The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1891-08-07
A Fascinating swfHdIe.

lhe OIIlceTS cOlDecteQ Win the Assistant
Attorney Generals office of the Post Office
Department have succeeded, it is believed,
in rendering abortiye the attempts Of the
''Iiome Fascinator Company Of Mon
treal, Canada, to victimize many credulous
Americans. This concern, it is stated, pub
fishes a monthly journal called"The Home
Fascinator,' alleged to be devoted TO use
full knowledge, Iomanee, etc. The 'tetc,"
seemed to cover tie greater part of the
paper, and consisted Of an advertisement
of four prizes to be awarded to persons
sending in the largest correct list of
English words Of not less than four letters,
constructed from the ~letters contained in
the words THE Worlds Fair" each
competitor to send with his list the sum Of
one dollar, the subscription price of the
paper. Al enormou circulation has been
acquired throughout the United States
upon the basis of this offer. Prizes were
advertised to be awarded on June 25, 1891,
the first prize consisting of $1,000 in gold,
the second prize a grand piano, valued at
3400, and the fourth prize a sewing
machine, estimated at s65. AS to the third
prize, consisting Of a ~"silver tea set. gold
lined, and valued at $780, the clever and
unique plan was adopted OF awarding it to
thousands of persons, as indicated by the
receipt of the following printed notice,
which was sent through tie United States
mails to the subscribers of tile paper
throughout the country.
"Ofice OF the Home Fascinat0r, Montreal,
Canada, July 20, lsaI.-pear Madame; With
pleasure we INFORM you that you are one of
the successful competitors in the worlds
Fair word contest, and that you have been
awarded an elaborate silver tea set, gold lined.
The cost OF boxing, packing and shipping Is
$500. which amount kindly remit IS by regis
farad letter lRSf-Cfftep order or aNnrpSS money
order, and we viii intruct our United States
Agency TO ship the prize to you. TO avoid
mistakes, you will oblige us by returning this
letter, with your full address written plainly
In ink ON tho lines below.
The Home Eascinator Publishing Co."
ESP. S.-Ne ask you as a special favor to show
this beautiful pr1ze to your friends, and at the
same time speak 4 good word Tor The Home
F~aseinator."
These circulars, asking for a remittance
of 81. so to pay for packing and shipping
the prizes, it is stated, have been freely dis
tributed throughout Kentucky, Missouri,
Iowa and Pennsylvania, so far as adyices
have been received. In one small town in
Missouri six persons were notified that each
one had been awarded this silver tea set,
and six money orders amounting to $500
each, were promptly forwarded to the
Home Fascinator Company at Montreal.
Canada has no statute authorizing the
stoppage Of tie payment of money orders
or the delivery OF registered letters address
ed to a person working a fraud through the
mails. The Postmaster General OF this
country cannot prevent the issuance of a
money order or the mailing Of 4 re registered
letter, so that it looked as if the scheme
would work, with no power to prevent the
complete success of the swindle. The re-
turn of the circular letter destroyed all
written evidence from the Fascinstor Com
pany to the victim. The Department
seemed powerless to act and avert the con-
summation OF a great wrong carried IL
through its own mails, until it was sug-
gested that all American terminal post
offices, designated as exchange offices with
Canada, should be treated as offices of des-
tination, aud the postmasters thereat in
structed by wire TO refuse to certify money
orders or forward registered letters paya-
BILE and directed to the Home Fsscinator
Company, Montreal, Canada, butte return
the same to the offices Of origin, marked
fraudulent.
1t is expected that many thousands of
letters containing money will thus be re-
stored to the writers.
Tho victims of this sw indie are to be
found in almost every postoffiee in the
country. In Weodstowp, Rev. p. d. Root
aud Miss Chellie Moore both received
notice that they had won the silver tea set,
but neither of them sent the money.