The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-02-06
DIMES WERE ITS LINKS
Another Letter Chain YlCtimiZeS Be-
neYOlent MiSSOulianS.
WORK THE CHURCH RACKET
There Are IS Numbers In This
Chain and Stamps Don't Go
IL Must Be Cash-Suck-
ers Caught

MISSOURI, Feb. 3. 49, Notwithstandl ng
the expose published in the STANDARD OF
Feb. !, the 'chain" system has been spin
ming merrly on in this city. The last and
boldest scheme asks outright for the re-
turn of the lett or with 10 cents" II Is
some years since this method of victlmiz-
ing people through their own bcncvolence
was revived. Ii is on record that once it
was worked and failed. An expose
brought many letters showing that differ
ent stories had been sent out, and for n
time that ended the "chains." But Mis-
soula is suffering from 'chain" attack
which is carefully calculated to work tho
conscientious.
Hero is copy Of ono of tho chain let
ters
Dear Friend:
The 81. stephen guild OF Chandler Oklahoma,
wishing TO aid in building an Episcopal church
there. and not having the means to do so, think
OF no better way TO do IL than TO form chain
in which you are requested TO join.
You are requested to make three copies OF
this letter. pItting the next number at the top
OF each Then send this letter with ten cents
uOc). and the names OF the three friends TO
whom you have written TO Mrs. j. &. Fletcher,
Chandler, Oklahoma.
This may seem a small matter, but any break
in the chain may mean n serious loss to the en-
terprise
Tie persons receiving No. Is will make no
copies, but return the letters rs that ends the
chain. SO faithfully do your duty in the name
and for the sake Of Christ
Ii will be seen that this chain is %
numbers longer than the one which Miss
Edna Brown formed when she requested
postage stamps. As Miss Edna is re-
ported TO have received p bushels of let
ters in one day, the St. Stephen guild
must keep several members busy looking
out for the dimes which are coming from
all over tho United States, as we'll as
from Missoula. Ii seems incredible that
small frauds, no matter how audacious,
are so easily worked. This project of the
st. Stephen guild, for instance, is simply
"to aid in building an Episcopal church"
Now il ono tries to compute how many
dimes the 20 numbers would bring in, one
may see that the guild means to build the
whole church and remain rich for life, be-
side.
Already some Episcopalians have done
what the letter terms as their duty, and
quite harvest has Como to Chandler. 1t
does seem a little thing to do until you sit
down with pencil and paper to figure out
just how many dollars Will he the result
of this ingenious scheme. And then II is
incredible.
What makes trouble. though, is when,
in q small town like Missoula, one gets
more than one link in tho chain. One
young lady has had three or moro and,
her patience being somewhat diminished,
she says she'll break the chain If another
comes. There must be some shrewd
Yankee enterprise firmly established IN
Oklahoma. 1t is said the scheme origi-
mated i'm the brain of a Yankee. Perhaps
so, and IL took n Yankee to see that the
scheme, as written in the STANDARD, was
almost too ridiculous to be taken seri-
ni1slN-