The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-29
THE CHERRY TREE FRAUD.
WAS FIRST STARTED WITH HON.
EST INTENT.

The scheme Proved Too Good a
Money Maker, However, When
Operated by INSCRIPTIONS Per-
Originator Worked 1t for All Ii
Was WOrth-SeveraI Thousand
Girls Received n Christmas No
tice That Their Services Were No
Longer Required and All Are Out
One to Two Months Pay.
Columbia, S. c.. Dec. 2s.-The gov
eminent detectives are now hunting
for the last proprietors of the Amos
Owens Cherry Tree Company of Hen
rietta, N. c. These men worked their
just as the official of the postoffice de-
partment were about to close down on
them for fraudulent use of the mail,
they disappeared.
The Cherry Tree Company had, how
ever, already decided that it was time
to take the profits in sight and sus-
pend. AS a Christmas greeting it's
thousands of clerks-all young girls
who were employed to write letters in
their home for 500 a month, received
notice that because of the agitation,
work would be suspended and in the
meantime salaries would not be paid.
All these young women were due a
months wages; some of them nearly
two months, and combined salaries rep
resents a snug fortune for this part
of the country. Very many of the girls
who had made their initial payment
of S12 for 60 cherry trees, had got no
salary; others had been paid their SAL
aries for several months past.
The proprietors of the concern fed
so hurriedly that they did not have
time to draw out their funds deposited
in several banks in the towns adjacent
TO Henrietta. This money will be at
tached
1t develops that while this cherry
tree scheme seems to have been started
with honest intent, its possibilities for
making an immense amount of money
were realized, and the first owners, af-
ter making a very handsome sum de-
cided to get out of the business. Sub
sequent owners were not so particular.
although willing to take their chances
OF being caught by the government
when the final inevitable smash came.
At first good cherry trees were sold
but with the enormous expansion 1t
became impossible to supply good trees
and the stock was gotten from Cherry
mountain, which IS covered with a
wild cherry forest, the fruit being ut
terly unfit for anything.
Each girl who sent in $12 for sixty
cherry sprouts was given a position at
$40 a month, to write five letters a
day, urging others to follow her ex-
ample. There is hardly a house in
North Carolina and South Carolina
into which these letters have not gone;
while Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia,
Alabama and Florida have been sewn
broadcast with the tempting offers, and
the harvest for the swindlers has been
rich.
DR.. Frank Bright began the business.
He sold out to his father, Rev Thomas
Bright, who had the concern incor-
porated. After making $4,000 in one
month, Mr.. Bright sold to G. d. Win
kie, who held the money-making
scheme for less than a month, when
he sold to G. w. Rollins and Charles
Watkins. They remained in possess
sion only five days, when they sold,
Nov. %, to M. G. ~Padgett, the last
owner.
Padgett let everything drop, and dis
appeared. He had been taking in
about 81. 500 daily.
The responsibility of the other op-
orators, including the Rev. Mr.. Bright.
is now being Investigated in the courts
of Rutherford county. Government Of
hcials are said to be getting sensational
evidence.