are sent out by
these rascals are promptly handed over to
| the authorities, yet Notwithstanding the fact
that the circular bears an address to which
the aut horities frequently send decoy ans
wers the swindlers invariably escape cap
| ture.
How they escape detection is easily ex-
planned; A yellow goods" circular, re-
ceived by prosperous farmer in Bucks
county, directed that an answer be sent to
G. A. Candy, at a certain address on East
/ Il
who reads the newspapers, lost no time in
placing the circular in the hands of Pos
tai Inspector who went to the address on
East Fortieth street.
He found that it was an oyster saloon,
kept by man named Briggs. lie went in.
side and asked for Mr.. Candy and was told
that no such person lived there. The in
spector asked Briggs if he knew any one
| by the name of Candy,
There was man came in here few
days ago who said his name was Candy"
replied the proprietor, land asked me to
take care of any letters that might come for
him until he called for them. don't
know him and never saw him before.
take care OF letters for them, and have to
do 1t as a matter of accommodation.
The inspector obtained description OF
the man Candy from Briggs and watched
the place for over week, hoping to catch
him when he called for his letters, but
Candy never came. The inspector soon
realized that the oyster dealer was eithei
in league with the swindler or was Tie
swindler himself, but as there was not the
slightest way of proving this in the eyes oI
the law he had to abandon the case.
AS last resort decoy letters have beer
sent, but they have met with but little sue
cess. The swindlers receive so many an
swers to their glitlering circulars from tht
unsophisticated grangers that they use thu
greatest discrimination in selecting theil
victims. They pay no attention to any
letter that looks at all suspicious, and the,
throw away probably about nine.tenths O
the answers received by them.