Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-08-10
Tho Forthcoming Sch me.
From the National Advertiser,

II bho ANhNphhi AuNcibbolsJ
The Jersey City crowd of fakirs, better
known as the American Publishing com
pany, Is out with new scheme to viotimize
the much-bed country yoke. aud il 1t
proves successful it 10 evidently their inten-
ton to 'work it for all 1t Ia worth" next
fall. 1t Is of the same order as the notorious
guessing contests" which were perpetrated
last winter.
The present scheme is called "Brain
Burnisher,n and is introduced, after a lavish
display of black type, in this manner
Further along in this advertisement will be
found three paragraphs, to which we invite
special and particular attention. We know
That there are at least three errors or mis-
paragraphs. We know 1t because we printed
them purposely. There possibly may be more
than three but for the purposes of this adver.
tisement and to make our offer consist tent
we claim that there are only three.
The paragraphs luded to are as follows;
To find the halfway point between the OK.
IRENE eastern and western boundaries of the
territory of the United states one would prop
erly seek for it some where WEST Of Utah
Many of the best singers known 10 faim
made their first public Appearance in a church
QuIRE.
Grover Cleveland was inagurated presiden
on THIRD DAY Of March, 1888.
The person who sends in the paragra phs
marked with more than three errors, to-
gether with 90 cents for one years sub
scriptlon to Good Fortune, will receive in
return $50, and 500 il ne sends 81 for NO
years subscription.
1t will be noticed that the concern does
not claim that there are moro than three
errors and as a matter of fact there are
not; the American Publishing company,
therefore, on the face OF their own adver-
tsement, are not obliged to pay out any
money. The three errors are the words
"seak, 'faimn and "third.' The words
west" and ''quire," although printed in
capitals evidently to deceive the victims,
are correct The halfway point between
the extreme eastern and western bound
aries of the United States, taking into &C
count Alaska, and the Aleutian Islam is
west Of Utah, and the spelling of 'quire,"
as applied to a church chorus, is correct ac-
cording to Webster although it is more
often written choir. Pursuing the policy
of this paper, we give the solution" of this
scheme now in order that tho papers and
others may be aware of tho device in ad-
vance. Papers of standing cannot become
a party to the trick, aud it is their duty to
warn their readers OF it,
BETTER LAWS NEEDED.
In the issue of April the National Adj
vertiser exposed the gigantic fraud of the
Sunday Truth of Buffalo, in which one Sid
ney q. Sher wood, with the assistance of a
most notorious schemer aud fraud operator
named Osgoodbv, wera endeavoring to en-
trap tho unwary by the rebus guessing
scheme into sending money to a paper
known as Sunday Truth. 1t was shown
that the scheme was under the guise OF an
attempt to extend circulation, " and pub
fishers throughout America were warned
against 1t. In our issue of June 10 we
noted the fact that Mr.. S. &. Sherwood and
the notorious confidence operator, Os2ood-
by, had unloaded the paper upon S. b.
Kirkpatrick Il Co. Mr. Kirkpatrick at
that time stated that its former owners had
announced their intention of making good al
obligations. u 1t would seem that Buffsl0
should not be so benghted village as not
to realize this ancient scheme of swindlins
the public, ropiug in the unwary and leav
ing him 10 ''hold the bag" This was tbs
plan adopte in England which rightfully
should be patented by the ones that pro
NOTED it, as it is stated they secured some
thing over $40, 000 sold it to some unsus
pecting Enghshman for goodly sum, and
left the Englishman to meet the outraged
public and languish in jail. Mr.. Kirkpa
u iCh suOulu 10 uelu DOIu legally
and morally for the scheme OF Sunday
Truth which he assumed. That he was a
dupe, there can be doubt that he was
utilized by the notorious Osgoodby and
possibly by Sherwood, both of whom have
run away, goes without saying; that be
may be entitled to sympathy, we admit, bu,
that he should be held strictly responsible,
both law d justice to the public demand.
This should be another lesson, not only tc
the public, but to the pub shers of the land,
Who in their absurd greed for business, &C
cept questionable advertisements without
question. The advertisements of Sund az
Truth showed upon their very face thai
they were not only frauds hut most trans
parent frauds and yet many newspa psrs
that can be credited with fair di scernm en-
| accepted and ran the same. 8 lch papers
are not entitled to sympathy Il they have
failed to receive payment for the advertis
ing. They at leas> could have seen upor
the face of it that 1t was fraudulent why
then, did they accept it? Was it becaus;
they were in sympathy with frauds them
selves At any event, they have beer
collaborators with frauds, aud while NOR
ally they are responsible for the promotion
OF the fraui, the same the receiver o
stolen goods is with tho theft, legally they
may bs able to escape scot free. 1t is to b,
hoped that the day is not very distan
when the laws of the land shall be sucl
that any newspaper that aids In the pro
motion Of swindes, such as the SUNDAY
Truth has been guilty OF, will b'
made a party to the swiude anc
subject TO prosecution the same as the priu
cipals. TtiJ is the law to-day in France
where it 1t is a crime to feat fnancia
swindls without the publisher becoming
party to the same. Such a law is sadly
needed in America. All Of these adver
tisements were offered to the FREE PRES,
and were declined No money would in
| duce us to run an advertisement which W.