The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-14
WILL STOP THE FRAUD
Uncle Sam After the profitable
Employment Swindlers.
CANNOT USE THE MAILS
Many Victims of the Fraud in Montana
and the West-How the Scheme
Was Worked-Enroidery and
Painted Photographs.

| There are many victims of "profit-
and other parts Of Montana who have
doubtless read with much satisfaction
| that the postal authorities have deter
| mined to put an end to that class of
swindlers. According to the press dis
patches the government officials a few
days ago raided several large concerns
in Denver, Chicago and Brooklyn which
for some time carried profitable en-
ployment' want ads in a number of
Montana and other Western papers, and
a large amount of evidence was Sc
cured by the authorities showing to
what great extent poor victims all over
the country have been swindled.
The methods by which these people
operate have been exposed almost as
often as the green goods and gold brick
industries, and yet, day by day, they
CATCH victims in shoals.
The bait, in nearly every instance, IS
the same Usually it takes the form of
an advertisement, worded something
like this:
"Wanted-Ladies, city or country, to
DO embroidery work at home; all ma
ter1al furnished; instruction free; per
manent employment; send stamp for
full particulars.
Two broad divisions may be made of
these swndlers-th0se who use the en-
broldery trick and those who prefer the
oil-painted photograph scheme.
The woman who answers one of these
advertisements will receive letter,
couched in the most courteous business
terms and written upon gorgeously
engraved letter head. This letter will
expatiate on the reliability of the COM
pany and the immense amount of bust
ness which it transacts. 1t will say--in
the case of the embroidery concentrate
1t has more orders than it can possibly
handle in it's factory, and it is therefore
compelled to seek outside help. If the
applicant can do good embroidery the
company will give her all the work she
can possibly do, and will pay high rates
for it. The first thing necessary is that
the applicant for employment should
send from 81 to S. to the concern, as
guarantee that the work sent to her will
be faithfully returned. The amount
sent, the letter will say, also pays for
the materials used
The person who sends money to the
company will receive by return mail a
package containing a stamped design
and several skeins of colored silks,
There will also be some directions as to
how that particular piece of emhroid-
cry is to be done. Everything reads and
sounds correct, and there is a ticket
attached to the stamped pattern which
says that the sum of SO will be paid
when the work ordered has been salts
factorily performed.
The person who receives the pattern
will sit down and embroider assiduous-
ly. In due time the work will be fin
ished and sent to the company. In
few days there will come a courteous
letter saying that the company is sorry
to say the work is not I'D to it's stand
ard, and, therefore, cannot be paid for,
The manager. however, feels sure that,
with little more practice. the appli
cant for work would be able to turn
out most excellent embroidery. He
therefore recommends that the appli-
cant send for another pattern; making.
of course the usual deposit to protect
the company from loss
Sometimes the applicant for work
drops out at this stage of the proceed
ings-sometimes they do not, Whether
they do or don't makes mighty little diff
ference, for no one is ever able to en-
broider. well enough to satisfy the ex-
acting manager of the concern $50 over
!,