The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-12-05
WOODSTOCK!
Beats the Wild and WOOly
West.
A WHOLE COMMUNITY GONE
ON A FOOLS ERRAND.

l
'fake" bureau in Brooklyn, New York, |
had shut it's doors, and VIM. F. Millar, |
it's head, had fed with his hundreds of |
thousands of dollars of i'll gotten gains. |
He advertised that he would pay ten
per cent week on all investments, and |
made his promises good by paying the
interest tout of the money they loaned
him) until he got the gudgeons to BIZ
ting by Schools" and the drafts
begun to pour in on him so fast that the
matter was brought before the grand
!, jury and he was indicted, but made his
escape before the police got around to
his place of business.
| He took in money so fast for awhile
that it is said his clerks could not take
care of it, and $15, 900 was found in his
room, after he fled. 1t is said that he
took in as high as $50, 900 on one day.
} Champaign county, O., seems to have
been a rich field for the swindler, and
Woodstock led the procession.
) The following dispatch, written be-
fore it was known that the bubble had
burst, gives full idea of the craze that
existed in that community, and one
r cannot but wonder how so many people
: could be so taken in.
. 1t is estimated that Woodstock and
vicinity had from 800, 900 to 800, 600 in
: vested in the swindle. The dispatch is
as follows:
, Woodstock, o., Nov. 24.-Nowhere
g in the country has the craze for wildcat
y speculations in financial matters Great
S ed such excitement as here. In ra-
Q dius of five miles between $4,000 and
, $780, 900 is now invested in Eastern syn
b dicates like the Philadelphia company,
/ Whites bureau of New York, Her.
b bert's in Washington and the Franklin
: syndicate (Miller's) of Brooklyn.
l. Less than three years ago an adyer-
: tisement in a Cincinnati paper led a
widow to invest in the Philadelphia
% concern, and soon 200 others followed
If her. Then Whites opened up business
t. here soon after, as did other firms, and
e a few months ago the Franklin sydi-
cate started in and scooped all it's COM
je petitors in its business.
e Everybody has gone into these specu-
l. lations-rich and poor. The South sea
s. bubble and Jeregan's saltwater scheme
-e had no terrors for the greed of the in.
of habitants hereabouts. Wealthy farm
ers tenants on farms, grangers, hired
al girls, ministers of the Gospel, doctors,
m I,,
ers, day laborers and all other classes
a. are in according to their ability. Ii
in the Franklin most of the investors put
r in so, many $50 and $50, few 800
ps and quite a number $500.
Farmers have in some instance:
IN mortgaged their farms, village people
81 their houses and lots to go in, and some
" have mortgaged their chattel property
OF to get into ''the bonanza" as they cal
y it. At Fountain Park whole family
ed father, mother, sons and daughter-in
law and all the other children are in it
IS and yet all these folks are now conduct
r. ing religious revival. A hired gir
e. getting pay of So per week went int
OF the Franklin twelve weeks ago with S2
1g capital and has already drawn out $24
We and has the capital left intact will
lg that concern for future dividends.
ry Thus her dividends on the small out
~ lay equal per week her wages as do
n mestic. Recently the citizens gave
"a dance benefit, to aid an old paralyze,
soldier. The receipts were $50, O
which he at once invested one-half il
are now So. He prides himself on be
~ ing capitalist embryo and is in tn
swim with half the population here.
% The postoffice at Woodstock is doinl
-, a land Office business, and the numbe
of letters received daily from tn
Franklin syndicate of Brooklyn alone
RI containing remittances of the dividend
va averages rs. These remittances are a.
th in checks.drawn upon the Franklin OF
fee, and the Woodstock bank cashe
them promptly upon the payee's il
dOrsement.
So well has this business been cor
Quoted so far there has been no con
plant; that is no one who has failed t
"o get his dividends. The rate of div
dents is 10 cents per week, that is,
,g- for each so invested weekly.
in The Woodstock bank keeps on il
lat counter sensational and illustrated e,
at poses of these financial schemes fro1
he the New York and Boston papers, br
ed when the members of the syndicat
BIZ come in to get their checks cashe
to- they look at the exposes and laugl
snt saying, ''that doesn't frighten us, wer
M. not afraid"
as Some few who sent on their capt.;
in different sums, after getting div
be- idends for few weeks, got scared an
ex- drew out, and the concern returned tn
rly money they had paid on joining. Mos
in of them afterwards went in again an
jhe are full-fedged capitalists. The Graz
it, has extended to Urbana, the count
Of seat and also to Mechanicburg, Mort
led Lewisburg, Milford Center, Fountai
in Park and other points Is to 20 mile
ue; away. The Franklin is the only one
an the half dozen syndicates operatin
it here which pays weekly dividends
c., hence it is now monopolizing the bus
sa- ness to a large extent. The static
Ic- accent at Woodstock on the IndianaDt