The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-12-19
GREEN GOODS MEN.
LATES1 METHODS ADOPTED BY THE
aHREWD sWlNDLERs.

The Fraternity Is Denounced In Their Cir
oulars-They Claim Not to Handle Coun-
terfeits-Sample of their Typewriter
Observation-Disclosures Instructions.
The first step of a shrewd green goods
han is to secure names of people in
every part of the country, said Chief
Hargen recently. Then he mails to these
persons carefully worded typewriter
document like the following:
Confidential
NY DEAR SIR-Your name was sent to me
| by my son (who is my travelling representa-
| tive as a shrewd, reliable and trUstW orthy
man for me TO cooperate with in your vicini-
| ty, and therefore take the liberty of making
| you proposition that 80 out of 100 up to date
men would gladly grasp if they could person
| ally examine my work, thereby convincing
themselves of the absolute safety of my offer.
The writer is expert engraver, having
| for % years been employed in the bureau of
engraving, Washington, and for II years was
superintendent of one of the largest bank note
companies in America. During my leisure l
| took up as a side issue the duplication of ones,
| fves and tens, and these were the original
| denominations had worked upon you can be-
| lieve me when say they are perfect dupE-
Gates.
Now, my dear sir, am fully aware Of the
suspicion and prejudice that you naturally
| will entertain for my proposition, as you Will
| on first thought class it as coming from
green goods or sawdust swindler, but if you
will lay aside that prejudice, apply common
sense and look at my proposition from bust
ness standpoint, compare 1t with the methods
| of these petty swindlers, and you will credit
me with not being fool enough to waste my
| time addressing man of your intelligence
| and standing in the community.
The methods of the so called green goods
| swindlerS have been exposed from time to
| time in the daily press. They send out seduc
| tive circular letters to ignorant farmers with
newspaper clipping in regard to counterfeit
money, etc., falsely pretending they the
parties spoken of in the article and offering to
| sell that which they have not, inducing them
| to send on their hard earned money and send
| ing them valise of sawdust a brick OF
| some such article III return.
| The reason these rascals find 1t profitable to
| work this game is because they know, and
| they take 1t for granted that the people in
| general know, that there are hundreds Of
| thousands of dollaTs-counterfeit- circula
| ton, and as men have no moral scruplcs
| against increasing the money circulation they
| are induced to send their money on the
| very liberal terms held out to them-5 cents
| buying dollar some such absurd price.
No intelligent man would do it, for their
| very proposition is ridiculous, not alone the
| "buying of pig in a bag" but a man has
| only to stop and consider the cost of engrav
ing, presses, printing, paper, ETC., to see the
absurdity of the offer.
Now, compare these methods with my propo-
sition. Firstly, am not addressing an igno-
| rant farmer. Secondly, do not want you 10
send me one cent What l want to know is
whether you will be willing to cooperate with
me In the disposal of my goods, providing
prove to you beyond all doubt that my work
DC al ri oil eor hot no
the genuine, even by experts. Understand, l
do not want you to invest 81 until you
have examined my entire stock from 81 to
500 600. Compare them with the genuine, and,
in fact submit them to any test you see fit.
Then, after you are thoroughly satisfied on
every point, you can decide whether you &C
cept my proposition or not. The fact is, an
Investment of $500 will give you an immediate
return that lifetime of toll in your present
business would not do, this without injuring
friends, neighbors or your fellow men, To con-
vince you of the safety Of the business will,
upon receipt of telegI am-as per lncloSed note
send you sample of my work, and will
also appoint place to meet you, so that you
can personally examine my entire stock.
If for any reason you decide not to cooper
ate with me, trust, as honorable man,
you will honor the protection that the word
confidential insures to all communications,
and not be so heartlesS as 10 destroy my LIES
work So kindly burn this and let the matter
drop. Trusting, however, 10 hear from you
Immediately, remain, confdentially yours,
OLDEST STEEL PLATE ENGRAvER In THE U. S.
P. S.-For obvious reasons l have omitted
| all names, dates, ETC., from this letter.
If man shows an inclination to deal
with the swindler and sends him tele-
gram, the would be victim soon receives
another letter which contains sample
Of the supposed counterfeit. 1t is gener-
ally good 81 bill. The would be VIC
tim looks at the money, asks a few
questions on the sly of bank man and
concludes that he has snap. He then
telegraphs the green goods man that he
is satisfied and is ready to do business
on larger scale. A third letter is then
received, with minute directions how to
reach the alleged counterfeiter.
In poorly spelled, scrawling, dis
guised hand is written the following:
Go to the Port Jarvis hotel Port Jarvis, New
| York, there is Where Wee Will Meet.
When you Leave Home Buy your ticket to
| Place mentioned on Hotel Slip and Telegraph
to A. p Gordon, Weschester Depot. Wesches
| ter, New York. When you are about half Way
Telegraph again / Will have plenty time to
meet you. the sample enclosed is just the
Same as all the rest your Pass Word Will be
Grain, 154. So if you mean Business follow
| these instructions Write no letters Without
my Permission, you know.
What the swindler calls Especial in
structions" are as follows:
The day you start from home go to the post
Office and see if there is any further word from
me. If not, follow these instructions:
First.-Telegraph to me the day before you
leave home, and simply say, "All right" and
| sign your password and number, af8 also the
initials Of your name, to your telegram
| SecOnd.-Then go to your nearest large town
and buy through ticket (if possible) to the
town mentioned on the slip above, and stop
at the hotel named on the slip.
Third.-When you are about half way here,
in order to save time and simplify matters,
telegraph me again, and say when l may ex-
poet to see you-that is, name the day and
time your train will arrive. For instance,
something like this: "Wil arrive Wednesday
morning, o'clock" night, as the case
might be. In this way will know exactly
when to meet you myself or send my confiden-
tial and trustworthy messenger who will
await your arrival and bring you safely to
me- My messenger will prove himself as gen.
uine by handing you sealed envelope with
/ VOur name wrote on il and inside the auval-