Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-03-31
All OLD SWINDLE.
BUT IT is REVIVED ON A SOMEWHAT
IMPROVED PLAN.
Schemes by Which the Sharpers Enrich
Themselves at the Expense
of the Fools.

There are thousands of men who live
and flourish on the credulity and weak
nesses of their fellow-creatures. Their
brains are ever at work concocting swind-
ling schemes that will bring to them the
hard-earned money of those who are al
ways on the lookout to make fortunes rap
idly, and this class is so numerous and gen.
orally so unwary that they fall easy VIC
Tins to the wlles Of the shrewd villains.
Probably more men have been robbed by
the green goods" swindle than by any
other of the innumerable schemes con-
cocted for the purpose, and although fire.
quently exposed it is as often revived in
some new shape.
A few days ago citizen of Butte county
received the following circular, printed in
imitation of a type-written letter and for
warded it to the RECORD UNION for publi-
cation. It is gem in its way, and worthy
OF perusal by all who have not been favored
with copies by mail:
Ny Dear Friend, l wroue you recentlT and
gave you full information about my business
l explained to you what FAST easy and Sd Se
money-maklng business it was. l also tolu
you how you could telegraph me for instruc-
tions in order that you could come on here aud
make face-to face deal, as l always consider
that plan the best. then told you If YOU could
not come on, or did not have $500 to invest, to
simply let the matter drop until you heard from
me again. You have done exactly as instructed
you have been guided by my advice, and, am
proud to say, that believe you would do me no
harm, and would make me a true and honor
able agent In looking over my books this
morning, find that have never sold dollars
worth OF goods in your State, therefore have
concluded to make you the following PROPOSE
tion-and you can consider yourself lucky
man. 1t Is something that i have never done
before. Now If your affairs are in such shape
that you cannot well leave home or you haven't
sufhcient funds TO come on here and invest at
my rates, send me-in the incloSed envelope-U
Will be sure to get it, whatever money you can
conyiently raise and l will send you goods in
proportion at the same rate as If you invest
S3UO-that is If you send me $50 will send you
back ten times that amount, etc. See?
My stock is as fine as human skill can make
them. No man has ever had any trouble with
my goods, and men all over the country who
stand well in the community are getting rich
III the business in perfect safety. Yes aud no
one knows how, too When old age reaches
you, it will find you with plenty of means, pro-
Vlded you are careful enough to save portion
OF what you make. They are printed from
original plates that were secured" from the
Treasury Department by former workman in
the engraving bureau at Washington. They
cannot be told from genuine until they work
their way back TO the Treasury for redemption,
where their true character is then discovered
by means of the forged signatures and the
serial numbers thereon. This never happens
however, until they have been in circulation
for long time and passed through hundreds of
hands, The Government is the only loser, and
1t being enormously rich, can easily stand the
loss,
I would advise you to invest all you can on
the first deal. You will never regret it as long
as you live. OF course, the more money you
send the better it viii pay you. In fact. it is to
your great advantage, because on the second
deal and thereafter charge 25 per cent. only
make you the present rate in order to start you
and to show you how much money there is in
the business, also because at the present have
very large stock on hand. Sometimes my
stock runs low, and l have to disappoint my
customers by keeping them waiting. Your ter
ritory is large and new, and am very anxious
to have some good man like yourself pegin
work at once and make hay while the sun
shines" Now you see, my friend, you have a
grand opportunity before you-one that will
never come again-to make thousands of dol
lars in very quiet and easy way. Get your
money in large bills, SO that it won't make
bulky letter. Do not register your letter, as /
will not sign for any registered lie tiers. Any
money sent otherwise than the way have told
you win refuse to receive and you will lose it.
tell you all of this for your own good. Kindly
remember this distinctly. l mean business.
Now, my friend do not ask me to do business
in any other way, as shall positively refuse. l
have to pay big money for the use of these
plates, and ! am not in this business for char
ity or love. In conclusion. TO make you doubly
safe and to prove to you that / am Gquare
white man, have requested my bankers with
whom l have large account, to write you and
tell you what kind of a man am. They, how
ever, do not know what line of business am
in.
In ordering, state how many of each denom-
ination you want. If you want them made TO
look old and worn will do il for you. | will
send them to you, new or old, just as you wish.
do not care whether you accept my PROPOSE
tion or not, as greatly prefer TO transact my
business in person. If you come here for the
goods at my rates land buy not less than $500
WORTH II would please me better than to have
you send the money. should you conclude to
come on and make faceto-face deal, and in
vest $500 or more, simply say, Send instruc-
tions."
Sign your name always as per ''pass word
and number given you. Trusting you will
make up your mind to come here instead of re-
mitting and that you will let me hear from you
at once, | am, my dear friend, very sincerely
yours, in honor and friendship,
'YoU KNOW
Accompanying the above letter was the
following, in genuine type written charsc-
tiers, with pen-and-ink signature, and ap-
parently genuine Endorsement, by q re-
sponsible banking firm, on one of its own
printed letter sheets:
Founded 1889. American and European Sc
curities bought and sold. Drafts, letters of
credit and money orders issued to all parts of
Europe.
Capital. 81 100000 Branch offices at 4i9
strand, LOnOOn, EDgldnu, 81 boulevard Qes
Capucines Paris France; 70, 80 and 81 Piazzi di
Spagna Rome, Italy; rs Friedrich Strasse Ber-
lin, Germany; A Gerhoss Strasse, Hamburg,
Germany
snsfoNS Bros. Il Co.,
BANKERS,
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
DEAR SIR: Mr.. Charles Wilson has requested
US TO write to you concerning his reliability.
We take pleasure in stating that he is thor
oughly Trustworthy, and We guarantee any
transaction you may have with him. Yours re-
specially, SIMMONS Bros x Co.
The authors of this attempted swindle
are pretty safe in sending these circulars to
country people, for the reason that nobody
cares TO so the trouble and expense of
proving that the senders are frauds, while
those who do bite at the tempting bait find
that they cannot kick without exposing
the fact that they sought to become parties
to supposed scheme 10 rob the Govern
ment by buying and issuing bogus money.
Of course tho narties af the hottou of the