Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1895-01-30
THOSE "CHAIN" LETTERS.

! An indulgent and nnsuspecting pub.
lie is ever being caught by schemes orig
mated for the personal gain of others,
and among the latest OF these is the
one bringing into Use the Chain" let
ter system. We know of Il number Of
our residents who have received copies
of such chain" letter asking for Ca IN
celled stamps to help d poor crippled
girl at Kanesville, H., to secure treat.
ment, and TO them. as we'll as to others
the following article from The Osh-
kosh North~e stern exposing the
scheme will be of interes,:
Ma y persons in this city have during the
past few weeks received letters differing on.
ly from the following one in the numbers dis.
played at the top and in the address and sig
nature. The object and the purport Of the
epistle is clear and no explanation is neces-
sary. 1t reads as follows;
No: A.
NORWAY. Mich, January II, lS95-DEAR
SIR: A medical institute has offered to treat
young lady of Kanesvile, who has been
lame, Il cripple, since six years OF age, if she
would collect one million cancelled stamps,
So We have started this chain, in which we
kindly ask your AID Make three copies of
this letter as we have done, only change the
date, and put the higher number at the top,
numbering them all the same and sign your
own name Return tits letter with ten or
more cancelle stamps to Edna NJ Brown,
GAINESVILLE, Kane county. Ill. also the addrt IS
OF the three, and they i'll turn are asked to
do the same. Send the three letters you
have written to the persons addressed. Any
one not wishing to do this is asked 10 return
this letter to Miss Brown, that we may know
the chain is broken. Although this may seem
small thing to you, yet anyone breaking
this chain Will involve loss to the enterprise.
The person receiving No. 81 Will please re-
turn the letter without making any copies,
as that ends the chain
1t can easily be imagined that the majority
of those receiving copies of the letter would
not be satisfied merely with sending the ten
cancelled stamps to aid the poor cripple
but would respond to what is purported to
be call for charitable purpose, by for
warding money and articles of various de-
scripfiOns. A railroad man of this CITY, who
was twice asked 10 participant e in this scheme
of philanthropy, wrote to the agent of the
Chicago Burlington q Quincy railroad at
Sugar Grove, Ill, the nearest railroad point
to Kanesville. asking if Edna's appeal was
bona fde; it tn, re existed such person, and
which she must be receiving. The agents re-
ply Will be interesting to the many persons
who haye sent stamps and money to the fort
innate young woman. 1t is as follows:
Edna M. Brown lives at Kanesville, ILL.,,
but she is not cripple. She has slster-in-
law who is II cripple. They have received
between ten and fifteen million stamps and
months. Edna Brown has received thousands
or letters every day. Last Monday she re-
ce1ved 1000 and Tuesday 12,L' U, most of them
containing money orders, postofce orders,
etc. They have already received more stamps
than they know what to do with, but ! can
not say how much money; the amount GER
talnly is very large 1t would simply be
nonsense tor any one to send her any more
stamps or money.
1t was also ascertained that GAINESVILLE is a
mere hamlet, with four or five houses a gen.
eral store and Il windmill and the medical
institute" in which Edna proposes to have
her physical deformites corrected existed
wholly in her mind.
Computing modestly. Edna has received
nearly S2,UOO worth Of cancelled stamps at
the current price for such. and if she received
money orders for the average value of TWEEN
ty cents each, she has received considerably
over 81, 0Go day for at least two days from
that source.
sons, charitably inclined have gone into this
scheme of enriching Edna NJ. Brown and her
accomplices, and they will pr )bably learn
the facts in the case with pleasure and profit
The letter published at the commencement
of this article was received by young man
in this city from friend in Norway, Mich
Shortly after the receipt of it, he had three
copies struck off on a typewriter by one of
whom the young man had addressed one Of
his three letters, and when she prepared the
copies for him she also indited three to that
number OF her friends, one of whom was a
member of the same household with herself.
This last mentioned person who entered the
''chaln" also had copies to three of her friends
struck off by the typewritist. This illustra-
ton shows how rapidly the scheme has as
sumed its present gigantic proportions and
the only wonder is that this lengthy and pro-
gresSive CHAIN which was linked together
lowed to continue on its course without be-
ing stopped by the pOstOffice authorities.
The attention of these officials is respectful
ly called to the fact that if all the chains re-
manned unbrOken the pOStOffce at kaneSVille,
ILL.,, would have to be enlarged considerably
to accommodate the thirty billions or so of
letters that Edna would receive. There is
anOih side to schemes of this nature, and
the results of this are much more harmful. A
gentleman who has had considerable eXper-
fence in the advertising business in the lar
ger cities, states that the list OF names OBJ
tanned by the 'chan" method is most valu-
able piece of property and quacks who offer
to 'cure without pain" and give something
for nothing pay large sums annually for
lists that contain the names of thousands of
persons.
Chamberlain's Cough Remedy ia
nous for its cures of bad colds. 1t opens
the secretions, relieves the lungs and aids
nature in restoring the system to healthy