The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1892-06-03
A ossplcAsl.E KIND OF swlNpLlNe
The Free Cfayon Portrait swindlo and
Its Thousands of Victims.

tfte NfHNoh anu
Its Thousands of victims.
Really am of the opinion that of all
the numerous devices for swindling con-
tiding people that have been exposed
from time to time that which, promises
life size crayon portrait for nothing on
the receipt of photograph is the most
despicable A few days ago received
note from lady of Washington ask
ing me to go to the "Crayon Portrait
House." in "A certain building in this city,
and get photograph that had been sent
that concern in response TO its advertise
mcut in various magazines and period
icals,
A copy of the advertisement was for
warded knew at glance that this
was another of the free-crayon-tifty-
| cent-five-dollar-f frame schemes, several
of which have been broken up in Brook
Ign, Chicago and New York, but
thought | might recover the photo.
graph. The latter was the only portrait
of dead son, and as such was beyond
| price. The seductive advertisement
promises to return the picture, but this
lady had written repeatedly, inclosing
stamps for its return, and got no reply,
| afterward found that was only part
of the game,
| Under the plea of getting a crayon
| procured information enough from the
| crayon portrait con II to justify call
upon Captain Nell hin, of the Ten
derloin precinct. He told me that he
had received two complaints from peo
Pile who had claimed to have beer
swindled by this company before he had
been in charge of the precinct thret
days.
"Of course they are crooked" said he
but we can do nothing without com
plant, These people work the out-of
town racket-they don't swindle any
body here, where their dupes can ap
pear against them at any time, hav'
written these persons who complain
that if they will come to this city ant
prosecute I'll raid that place in tiv,
minutes. We can't do anything with
ont complaint and complainant"
When went back three days late
the crayon portrait house was packin.
up, The scowling young woman il
charge permitted me to search amonl
several thousand photographs for tn
picture of the ladys dead son while sh
told he more contradictory stories o
the free crayon business than | could re
member in week. The rough shelve
We're crowded with these pictures packe
on end in boxes. There were thousand
of them, Most of them We're of love-
ones who had departed this life. TIL
tender inscriptions, the elaborate in
structions about care and return-th
aged parent, the short lived infant
brother, sister, husband, wife, face
photographed after death, tintypes, oil
cherished ambrotypes in plush velve
cases, forgotten and covered with dust
If the owners had written as often an
inclosed as many stamps as this one il
quirer whom happen to know has done
what golden harvest these dusty POI
traits have yielded!
Many of the pictures were in thei
mailing covers. and these bore the post
marks of every city in the Union. The
had just been torn open and the none
and stamps extracted, and, if no orde
for free picture in a five dollar fran
had been given, were chucked away i
the dust, as many of the originals hav
doubtless been years ago. While wa
there the letter carrier delivered ma
containing money and stamps, and tn
scowling woman scowled more becaus
the amount was not larger Verify tn
- urCLO lS
sucker born every hour. New Yor
Herald.