New-York tribune., 1896-01-11
"GREENGOODS" BOOKKEEPING
ELABORATE ACCOUNTS KEPT WITH
"COME-ONS."
THE swINDIE CONDUCTED on A BrslNEssI!KE
BASIS INTERESTING LEDGERS WHICH
FELL INTO THE HANDS OF THE
Authorities.

BASIS INTERESTING LEDGERS WHICH
FELL. INTO TIE HANDS OF THE
Authorities
The "greengoods" business Is actually carried on
as business The opposition OF the law entails
certain extra precautions. but otherwise this swim
die is conducted just an honest mercantile enter
prise would he. An elaborate system of bookkeep-
Ing is necessary and interesting feature OF It,
Occasionally the authorities seize the entire outfit
OF band. and thus opportunity Is given OF learn
ing how systematically the victims are handed
These books often have frank accounts of how
particular "comc-On' used what he SAID. now
he looked. and 50 on.
The first thing &c be done In launching venture
OF this kind Is to list OF addresses OF pos
sible customers. Such lists were obtained under
the guse O; legitimate business, such as pub
fishing a weekly journal. Free subscriptions ana
prizes in addition were promised for the names or
a hundred men in 4 sivcn noighborhood. Country
postmasters used to supply these names but the
Postoflce Department has almost entirely stopped
the practice. These lists were also bought from
men who had secured them IN the course OF reg
ular business. good prices being paid for them.
AN EASTERN VICTIM
Circulars were then sent ont often by thousands
and tens of thousands. II negotiations were opened
with any a full record Of all the dealings with
him WAS kept Each man was Identified hy num-
her. combined with two letters For in
stance" the names IN one volume had their numbers
preceded an followed 10y a ID" Thus u. 3 j.
N 4 Massachusetts, hamlet. FOR the
"come-ons' no, all from the South and West.
The entries showed that circular, clipping and
instructions had been sent to him. When h. replied,
y" va ip.d - register ~ note III NcNaIN as y.
lie Blanc. OF Mourton. y. T.. He Mas - teiegraph
sans e. ai i,' eyai r to With ic!osram. could
De sent. and emp.rvr' hfty names OF more, So IL
were sent ic each y.cm The record sai simply;
''Nin be her" t. of June" Was picked up and
boat hy mon FOR 800 JUL l."
u. &c -. was more fortunate. He rame from Mary
land ou June IT, he ledger torsc.y say Of him:
presumably. his words: DO bug cbuslness, M way
or quit" - 3 y. doubtless wanted the cash in hi-
hand rather than y. a parcel or vlisr.
JI'sT AN ORDINARY CASE.
u. &C y. was Missouri man who was directed
% go 10 Newark hotel Under date or July an
cu'rr says. "Wl De hero in few days Then
under date of Angus, there is laconc ii;te prob
lem I'm subtraction which runs thus: "Bt tb'aO
S9o rhgs Ccharg"~p 49," leaving balance OF $40
This VA jus. an ordinary case. and there
special remarks about IL,
The "creengoods" gentry evidently had lot Of
trouble with i man in Wayn" County. Ohio. The cor
respondenc" with him WAS voluminou3 and the on
r.es on his areoun. were numerous. The usua.
bait wa- sent to hin july H. on July % an answer
warlcd yisi. from him was expected about Al
gust I. ana full instructions were given 10 him as 10
",'"- nam" To- "sr !l - ID the nhnr oi the perSo"
wh9 vas to teal with him.
iN'i fillr Il ull'ii lHr taib NiHt'l MN u x ~
snal l-r one downtown. rherr nas more corre-ppnI-
Other h9tc Then com", ths disguised entry. I'm
possible. Doni 10 business that way However.
another effort made tO "ntrap him. a. shown
by ~. worl-. Expects to start August Y There
Vas another ai'cn somehow aga ne m. sreensos3.is
over m" account. and IT was then closed
Tn TsI a Gg @ m ir'9o SlG Sl anga mp in r. r5 pGrie GS
entries "ef"' Pi 80, 'narte' -. ~ These
fel ht 10. her l' he
.asioraly OBJ" book showed that half genuine bli.
iAI hern sent 90 q prospective 'come-on" as = SAN
,'e. r. - sent photorraph Of hiinsel; COR idenu-
nrIfion. adding Il hop fo %. ah" To- meet you
f,.o To- fa-, soon ones pinot, is ihe next thing to
seeing one personally. you know. This photo was
taken ar, october ard j. cons Tered by all my ac-
subject myself Doubilcss u. considered himself
htnIsomr. be- c'ria.ule VAS lucky. for there Is no
further entry about h'r'.
HE WANTED To JOIN THE BAND
On one of the mos, curious pages I'm the book l.
copied the following letter from who had
been swlndlel. Il knew that | MAS le't after left
me express office. but cou.d not do anything f1s
feaf that wouiI 'dre worse. You may think that
this ls "A trap TO ret even aith you. hu, II were
going 10 try - 10 'ha, would not take this way.
simply want 20 s~i some back. and don't care
how. a. long - there is more idugrr than money
IN H. Eyil"nu> h" hr-t eNprrenc" with tte
tre"nsoods business had so charmed him with It
that hc wanted 10 earn 4 livelihood AZ IT, Infor;u-
nately the record stopped here and II f. no known
whether y" Vas enlisted or noi In the rank OF those
who had s~inilei him.
Monumental stupidity on the part Of some Of The
victims is indicated. la scyerl. instances. after a
man had received "A package Of siwIus; or Coney
Island sdnd through th- express company. he would
bcll~vr that an Innocent mistake hal been made.
ami would send Request that f. b" r"ctied. The
s"ndlers would toll MIN THAI detective had ioi-
lowed the man who was 10 fOrv ara the pa kaye
o' money and fear Of arrest had ei to the subst.-
tuition OF the sand In one ease. The victim sent
additional money convinced was he OF the rec
tiiuie OF those who had already obtained 500 Of
his cash.
T3 srcs"sGo4s % men hed to give up 'ns ss Of
their king pins. Bech,o.d tNo az three years ago.
Now dealings face TO face. The police have
done good service in this State and New jersey in
roofing out this form OF crime but the recent arrest
of "Od BIZ Nosburg I'm this city for relieving a
simple Westerner of his cash by the familiar trick
shows that the 'greengoOds" industry is by n
means dead.
HiRDER WOPk THAN III SINESS