The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-09-06

ten me recently regarding a green
goods episode which was made pub
lie in July by a st. Louis paper and
which involved the name of Mr.. P. O.
Owenby, of this State. 1t seems that
the following announcement caught
Mr.. O~wensby'y eye some time ago.. 1t
was printed in a well known ape
and evidently in good faith. No paper
could have printed such an advertise
ment otherwise, it seems to me:
@. G. MONEY-S1OO for SO, or $50
for So. Pkgs, in 800 and $50 lots.
Good agents wanted for rare goods.
Particulars 4 cents.
Mr.. Owenby wrote for some of the
Q. G. money with a pure heart, and
hoping to relieve the distress of some
man who needed $40 so badly that he
was willing to give 800 for it. Know
ing how close money matters are at
times on Wall street, and what a high
rate of interest parties on the stock
exchange are willing to pay for short
loans onpersonal security, Mr.. Owenby
no doubt would have been perfectly
justified in stepping in and relieving
distress in that way.
But the letter written by Mr.. Owenby,
of this State, was received by officers
of the law, as I understand it, and Mr..
Owenby's motives were impugned.
He did not know this till one day in
July, when he happened to be looking
over his motives and saw something
peculiar about them.
Soon after he read in the St. Louis
paper that his letter had been printed,
and that the public had been left to
surmise that Mr. Owenby wished to
take advantage of the financial de
pressi n and get an exorbitant rate of
interest on his ten dollars.
Strangers have impugned Mr.. Owen
by's motives, and he does not know
what to do for it. AS a resident of
this State I am glad to come forward
with a sample explanation regarding
the matter and insert here a letter sent
to the Citizen, of AsheYille, showing
how it happened. Those who know
MI. Owenby here in North Carolina
say that if he had received the money
he would have relieved distress with
it, but the parties to whom he wrote
were arrested by the police and treated
shamefully.
Mr.. Oweuby's letter fell into the
officers hands and among others, and
was printed. He wishes this plain
statement made to show that his
motives were in good order when he
wrote the letter:
Yes, I wrote just as the st. Louis
Globe Democrat had it, but not for the
purpose they supposed. Several weeks
ago Mrs. Owenby read the ad. I in
close, and we had up a bet as to what
it was; to decide it of course we wrote
on to them.
When I found they had counterfeit
money l determined to get a sample
and all the proof necessary and turn
them over to the proper authorities.
They premeditated trouble by my
boldness in sending a billhead Of my
business and had not sent the sample
they promised. Then I was certain of
their fraudulent business and wrote
them the letter referred to in the St.
Louis papers.
Twas too late, as others had worked
up their case and arrested them in a
day or two after this letter reached
them.
I did not want their goods, but
should have liked the amount Uncle
Sam would have given me had I not
been too late in bringing them to
justice. P. A. OWENBY.
l hope this will silence every crit
cism regarding Mr.. ORenby, for he
says that these men "premeditated
trouble and did not send him the
goods" I feel certain that had Mr..
Owenby received the goods he would
have gone on and arrested the parties
at once, paying his travelling expenses,
of course, out of the money so re-
ceived.
But these men who advertise to give
800 for $40 do not do what they agree.
At least that ismy experience. have
answered two or three of their ads,
intending to go on to New York and
arrest them as soon as l got the
money from them, SO that I would not
have to make the journey at my own
expense, but I have yet to deal with
one of them who could be regarded as
a man of integrity.
Swindles are common everywhere,
and 1 find that 1 get along very poorly
in the sleuth business. Ny purse was
taken in New York one day on the
street, but the iend in human form
was richly punished for his wicked
ness. All that the purse contained
was a ~postof1ce money order that 1