The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-15
Trying to Get Rich Quickly.

Trying 10 Get Rich Quickly.
The desire to get rich quickly or to ac-
| quire money without working for it is re-
spOnsibe, no doubt, for more than half
the rascalty of the world. This trait of
human nature is the source OF livelihood of
the gambler and the sharper; and it is
nearly always the case that the man who
has the trait finds out too late where it is
leading him.
| There has, perhaps, never been a more
remarkable example of refined swindling
and nicely in the manipulation of this
! trait Of human nature, than has come to
| light in the failure of the E. S. Dean Com
| pany of New York city, and the discoveries
| by the police upon taking charge of the
| defunct company's assets. And the most
remarkable feature of the gigantic scheme,
| perhaps, is the announcement by the po-
lice that E. s. Dean is a woman, which
has led many to endeavor to connect her
with Mrs. Matilda Gerst, who, under va
rious aliases, has been mixed up with
many speculative companies. This com
pany prepared circulars which were sent
out by thousands all oyer the country,
and published advertisements in which 1t
was asserted in the most glittering terms,
and apparently b~yond the question of a
doubt that by sending $1OO or multiples
thereof, to the e. S. Dean Company to be
used in speculation in wheat and stocks,
through that company's "infallible"
scheme the sender would receive thous-
ands whore hundreds had been sent only
10 per cent. being deducted as remunera-
ton to the broker, Now and then the
victim was sent a remittance as bait, and
was generally made an agent in his town
OF city for the company, the consequence
being that it had agents in almost every
section of the United States. And the
agents proved to be just as gulIible as
those they drew into the scheme, for they
themselves sent even larger sums than be-
fore
Did the suckers bite? An Investigation
of the E. S. Dean Company's books showed
that at one time it had $4,000 customers
not one of whom sent less than s1OO
In one days mail to the concern which
was captured by the police there was
found more than $4,000 1t received alto
gether more than 100000 and is said to
nave made more than another 81 100000 by
speculations just before the failure was
announced, and the real manipulators of
the swindle got under cover.
This is only one of many firms of this
kind which have been doing a similar bus
mess in New York. Their most extensive
operations have been in the west. It is
known, too, that certain officials at
Washington are determined to drive these
brokers" out of business as soon as pos
sible so it will be seen that the suckers
are not always the meek and lowly, but
some in high places. 1t is like the old
story of the farmer who was seen sitting
by little creek with a fishing rod in his
hand, and when asked what he expected
to catch there replied. "Wall, my son.
who's just home from college, said there's
sucker born every minute, an I'll les be
burned If l amt goin' to ketch some of
EN-" The E. IS. Dean Company had lust
about as much work to do as the old far
mer The only difference is it caught the
| suckers because it was fishing for the right
kind, and the farmer was not Fortunes
are not made in day as an experience of
1900 years has demonstrated. Though
chance may occasionally make man rich.
for every one of them, there are the thou
sands who go to the dogs trying to take a
short cut to wealth.