New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-20
WAyS or dCTOGRAPH-HCNTERS-
HOW THEIR VICTIMS ELUDE ThEM-oNh NE
PLY OF HORACE GREELEY

NOW THEIR VICTIMS EhOD' ii
ply OF HORACE GREELEY
.speaNinc Of autographs said one OF a. group y,
c,uhmen the other night. consider ina. '"e "'''
for collecting them Is KIM OF uSe'S' i'iNi'e lain
to .oms snots Ike cholera III ASIA and now ana ne,"
.,oonInc over the world like an epidemic ana Wv
,,r,s ,vbo cotch Il badly are hardly Responsible W.
,,o,r octlons aftcrward Some great mon ""O'
autographs are much desired by these collectors a."
horod bevond belief by innumerahe requests io'
SIGNATURES attached 10 a note, or poeh' or W 'o
o, all These men get 4 dozen or so c''e's Vi ""'
kind In every mail, and 10 comply WITH 'h'" az s.o
na scvcre task Some famous people Ignore XIV
$50, ALTOGETHER when they ask plainly for autographs
nd AZ rho indefatigabc collectors resort 10 suo'o
h,ge TO obtain what they want. o,r
"One way to wheede an author Is 10 sly III -,
,o,o nm, ,nc writer Is completing MS library ana ID
dc.,rou, OF getting accurate list OF all 'he
crcot and small Of his avortc author inc ''''''"
:, The fails and It seldom does the collector assume
orothcr name and asks for nm explanation OF 'o"''
,o,,cuous nossage I'm ono OF the authors worhs' III
.,,nc TINT tho sdueiunk Literary Society, OF so''e
o,ber debating club, is all torn up by not "'p"'
over the question. Another way Is to ask 'ne ""''o
,oy old he was when he wrote that most char"i'e
moan Evangcllnc.' The victim feels conlp'''"o,''-
Nv tho mistake OF thinking that he wrote 'Evansr"',
md generally instructs his supposedly 'sno'""' ."
mirror In the desired autograph letter -
,r. ,,,,ro fur ~ tricks these collectors, ana
,ho,cb in other respects they may be- honest peop,'
they will stoop to almost any deceit to carry o"'
nurnose That's why say the mana Is diseas' '''n
IT'S victim, are hardly responsible Tor Wha' '"e' Wv,
"rb,t,s So said another member OF the group
81 have friend who Is the private secretary " =
social lion and he tells me that people VIII "fi "''''
uinu lot,ors asking for advice: saving that "'y aI
on tho verge Of bankruptcy. or lnnacy OF S"''''
90, r,nt NJ knowing lust to do in the emergency
v,dovs with large families. young men about 70 s'"'
ufc maids hatng between love for II scapesr"oc '''
obedience To parents. while all the time "h"' 'S
re,lly want Is the signature under The reply '""'
an honest appeal for help IS cast into IN" waste
under this suspicion which might o'her"i9e e'' 49,
answer. =,
Another widely known man. much peSler'u oS
these people composed neat reply telling III P'"''
I'm, firm Language low this sort 81 thing II accedeu TO-
vould consume nm unreasonable amount OF MS '"e
and then hr had several hundred copies OF u p'''
signature and all. and whenever writer Is ''ouH"""
enough to send stamp for reply he gels one oil "'''
n no stamp Il sent b" gets nothing nj all O'" W.
hardly holm rc,lyins however, to cordial invitation
ia com. and spend CHRISTMAS nj IN" nome Oh some u'
known adnirer even though you suspect tho trap
,uy I'm the new. papers" addci third man. nj
tho FIN. when the Duke u Clarence. son Of N" frno'
Of Wales Gicd story. don'i know how true II was,
that once when the young fellow was at scA'o anu "
got into some boysh scrapc which exhausted all INC
allowanr. %, father made him, De- wrote 10 MS grant
mother u, Queen, f.: the loan OF few POUNDS Inv
thrifty Victola wrote him letter of good advice III
stead which the thought!css young prince Immediately
sold for a few shllinss to autograph collector
When the fact, all came out the collector sold again
for A. many pounds as h. gave shillneS FOR IT,
some pcopl. h7v, written n number Of their sig
nature, and giyra them to charities Tor sale ana 10
thos, Charities thry refer IA" collector who wants
something ful nothing. The professional collector
houcscr rather tcogus the signature OF hNinS c'''
brittle, which ma hr had :or To-" ASKING ana coislHis
only t.Dt IA tao ualhr ius cash worth M~ w!lle Inc
ncNoiahc Law - supply ana ""W'u, CON- ~ -" 49,
a. II GD,, IA TIE collection 81 coins ana we H'''',t ~.
stance. Is not h".d az nearly - M" q ~,
of some Of TIE more obscure ssn"fs q! W" p'o.l'"
u ndcrcndcnce. simply "r.i,' trF. ar n,"," va
them last as yo ruy forty Roman CONS centuries
I'D FOR the pri ~ American coin 81 cer'ah ychr
OF which Tie i>,U" NIs N'N IN al. 49,. -. -,
Your rcinarl about centuries said IN" hrst sPrah'
remind. me tli th, idea ~ collecting autograph. Is
Of Respectable, antiquity it'"lL Cicero had
such d and many "iT "n aC,,tt,od Ho" ,rr
coll, e. Ion. is vii 49, thrr elites 90 the Winds.
Thea It va. revived rtalu IN tie -Ntcchlh ceniu.y
D. ..ctr, fis .l-f.turrs 4 sraf With whom they
ru f. conact ln order 10 show their friends Ola their
return What good company they lad kept y, pu.v
Iif".' -ld another. he tells Of youth who wrote
"'' Dear ,r Among yo,r literary treasures YOU
have doubtless preserved several autographs 81 our
coln.iy's TAI. Em,u''d poet. Edgar ~ Poe. II 49,
and You sia.r oac plca-c incloS" 1t to me ana re-
TO which Mr. |r,ol"v replied; Dear Slr Nm"ns
my literary treasures there happens TO b. exactly one
A. Poe. II j. his note 81 hand for so Win my IN
Gorscncnt acr,',, IT,. back. 1t cost me 80 80 IN.
Guiding proir>U and you can have II Tor nall thAt
amount. Yours truly.
Tho famous ,eilior adds: That autograph. regret
10 say remains on my hands. ani IS for sale ~ TIE
original price despite the lapse Of time ana the de-
probation OF oui currency.