The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-12-19
A MISSING WORD" CRAZE.
II Is Affecting England and the Re-
motest Parts OF the British
Islands.
The Scheme Started by an OBJ
scure Paper to Boom
Circulation.
Give Trouble, Saying 1t Is Oniya
Gambling Device.

LONDON, Dec. 1S.-Ihe magnitude OF tho
''n.issing word" craze which is grievously
affecting all England and the remotest parts
Of the British isles, is astounding. II has
devastated the money order branch of the
government and spread desoation through
the whole postoffice service. The memory
Of the spelling-bee fantasy has faded away
in comparison. The visible results Of the
craze have been such that it has become q
public nuisance. and the public prosecutor
10 engaged in an effort to suppress it.
The missing word craze, or game, or
whatever it may be called. ia this: A sem
tence is printed every week from which the
last word is omitted. rs "Bill Smith is a
-" and the public is invited te write
upon a coupon printed in the paper what
they think the missing word is, and
to send in their guess with money order
for shilling. The aggregate shillings SO
sent in are divided among the guessers who
strike the correct word. IL was in
vented by the proprietor of O non
desc,ipt publication which is but two years
old. The idea has sent up the circulation
of the paper to over half million u week,
200, 900 copies a week being credited to the
missing word idea III the past two months.
Other publications adopted the Device and
a month ago the craze swept over the un-
happy land like blizzard. Two weeks ago
the paper first mentioned received and dis
tributed $35.000 in shilllngs for guesses.
| One week there were but fOrty-three cor
rect guesses and each Of the lucky guessers
received $3.50 in return for his shilling. 1t
was estimated week ago that some $780,
900 in shillings was sent to the various pa
pers running the scheme. The money
orders at many postoffices have all been
used and the reserve supply is low, the
mails are clogged. and the end ls yet afar
off. Clubs and syndicates are formed, pool
| ing guesses and prizes. Some individuals
| lings. The craze has invaded tho church
fairs, and even the exchanges and business
| houses.
The business has added new depart
mont, employing over 200 people. to the pa
| per which originated the scheme. An i'm
way is the letter box. A stream of bundles
of letters pours into il ALI day long, and on
the day the competitions close the mail
comes from the postoffice in procession
of cabs. hundred and fifty girls are en-
ployed in the sorting room Of the paper.
Women's Christian association. and re-
ceiye !. the excellent pay of 80 shlllings a
week. Every day, from nine to i've. these
girls do nothing but open letters and sort
out money orders and Ruesses. The guess
coupons go to another room, and here a
dozen young women are doing most re-
markable thing. Each one is intrusted for
a whole day ahead Of the rest of the world
| with the secret of the missing word'' and
they are engaged in the stupeIdous task of
keeping a secret. They go through the
piles of guesses and winnow out the correct
| io hat y,,nn
work when there are but forty cor
rect guesses out of 200 1000. In yet an
another room eight clerks are employed
sorting and counting money orders and ar
ranging them for presentation at the post
office to be cashed. One of the girls has a
record of correctly tabulating 14O00 orders
in an hour. Some $5O,O0O in money orders
go through this mill every week. and half q
dozen clerks are employed in signing
them with rubber stamps
| The proprietor of the paper writes the
sentence, and he alone knows the word un-
| til tho competitor is closed. He writes it on
paper which, enclosed in sealed envelope,
is placed in charge of public notary until
| the competition is closed. Lots of queer
attempts are made to learn the word from
him. Some have wanted to know how much
a week he would want for disclosing the
word. Many pitiful appeals reach him
| from people in sore straits, who want to
know the word as a means of escape from
their peouniary troubles.
The public prosecutor has secured sum
mons against The proprie!o;s of one paper
using the device, and the case is to come
up for trial next week. He claims that it is
a gambling scheme because no skill ia in
| volved in finding the missing word. Bill
Smith might bs anything and guessing,
not skill, is involved in hitting the word
which tells what the proprietor of the paper
thinks he is. The proprietor of the paper
leading in the movement says, he has the
| opinions of two most distinguished counsel
| that the scheme is not lottery nor gam.
bling device. Meanwhile the craze is slow
" eating up the energy and life of the peo
pie. and what the eud will be n o man oar
prophesy.