The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-02
MISS BROWN HASA PLAN
II Involves Quite Sum in Cancelled
Stamps
FIGURE 1T OUT YOURSELF
\ Young Lady Finds Her Body in
Need of Some Repairs and She
Is Very Likely to Get the
Dough to Pay Surgeons.

MISSoULA, Jan. 1.-Secrotary Moser OF
the Missoula Mercantile company ycster-
day received letter which is n veritable
curiosity. II was either started as a hoax
and has been repeated by persons who ac-
cepted il as genuine appeal, or else the
scheme was started by some one whose
charitable impulses were stronger than
his knowledge of geomeirical progression.
The letter reads as follows:
GENTLEMEN: "A medical institute has offered
TO treat young lady OF Kaneville. Ills, who
has been lame-a cripple since years OF age
IL She could could collect one million cancelled
stamps. We have been asked 10 continue this
chain in which we kndy ask your aid.
Take three copies OF this letter, rs We have
done. change the date and put THE next highest
number at tho top. numbering them all The
same. Return this letter 10 Miss Edna Brown,
Kaneyille, Ill, also tho names and addresses OF
the three 10 whom you have written, and they
i'm turn are asked to do the Same.
ANY one not wishing to do this is asked TO re-
turn this letter TO Miss Brown that they may
know the chain is broken.
Although this may seem a small thing 10 do,
yet any one breaking tue chain may involve a
serious loss TO the enterprise.
The pers n receiying No. 50will please return
this letter without taking any copies, as that
ends the chan.
The letter received by Mr.. Mosor was
signed by a well known correspondent OF
the firm, who had evidently fulfilled the
request contained in the letter that hc had
received. The letter was numbered 40"
and Mr.. Moser instructed his stenographer
to send out three letters numbered '41''
and send letter No 40 to Miss Brown with
10 cancelled stamps enclosed. This was
easily done and no more was thought of
the matter for time until
Mr. Masor hpUan 10 conaidar
the proposition and recalled the
old horseshoe nail problems. Then he
began to figure and arrived at some as
founding results. II the chain is continued
as the letter requests, he discovered that,
by the lime letter No. 80 has been sent,
that Miss Brown will have received no
less than III 1913 s02 l07, 9S7 92l ,i94 40S let
ters since letter No. l was sent out. There
will be 7s,545 9Ol, OH 1856, 49,, $40, sol letters
numbered 80"
Figuring each letter at u ounce in
weight, Miss Brown will have received
1,794, IL. O64. 1s7. 1856, 473, ABB pounds of mail
which, at 20 tons to the car load. would
fill to their full capacity 80 7O6 JOB 209. &c.,
323 freight cars. If these cars are 80 feet
long. they will mako n tram 509,6s2,4 O2,-
704, $50 miles long.
II Miss Brown received all these letters
and each one brings her IL stamps-one
on the envelope and 10 enclosed-she will
have enough to pay for several treat
ments, for tho number will aggregate
about 1896, ,S23, lS7 ,si7, 9l7 800, 3Os, or
one quintillion more stamps than she re-
quired. Allowing n shrlnkage of % per
cent for lettern not returned and she will
still have plenty of stamps to spare. If
the plan proves successful, it is feared
that Miss Browns mind will be in a worse
condition than her body.