The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-11

A number of Portland people have re-
ceiyed links of a letter started with a
view to raising funds for the Ice Plant
Auxiliary of the National Red Cross So
ciety. There has been some doubt as to
the genuineness of the scheme, but the
following from the New York Sun let's in
a flood of light on the situation: The
Sun says:
| -Four weeks ago Miss Natalie Schenck
of Bbbylon, L. l., started an "endless
chain" of letters to raise money for the
Ice Plant Auxiliary of the National Red
| Gross society. AS a result Postmaster
Dowden and Chief Of Police Weeks of that
village are in despair, and Miss Schenck
and her mother have asked The Sun to
announce that they wish the chain broken
and the influx of letters and money to
cease.
| Miss Schenck is II years old. She took
q great interest in the war and decided
to help the Red Gross movement. Her
mother is a cousin of Mrs. August Bel
mont, and during the summer they live
with Mrs. Schenck's brother, MIR. Mat
| thew Morgan. 1t was from MIR. Morgan's
house that Miss Schenck wrote number
of her friends asking each of them to
| send her ten cents and to write to four of
their friends with the same request. The
letter sent out was as follows:
The ice plant auxiliary in connection
with the National Red Gross, being in
need of money to supply the ambulance
ships, chain has been formed to collect
some, and If you, on receipt OF this, will
make four copies and send them to four
| of your friends you will greatly help the
wounded soldiers. When you have made
four copies, please return this letter to
| Miss Natalie Schenck, Babylon, Long Is
| land, with ten cents inclosed. The num-
| Der starts at one and ends at one hun
dred, SO that the person receiving the lat
ter number will send ten cents to Miss
| Schenck, same address, without making
copies. Please number the head of each
copy and make them exactly like this one
only number the next highest number and
| sign your name and address to each copy.
| Please make no delay in sending out
| copies, and, above all, do not break the
chain that means SO much to our brave
soldiers on land and sea. -
Within three days Miss Schenok had re-
ceived three or four ADVISERS. The next
day the number increased slightly. With
in week Postmaster Dowden noticed
that she was getting a hundred letters a
day. -
"That's good many" said Postmas-
ter Dowden yesterday, 'but all of sud-
den things took big jump. The post
letters, / had to hire an extra clerk, and
this morning over $500 letters came to her
in the one mail. If this thing doesn't
stop I'll have to hire lot more clerks,
and there Is no telling how far it will
60"
Then Postmaster Dowden began receiv-
ing letters of inquiry asking If Miss
the Red Cross or if it was a swindle.
"They enclosed stamps said the post
master mournfully, so had to answer
them. am not obliged to answer letters
of inquiry, but if 1 don't, then some
kicker writes to Washington that 1 am
keeping their stamps. Why, I've sent
hundreds of answers TO inquiries, simply
taking their letters and indorslng them
This is o. k
When Chief of Police Weeks gets angry
he shows it as he walks through the
streets by switching viciously with his
light rattan cane at every weed he passes.
There's hardly weed left in Babylon.
Chief Weeks has been working overtime
answering letters about Miss Schenck's
"chain" until his patience is exhausted.
The Sun has also received number of
letters, of which the folio wing Is sam
pie:
"Boston, July 8. 1885,
"To the Editor of The Sun Sir: l
inclose a copy of chain letter which is
flooding the country. Please inform me
if this letter is what it represents itself to
be, namely, hlep to our soldiers, or ii
il is only another bunco game.
"a READER"
But these are nothing to what Miss
Schenck received. More tn an Is, 600 let.
tiers haze been carried to her home. Some
contained money, some contained advice.
some contained excuses, and some con-
tanned threats. Of these last named one
was signed by M. Williams, 1856 Jeffer-
son avenue, Detroit, Mich, and read as
follows:
"There is a ruinor here that your end
less chain is swindle. Unless I hear
from you by next Tuesday, telling me
everything is all right to my satisfaction,
I will advertise your game in the news
papers and expose you."
or the letters received more than 1000
contained no money. The excuses were
many and varied. Many of the writers
declared their hostility to the scheme One
oman wrote six closely written pages
explaining that her eyes were so weak
letters required, but she approved of the
scheme She failed to inclose ten cents,
however.
All letters were not like these. The
majority contained dimes, but several
had dollar bills, and a number sent
checks. The postmarks showed that the
chain had reached to every state in the
union, to Canada, to Mexico, and even to
Cuba. A letter containing dime came
from Mrs. Mckinley; anothe. came from
Mrs. James "A. Garfield, while a letter
from President Mckinley is saved and is
highly priced. The Hon. Levi P. Morton
also sent dime, as did each member of
his family.
Twice each day a number of clothes
baskets are placed in u cart and driven
to the Post office. The letters often over
flow the baskets and have to be tied in
bundles. Then the six members of the
family all go to work and begin opening
the letters. They are now about 25O0
letters behind, and are in dread of what
Monday will bring forth with the two
days mail.
Miss Sohenck has already forwarded
$500 to Miss Katherine Lsyerick, who has
charge of the Ice Auxiliary fund. Sac
has received number of letters in which
the writer's demand that she publish in
the newspapers each day the amount of
money che obtains, but she has decided,
on the advice of her uncle, Mr.. Morgan,
to allow Miss Leverick to make all an
nOuncements.
tsupic ic 1ypdorl,tad1y tbo ,,,oe+ e,7ooosc-