Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-23
Among Others is a Scheme Whereby
People With Matrimonial In
tentiOns Are Promised
A BOOST WHEN BEGINNING LIFE.
Tale of Young Man of BtaddOck Who
Expected to Get $500 for SIS, and
What He Did Receive.
HIS EXPERIENCE LIKE THAT OF MANY.
An Association That Seems to PrcnOts MstfimOny at
Rather Rapid Rata

OF the eoneoction of schemes to make
money out of the unwary, like the making
of books, there is no end-in fact, such
schemes seems to multiply rather than di-
minish with the improvement in means of
general enlightenment, and though some Of
them appear to be very crude, yet from the
number of victims reported, it would seem
that even the very elect are, some of them at
least, among the dupes.
The swindling companies that promise
something for nothing are the ones that
meet with the most success, and none are
more seductive than marriage endowment
companies. Young men and women Of
small means and on marriage bent are at
tracted by the glittering promise of enough
money to set up a domestic altar equal in
point of Punishment to those they are
about to leave, and they bite in all seasons
and at all places.
ONCE A TRAP IN PITTSBURG.
One of these traps was baited on Wylie
Gvenue, few years ago, but it was man
aged by a verdsnt young man, who. over
come by the prospect of a free "ad," gave
away the snap to a newspaper reporter, and
the ''ad" iell on it like black frost, and
the young man found it eIpedient to fold
his tent within few days later. and Wylie
avenue has not known him since.
But the industry is not dead, and an in
stitution in Toledo, Ohio, has lately been
doing good business in some of our su-
burban towns. 1t is known to many patrons
as the Home Magazine Mutual Endowment
Association, and its victims say they were
promised $500 each by payment of SS a
month for six months prior to marriage, or
$500 for SIS. Victims were in some occult
manner persuaded that the business was
dead open and shut, and the golden current
sustained by the contributions of fresh ap-
plicauts.
ONE YOUNG MANS EXPERIENCE.
Many had faith like grain of mustard
seed" or had in view the parable of the
miracle of feeding the thousands on five
Ioaves and seven small fishes. Among them
was q young man of Braddock, who decided
that false modesty should not stand in the
way of an explanation. He had paid on two
policies for a considerable time longer than
the time required, according to the COM
but when proofs of the marriage were for.
warded he was informed that, ow-
ing to the unprecedented rush of business
in Hymen's court, the previous month, his
two tickets only drew SCI 30. He wasn't
satisfied, and accordingly made inquiry and
found that matrimouy appeared to be con-
taginus among the patrons of the Home
Magazine Mutual Endowment Association.
As misery is happier In company, this
young man of Braddock concluded TO hunt
up companions in misfortune, and the fol-
lowing is sample Of the correspondence
that ensued:
BRADDoCK, August q, 1890.
j. Z. Beyerlin, Esq:
DEAR SIR write you these lines for in.
formation concerning the Home Magazine
Mutual Endowment Association of Toledo, o.
see IN one of my assessment papers where
there was an assessment made tor you, as you
carried four policies; if so, please let me know
what you received on each policy, as l was a
member and carried two policies and paid in ii
for eight months. l received Sol so two
months after was married. 1t did not pay me
Tor nv trouble. My policies were paid me on
July 80 The assessment made for you was No
vember !.
To this the following answer was received
On four policies got Sl32 or about that;
think had paid in fully that much; think q
little more. Yours, J. A. BEVERLIN.
AcComb, Hancock county, o., Box 800
TAKEN AS A SAMPLE.
This is pretty fair sample of the reptile,
received from large number of companions
in distress. 1t appeared that, as general
rule, there was q rush into the hymeneal
moose the month Immediately preceding the
application for endowment.
The case was laid before c. F. McKenna
Esq, but there was nothing in it that could
be legally slaughtered out here.
The mother OF the young man referred tt
states that the income of the H NJ. NJ. E
A. appears to have been $4,000 a month Of
late, and that out of it one man was ena
bled, by rigid parsimony, to enjoy an in
come of Sc, 600 year.