The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-01-04
BY
EASY TALK
Bogus Trust Promises
Fortunes.
A HALF MILLION IS MADE
Sad Story Of How People Accepted
the Guarantee of Two Hundred
Per Cent a Year.

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 21.-The dis
closures that have followed the closing
of the offices of the Investors Trust, at
No. 1921 Arch street, which show how
easily IL is to dupe people into handing
over their money for investment" at
promised sky-high interest. have
earned for such investors but little
pity. 1T served them right" is the
judgment generally passed upon the
5000 or more unlucky investors. who
are now clamoring for lost fortunes. A
guarantee of 200 per cent a year as a
minimum profit on Investments is GER
tainly not a bait that would attract
anything except the suspicion of the
financier or careful investor. But
neither was sought as a customer. The
Trust did not advertise in the newspa-
pers its alluring offers. especially in
this vicinity. In fact. il did not even
put up a sign outside the Office build
ing on Arch street. the only sign be-
ing Investors Trust" i'm small letters
on the door of the office. located on
the second floor back. There was
nothing in the city directory that ipdi-
Gated the existence of such a concern
and the names and addresses of the
president. secretary and manager we're
not TO be found in that volume.
As Alluring as Green Goods
The Trust sought its customers away
from home. especially, il seems. in
Ohio and Massachusetts. though hun
dreds of investors belong in South
America, Australia and Canada. It
reached the customers through the
mails. Printed matter in the form Of
circulars and pamphlets were sent
broadcast to the people in ordinary
walks of life. Statements of wonder
full business promotions and stock
manipulatiOns." not speculations.
were given in the latest and most sue
cessful pamphlet issued. Interest fig
ures that were astounding were cited
and they made the hit calculated upon.
As the unwary have so often grabbed
at the green goods" and gold brick"
investments. so the customers of the
Investors Trust seized it's offers of for
tunes
These customers never stopped 70
think that if SO much money was to
be made on the sums, large and small.
sent IN by them it was a wonder the
Trust managers would not make it for
themselves instead of dividing il up.
They drank in the golden words of the
Trust pamphlets and circulars like
some people accept as Gospel the
statements of fortune tellers who give
lucky numbers and tell patrons how
to get rich by certain investments and
even locate hidden treasure for them.
instead OF profiting by their own
knowledge and securing for them
selves the fortunes they tell Of
Walls of the Duped Investors.
For nearly two weeks the mails have
brought to this city. addressed to de-
tective agencies, lawyers and postal
and city police officials. the walls of
investors in the Trust. who tell how
they had invested from $50 up 10 S4OO
each. upon the promise of immense in
terest. The man who sent 81 900 was
guaranteed $3.50 interest a month.
which in year would amount of So
720. At the end of that time. if the
investor had allowed his interest to
stand along with the principal in in
veStments, as the Trust managers
urged in their pamphlet. he would
have had to his credit with the Trust
SlO,12O. But the Trust managers had
a varied system, as will be seen by the
treatment of a Buffalo man who on
April 70 last invested $50: on June II
added $50, and on August % sent $50
more, making 800 in all. Upon the
first of each month, from May until
last month. he received dividends" as
follows: s1.S7. $3.50. $40. $50. 80 so.
sli and S14. or S65.37 in all. Why this
investor Jared so much better than all
others so far heard from may be ex-
nlained by the following appeal in the
Trust circular received by him. You
can help us by speaking TO yOur
friends. Send us their names and we
viii correspond with them"
The Trusts Promotions.
One Of the most alluring inducements
held ont by the Trust is what IS de-
sCribed in the "No. Il semi-anuuaI"
statement as "one Of the last corpora
tions promoted by rs" This is "the
Tobacco Company - North America" :"
a company that. po-ording 10 the.
pamphlet has TId its investors
through uG an q ayaraga pf TOC nor cont