The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-12
WORK FAKE SCHEMES
BOGUS DIRECTORY PROMOTERS AND
THEIR GET-RICH-aUICIx PLANS.
How They Work Their sw-iEdIes on
Unsuspecting Business Men -
"voucher- That Changes.

Word has been received from Chicago
that systematic raid Is soon TO be made on
this city by directory advertising swindiers.
They are old hands at the business and are
expected here any day. The same crowd has
worked the city before and has succeeded
in getting money from some OF the leading
firms OF the city. Their plan Is somewhat
unique and depends largely upon bluff
to pass. The men pass as representatives
of the Manufacturers and Wholesalers
Index" Interstate Directory Company,
United States Trade Guide and Manu-
facturers' and Merchants Almanac" A
new name that has recently been adopted Is
midland Directory" and this will prob
ably be the name under which new orders
will be solicited, it is claimed
This gang was here last July and made
a number OF collections from leading houses
for advertisements that were never printed
The plan of the organization is to print
few pages Of so-called directory and then
call on merchants and manufacturers and
solicit their patronage, showing the few
printed pages as a part Of the work that
is TO be printed. The order for the adver-
tisement is secured at a nominal price. but
the form of the order is the secret of the en-
tire business. 1t is printed with a superfuity
OF ii can simply be cut off at one end and
leave a complete order with the date and
signature, but without any amount of
money named. This amount is filled in then
to suit the occasion, and in the course of
six months the order is presented for pay
ment. The merchant is somewhat sur
prised at the amount, but, as he recognizes
his signature, he concludes that he must
simply have forgotten the matter and pays
the order. sometimes by compromising but
at others without question. When Ii Is
paid the collector marks it paid and turns
it over to the merchant The collector then
has nothing to show for the transaction,
and so he asks the merchant TO kindly sign
a voucher, which he fills out, so he can
send ii to the auditing department of his
company, and thus keep his accounts
straight. This is made more plausible from
merchant knows very we'll that he does
not owe the amount claimed and objects
TO Its payment, but finally agrees TO a
compromise. Then the collector wants a
more than he reports.
This voucher Is peculiarly worded pa
per. 1t reads as follows:
Not valid as receipt or order
signed. have this day PAID FOR ADvER-
Using ordered inserted in the ...... de-
partment OF YOUR DIRECTORY edition
of ...... headings amounting to THE SUM
OF S...... dollars AS PER con-
TRACT SHOWN payable after publication.
Name Observation-Disclosures.
Date ..-.......
The voucher is arranged geographically
in such a manner that all the words printed
in capitals are at the left-hand end OF the
sheet in sucn position that with one cut
of the shears they may all be cut off. An
other cut of the shears takes off the top
line, and then the supposed voucher reads
as follows:
This is to certify, that ...... $500, the
undersigned, have this day ordered inserted
in the $500. department, edition of 1890.
headings amounting to :.. dollars,
payable after publication.
Name ............................
Date ..........
Through the efforts of the legitimate di-
rectory companies Of the country these
| schemes have been exposed, and 1t is not
| likely that this form of voucher will be
| used IN this city again.
| The Chicago Directory Company and r.
| l.. Polk, & Co, the publishers of the Indian
| apoits directory, have been making a win
| ming fight against these schemes for long
| time and have succeeded IN mitigating the
| The Chicago company has secured indct-
ments against several of the men who for
Irerly worked the scheme with headquar-
| tets in that city.
Last summer some Of these agents were
| in this city and made some collections.
| When one of the men was arrested later in
| Chicago, at the instigation of the Chicago
| Directory Company, papers found in his pos
| session indicated that he had made coll
leCltOQS IRON the lOIlOWlllS ptO-
| Pile: r. s. Mckee & Son, Hide, Leather
| and Betting Company, Anheuser Busch
| Company, Terre Haute Brewing Company.
| National Malleable Casting Company, King
| an & CO., Indianapolis Drug Company, In
dianapolis Furniture Company and Indian
| apolis Manufacturers and Carpenters Union
| The papers also showed that collections had
| been made from the following at some
| prior date: Cerealine Manufacturing Com
| pany Nordyke & Marmon, Daniel Stew
| art and Burris-Herzel Company.
4 III was about last July that two three
| men came here and advertised for can
vassers for a directory of some kind that
| they were getting out 1t was not to be an
ordinary directory but was to contain write
| ups of the leading business houses. A num-
| Der of people responded to the advertise
| ment and went to work as solicitors. AL
the solicitors were required to do was 70
secure the signatures of firms TO con-
tract for the proposed "write-ups,' and an
| agent of the company was to call later and
secure the facts necessary. After remain
| ing here about week the men left as sud-
| denly as they came. owing the solicitors for
| their work. No one ever called the
| firms that were solicited to secure the
| '.write-ups' and II is now supposed that
these men had simply cOncocted a new
| scheme to get the signatures OF the mer-
| chants.
August Murphy, local manager for r. L
| Polk & Co., has received a letter from
! the Chicago Directory Company stating
| that nan named Hartsig will come here
| in short time for the purpose of max
| ing collections on the supposed vouchers
/ that were received at the last visit OF the
| mel, and asking him to warn those who
| have had previous dealings with them
The letter is dated Jan. z, and states that
! Hartsig will be here in a few days. 1t is
said in the letter that Hartsig Is the leader
of the gang that has been indicted in Chi
| cago for forgery.