Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-30

individuals who Try 70 buy green goods Il Sc
cured conviction in such case in Baltimore
the other day upon which il will proceed
THE ENDOWMENT ASSOCIATION FRAUD.
There are many other frauds which the de-
partment IL 81 present making urgent efforts
extensively Of late, in Kansas Particularly. be-
ing conducted by dishonest insurance concerns
calling themselves endowment associations"
1t il quite = new. species OF awindle. Those
engaged in II, being duly incorporated, sell So
called endowment certificates good for
81 900 each. Purchasers are required to pay
small regular premiums, the agreement being
that any failure to pay shall involve forfeiture
by the holder Of his certificate and
OF all moneys already paid in. The certificates
are arranged to fall due at stated intervals
in the order In which they are numbered, and
the scheme is remarkably attractive on paper.
Certificate No. / is liquidated out OF the first
premiums which como in aud 80 on numer-
lcally. 1t 10 always arranged, however, that
the first ten certificates are held by officers Of
the company, the president having No. 1. the
vice president No. q and so forth. By the
time these have been paid. il not sooner. the
concern goes to smash and the outsiders are
left out in the cold Advertisements of such
enterprises circulated through the mails are
oeing utilized as grounds Tor prosecutions.
well nigh powerless IL worked by alleged at
torneys in England and elsewhere, who adver-
tise for heirs to mythical estates. They mail
their circulars to all parts of this country,
sending them incidentally to small post Offices,
with requests that they be tackled up in a con-
spicuous place. The documents sent out in
TINS way notify the people in general terms
that large sums are due to persons who are be-
Heved to reside in that neighborkood, where
ever 1t may be. Naturally many responses are
sent, and, the advertisements being placed be-
fore the eyes of every rural community, the
aggregate number of answers Is enormous.
Such persons as reply, in the hope that
they may be entitled to the fortunes
referred to, receive assurances to the effect
that they are happily not mistaken. But be-
fore their claims can be acted upon they are
required to pay So for preliminary expenses.
Although for this sam it is guaranteed that
they will obtain what is due them, further de-
mands follow and continue as long as their
purses and creduity will stand the strain. The
number OF victims secured III this way is said
to be astonishing, the profits to the swindiers
being in proportion. Inasmuch as the cirou-
lars and letters are mailed out OF this country,
IT Is impossible for this government to restrain
the business
Lahd swindies have engaged the attention Of
the department considerably of late. Those
who operate them distribute circulars through
the mails, advertising valuable lots for sale ut
small prices IN districts where real estate is on
the jump to such an extent that the pur-
chaser can count upon making a fortune by
oAhoh iuNcstmeHt. IDese tractS are
uated In Florida Or California, and they are
mostly to be disposed of on the instalment
plan. sometimes they are offered for the mere
cost OF registering the property, the negotiasor
absorbing the fees. This is not surprising.
inasmnch as good deal Of the land thus put
upon tue market has proved to be rugged
mountain wilderness or covered with water.
For almost nothing the thrifty speculator is
able to secure half dozen acres of such terri
tory, which, cut up into house lots, afford an
excellent profit at tritiiug rates per square foot
The post Office finds out about frauds OF this
description by sending its inspectors to gaze
upon the localities.
BOGUS DETECTIVE AGENCIES.
Numerous bogus detective ageAoies have
been organized for business during the last two
or three years, especially in Tennessee, ILL
nois and New York. They send letters to
young men in small towns and villages, the
usual method being for such q concern to say
that it is regularly incorporated under the
laws oil the state" which is very likely true
enough, and that ii desires TO secure a repre-
sentative III the district where the person ad-
dressed happens to reside. Ii the latter would
like to accept the appointment a commission
and badge will be forwarded. 1t will be
necessary for him as preliminary to
send 70 as fee. The victim in
closes the money, receives commits
sion duly made out and a brass badge worth
about 10 cents, and never hears anything more
from the company Another game rs worked
by pretended patent agents ill different parts
OF the country, who procure from the weekly
publication of the patent office at Washington
the names of thousands of inventors to whom
patents have been newly granted They write
to these inventors saying that they are in COM
munication with capitalists who desire to pur-
chase certain rights in the patents. Big money
is in prospect and only go will be required
for the expense of conducting she affair. Later
on $40 more is demanded and 30 on as leng as
the poor inventor will respond.
One feature that seems to characterize very
strikingly nearly all of these swindies con-
Quoted through the mails is their contemplate
meanness. Most of them are aimed at poor
people. On the other hand, sympathy does no,
go out to the victims Of the green goods enter
prise. who want to buy counterfeit money for
the purpose Of passing it off on their neigh
bors. Nor is anybody Inclined to weep for the
stupid persons who are taken in by such a
fraud as the matrimonial bureau" exposed
not long ago in San Francisco. 1t issued cir
culars IN behalf OF lady of wealth, em-
barrassed by al infant not properly
counted for Oh the paternal side, whs desired
to share a considerable fortune with any good
and honorable man Wiling to give her his
name" Any one responding WAS requested to
inciose tea cents IN money or stamps with his
reply. Notwithstanding the diaphanous char
acter OF the scheme 30 many thousands Of
answers came in from single gentlemen who
were disposed to marry the lady in return fer
a moiety Of her wealth, each Enclosing a dime,
that the suspicious Of the authorities were ex-
cited aud great Quantities Of the missives were
con6scated
The Post Office Department finds great diff
Guilty in dealing effectaaly with the dIstribu-
ton OF immoral literature through the mails. for
the prevention Of which . bill has been intro
duced in the present Congress- Some legs-
iation on the subject of a drastic nature
is certainly required Under the existing
laws 1t is almost impossible 10 secure
convictions. Rulings have been repeatedly
made in the courts to the effect that certain
widely circulated publications were too dis
gushing to be dangerous to morals. Literature
of this description has been seat IN quantities
to young girls at boarding schools, colleges and
elsewhere by concerns which have obtained
extensive lists Of names for the purpose. New
York is the greatest center for the production
and dissemination of reading matter Of this
kind. Prosecutions began in the courts OF
the metropolis have repeatedly failed and the
post Office is shy of riskisg failures in these
matters since the incident of the 'Kreutzer
Sonata" 1t is wildly remembered how after
that work was shut out of the mails the fact was
made to serve o. an advertisement that sold
hundreds Of thousands Of copies. Boys went
through the railway trains all over
the country shouting, Heres the great i'm
moral book suppressed BY Mr.. Wanamaker
and the Gear OF Russia" The publishers hired
every press that was obtainable and worked
day and night for weeks, but were unable to
supply the demand. House bill 128 makes the
otfense OF mailing immoral literature ''coutix-
80 go. xl,A n,,.ka y