Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-01
DEE LINES.

The dispatch in The Bee how swindlers
have been defrauding ignorant farmers out
of money near Wymore recalls story in
this connection as ludicrous as it is pathetic.
Directly after the late war the newly en-
franchised negro was the victim of every
swindling device known to the times. One
of these was worked by individuals dressed
in the uniform of the regular army, who
went about the country in vehicles drawn
by fine horses The vehicles and horses
were both conspicuously branded with U SIS
and this one fact of itself served to convince
the credulous negroes that they were deal
ing with the agents of the government. Al
ways selecting negro who had accumulated
some property these agents would repre-
sent that they had been sent out by the
president to protect the black mans rights.
That at once established bond of sympathy
and cleared the way for inquiries as to
what property he owned. The deed or bill
of sale was inspected and pronounced worth
less The agent" then looked grave and
enjoyed the negroes agonies of grief until
it had worked him up into the complying
mood He was then informed that while
the title was not worth the paper it covered,
yet through the plenary powers invested by
gracious president in him he could cure
the defects and make it good, but it would
cost the owner something to do it. The de-
lighted negro hustled around and sold his
horse cow and after turning the proceeds
over to the "agent" received an official en-
velcpe with big, red seal on it and strict
injunctions not to open it until specified
time when he would meet owners of defec-
tive titles at the county seat and make them
good. Most carefully did the poor, deluded
tl,,l,- ,I,,, thn a
come so likewise did they. Gathering from
Dan to Beersheba they anxiously awaited
the arrival of their friends, the agents"
Not until the shades of evening were falling
over the squares of the little southern towns
thronged with the poor negroes, did suspi-
| cion attack their trustful minds. Then a
| visit was made to the county judge, an en-
velcpe containing a title was broken and
| this inscription was all they ever re-
ceived for the money they could so
| lily afford TO lose. las high as
| Moses raised the serpent in the wilderness
] so high have we raised this fool out of his
| money"
Not one of these scoundrels was ever made
| to suffer for these crimes owing to the dis
| organized conditions of the south and to the
| further fact that there were no stringent
| federal laws at that time against such Of
| fenses. However, it is now felony to i'm
personate an officer of the United States,
| and If the Wymore farmers can catch these
| swlndlers they can make them pay dearly
| for their fraudulent operations.
The Bee is in receipt Of a communication
| from "A Little Mouse" containing a recipe
on how to lose wife's affection, from which
| the following Is an extract Come home at
night, find fault, tell her some obscene
story, using all of the oaths he can stick in
edgeways. If the wife objects tell her to
shut up, call her hard names, slam the door
| in her face and go down town and have a
drink with the jolly boys" The writer is
quite sure that this treatment of wives pre-
walls to an alarming extent but it is to be
hoped that neither she nor many other
women are subjected to such indignIties.
| If, however, that is unfortunately not the
case the only remedy is TO be more careful
next time to avoid marrying a barbarian.
A fairy tale comes from Chicago that
pigeon was seen recently to commit suicide
The bird deliberately wrapped a piece of
twine about its neck and then jumped off
the perch of its cage and remained sus-
pended until 1t strangled itself. 1t had been
recently brought TO Chicago and being there
at all is. perhaps. sufficient explanation
| Of and justification for the rash act.