The Saint Paul globe., 1899-05-10
VERY like A SWINDtE
WHOLESALE OPERATIONS or s.V
BASsFORD" AMONG ST. PAUL
BUSINESS MEN
HAD AN ADVERTISING BOOK

1t Was u Handbook of business Inv
with Valuable Information
About Revenue Stamps, and 1T
Seems to Have Provided Ross
"Stamps."
10 the glorious list of young Napoleons
OF hnance must now be added the name
OIL L. Bassford. Mr. Bassford has re-
Gently been operating in st. Paul II
Is the consensus of opinion among
some nineteen prominent business
men In this city that Mr. Bassford is
pretty smooth guy Whenever he
has given receipt for money, In sums
ranging from $40 to 500, Mr.. Bassford
has added the word publisher to his
signature. 1t Is with some misgivings
that certain gentlemen in business cir
cles are expecting a work from the pub
fshlng house of Mr.. Bassford entitled
How I Did Up the Town.
A few days since Mr.. Bassford, accom-
panied by another young man, blew in o
the city and began operations by which
they must have cleaned up $3.50 clear OF
expenses The story of one victim Is
the story of eighteen others Thomas J.
McDermott, attorney, is located at TIA
and 716 New York Life building. He was
waited upon by Mr.. Bassford, who ex
hibited a neat, morocco-bound book.
small, yet compact, and full of CONDENSED
laws relating to legal and banking bus.-
ness, and what was still more useful
a condensation Of the new revenue stamp
law. Aside from this there were four
teen blank pages for advertising pur-
poses Would Mr.. McDermott like to
join with number of others, prominent
in business circles, in filing this adver-
tfsing space? certain national bank
was to be supplied with 1000 copies for
free distribution. Each subscriber to a
page at $40 would receive fifty copies
and twenty-five copies went with half a
page. Could Mr.. McDermott select his
own page? Certainly. Accordingly Mr.
McDefmott took half page opposite the
last page Of the revenue stamp law.
Then Mr.. Bassford went away.
On Thursday last, while Mr. McDer-
mott was busily engaged with quite
number Of people In his office, Mr.. Bass
ford suddenly appeared with q copy of
the book containing the "ad" ordered
by Mr.. McDermott in its proper place.
But instead of being bound in morocco
1t carried cheap, green paper cover.
Here's a copy of the book" hurriedly
explained Mr.. Bassford, 'the other
twenty-four, copies will be sent you from
the Dispatch job printing office But
say, just one minute, please. Couldn't
you let me have that money now? I've
got bills to pay and hotel matters to
settle up
Mr.. McDermott was in the midst of
important business. With the one copy
as a guarantee of good faith, and anxious
to complete his business with his clients,
Mr. McDermott passed him a $40 note
and Mr.. Bassford was away like a
winged Mercury.
On the following day Mr.. McDermott
dropped down to the sixth floor of the
big building and into the office of v. c.
Gilman. Mr.. Gilman had, also, gone into
the scheme $40 worth. He. too, had been
presented with copy of the work and
was in the midst of a $1,000 deal when
the ubiquitous Mr.. Bassford approached
him hastily and stated the urgency Of
his claim for $40. The other twenty-four
copies would come over to him from the
Dispatch office. Then the two copies
were compared, Mr.. McDermott's and
Mr.. Gillman's.
Did you order the first half page fol-
lowing the revenue law" inquired Mr..
McDermott.
Certainly. Best page in the book. Why
shouldn't L Here It's, Johnny on the spot
in my book
'And I'm all right. all right, on the
same page in nv book" replied Mr. Nc
Dermott. A great white light burst upon
the two gentlemen with calcium effects.
The Office of Fred H. Sapin is in the
same building. He was seen yesterday
by reporter Tor the G O b 9. He had
a.,JI 1-l4z
the page Of the Millers and Manufactur-
ers' Insurance company. And he got 1t.
But 1t appears that Mr.. Sabin is about
the only one who secured position paid
for and he, too, is shy just 40 copies of
this invaluable work. Robert L. Ware &
Co., Germania building, ordered the first
page $20 worth, opposite the cover inside
containing the ad. of the ST. Paul Ma
tional bank. They got the required po
sitlon-in their one copy. In Mr.. McDer-
motifs copy John S. Crooks & Co. and
Dean Bros. & Co. display their ads. on
the same page, and probably In quite a
number of other books. Robert L. Ware
& Co. are also shy their forty-nine copies.
J. E. Cochran & Co., bankers and bro
kers, ordered a full page opposite the
preface" Their one book is all right.
In a number of others the Dodge Land
& Investment company has pre- empted
this particularly favorable location. There
are still forty-nine copies due Mr. Coch-
ran. Luther s. Gushing ordered the last
page, opposite the cover. So, also, did
c. H. F. Smith & Co., as both appear
there in different books. Forty nine copies
of the work are still coming to each
Of these gentlemen from ''the Dispatch
office" And one of the banks Is ready
to receipt for 1899 copies for free distri-
button
1t was learned that the American Bond
ing company and Barton & Godfrey, so
soon as they learned the facts Of the
swindle, telephoned to stop payment on
checks they had given Bassford. Others
did the same. But Bassford appears to
have hustled them into the hands Of third
parties and, doubtless, the checks will
have to be paid. Before investigating in
the matter Mr.. McDermott telephoned
the st. Paul National bank. asking If
there was any truth In Bassford's state
ment that the bank was to distribute
1000 copies of the work. The bank people
replied that such was the arrangement
made. with Bassford.
Other victims of this unique advertis-
ing swindle are William G. White, John
B. Kalsburn. Charles A. Forbes and w.
Fl. Craig. Bassford and his partner are
said to have left for Des Moines on FRI
day evening of last week.