The evening times., 1900-09-07
BARRED FROM THE MAILS
Fraud Orders Issued Against L. D.
Bass Agencies.
Accused by Postal officials with OBJ
tanning Sums of Money From Per-
Through illegal Methods-ProEss-
Ised Positions 40 Many Victims.

Fraud orders have been issued by the
Postal Department against the numerous
agencies doing business in Washington
under the management Of l. d. Bass, OF
1922 Centre Street northwest. Thousands
of people all over the country had been led
into paying him any sum from 81 upward
on promises that Bass would get them po-
sitions as teachers OF employees in the civil
service.
For a while the schemes prospered
amazingly, and it is estimated that he
took in all the way from $4,000 to $4,000
So far as has been found, however, the
only place ever filled through Bass agen-
cies was one situation as teacher, which a
woman working for him obtained Postal
officials say that his scheme was one of
the most far-reaehing that has come 10
light since the notorious Francis Truth
frauds at Boston.
Bass had a partner in the person OF M.
R. Hines, who posed as secretary treasurer
of the agencies" Their two principal
projects were the American Teachers
Agency and the American Civil Service
College The fraud orders just issued are
directed against both concerns anu against
Bass and Hines individually
The Postmaster at Washington is order
ed not to deliver mail addressed to any OF
them, All mail for them Will be stamped
fraudulent and returned to the writer's
The payment OF money orders to them Is
also barred.
The action OF the department is the re
suit of an enquiry which has been under
way for some weeks. Last spring Bass
was running the Union Teachers AgS ncy,
with headquarters here. He carried 5 nall
advertisements in country papers all over
the nation, and represented that he hid
agencies in every important city between
New York and San Francisco. On that
account, so his promises glibly ran, he
was able to keep track of vacancies
among school everywhere. For S2 he
would enroll the name cf an applicant at
anyone of his agencies, or Tor SO he
would place the name CT his lists in eacl
of his Offices. The scheme proved an al
Turing ere, and there is no telling hJw
many people bit. Complaints. however
reached the Postoffice Department that
things were net as they sh5uld be in tn
Bass agency. An investigation showed
that the only Office for the agency or
agencies was in one room here in Wash
ington-
The "sub-offices'' fer each of the i'm
portant towns across the continsnt con
listed merely OF small blank books Ia
beled Chicago or Denver in eacn OF
which was list OF addresses purporting
to be places where school teachers wsre
wanted. As was atterward found. Bass
got these lists tOsS her originally
through newspaper clipping agencies.
They were probably bona-fide vacancies
a. one time, but he took no pains 10 kee
them in shape When a dupe sent IN his
money tc be enrolled, Bass wouli send
cut al few addresses from these files. 1t
appears that meme OF the applicants e er
got a place except one woman employed
by Bass.
After an Investigation last spring the
postal officials issued q fraud order
against its mana ger Later, when the
food OF mail had subsided the order
against him individually was withdrawn in
order TO permit him TO get personal mail
Bass at once started up again. He had a
good deal Of his old Union Teachers
Agency" printed matter on hand. With a
rubber stamp he changed the name I'm
ion TO American, and commenced bust
ness on the same basis
This time he had a new feature called
the American Civil Service College. with
headquarters actually in Hines undertak-
ing rooms at 1911 Fifteenth Street north
west He represented that II was a huge
concern with unlimited capital and infiU-
ence. He sent out advertisements setting
forth the great future for young people
employed in the Civil Service and talked
about the thousands of appointments made
annually. He stood so high with the
Commission, he said, that any recommen-
dations he made would be favoTably con-
sidered by that body registration fee
OF 81 or So was charged to get placed on
tao roster of the college.
The schemes prospered, and Bass was
again doing business until the matter was
taken in hand by the postal authorities
short time ago The result is the new
fraud orders directed against him and his
concerns.