New-York tribune., 1902-04-30
USE OF THE MAILS CUT OFF
AUBURN COMPANY'S RUSHING BUSINESS
OVERwHELNS POSTOFFICE - IN
vESTIGATION ORDERED.
fRY TELEGRAPH TO THE rR1Rr-xE. !


-ashington. April 29.-Representatives Of the
Auburn Pen Company. Of Auburn, n. Y, which
deprived of the of the mails pending
investigation will appear before the Assist
ant Attorney General for the Postoffice Depart
r,1ent to-day 20 show cause why it should not
be barred from postal privileges. The reason
given for examining the affairs of this company
Is that it overwhelmed the postof1ce in Auburn
with of business estimated daily at two
hundred letters seven hundred postal cars and
two hundred money orders. After the Auburn
office had been overworked for several days and
IT was found that its force could not handle the
increased mail, an appeal for relief was sent
10 headquarters in this city simultaneously
with the receipt of this appeal came complaint
of suspicion and failure to comply promptly
with contracts made with patrons and inquiries
followed from people all over the country as 20
the standing of the company.
Circulars numbering thousands each day were
posted by the pen company. advertising to sell
q fountain pen at s. 20 and agreeing to pay
each purchaser 81 30 a week, if he would direct
a certain number of letters daily TO persons
likely to become subscribers for pens. Inc
business OF the company Increased amazingly
and the receipts grew to he thousands of dollars
a day. all paid in money orders cashed at the
postoffice.
Another oonpary operating in similar man
rights to use the mails has been scheduled Tor
Nav / The firm Of Van Kirk d Rooih' Oh
wiIkesbarre Penn. doing similar business
has been asked to explain its methods on Nd!
. to determine its right TO the mails under lie
fraud order regulations
On the face Of all these cases there is no
ground for interference except that the pusl-
ness there is so stupendous-the gross receipts
running into r1illons-that the postoffice cannot
a+ Ia
Cherry Tree Company of North Carolina which
MAS the original corporation operating the end
less chain system it was found to be imprac-
ticatle IN meet the contracts made, and after
trial a fraud order was issued by the Postofhce
Departnaent debarring the Amos Owen Company
from the mails.
The success Of these companies in exciting
public interest in their scheme OF empioEne
far exceeds the ping-pong craze Gnd few per
sons are found who have not received from some
one. unknown. an invitation to buy pen ana
sacnre 2 rlace on the payrolls of the pen COM
NAMES The postmaster at Wilkesbarre reports
that letters to the Van Kirk & Robin Com
panv poured into his office at the rate OF h'e
hundred an hour Within two weeks after. SIX
teen raailbags containing the firms mail were
closed and the number OF letters increased 10
nearly two hundred thousand. and the money
contained therein amounted to 100000 In a
d
gun business with a single desk in an attorneys
nffce. became men of fortunes. Prior to the
establishment of this novel enterprise. the only
property of one Of the firms members was 4
single mule. To-day each Of them is able TO
nav extensive fees in employing the best legal
talent in the country to defend his right TO
continue the raoneynaaking business
The trials of the cases will involve interest
ing points of law likely to attract widespread
hat 7ATaa a-r11 a nj
r,enr has the right TO checknate firms bust
ness for a period of examination, when there is
no convincing proof Of fraud against it, is re-
garded here as rather questionable In the IN
stance Of Van Kirk & Robin, the mere IN
terest on the amount Of money sent ny It's GUS
TONERS would equal a sum Of money greater
than that involved in the majority of damage
suits Their daily postal business is officially
reported TO be $3.50 postal cards, 200 letters
a1 registered letters and 1903 money orders.
valued S3.040-
In the experience of the Oldest employees at
the postofice there have never been such cases
before the department The only fraud oroer
investigations which approach the sensational
features of this case those OF hunchpach
shoemaker in Burlington, Vt, and Of the l,a- par
vine Healer" at Nevada. Mo. In the former
case the man was found TO be honest ana We
permitted to use the mails. while to the laller
mail service was denied The Burlington shoe
maker advertised to make shoes of certain
leather at 81 % pair. and within rev ~eehs t
after his advertisements were circulated lhe
burlington postoffice was flooded with requests
for his shoes Upon examination 1t was estao,
lished that the man only wanted time to rum rum
his orders which he did satisfactorily fis
ecberre was rhe means of making him a sinali
fortune. ,,,, u.
mont = wear ago the divine healer sent
ont circulars to great numbers saying lnat nc
was able to heal the sick. lame ana oliho az
ions. distances His charge WAS nominal ana ne
snecifed that If the patients were taken 10 MS
home the cure could be effected sooner Inc
scheme was 10 arrange by mail a certain tiiiie
whom the sick or wounded were to place their
minds in communication with him. Wlthn a
+eTT daZs the Nevada postofice was overcrowd-
"a uj+b mail for the healer" his money orders
smounting tn $40 900 daily in small sums from
people all the country.
1he most interesting feature of this case was
,be fact that sick and wounded persons were
convetsed for miles away to the town of Nevada
Its ronulation increased remarkably, and the
hosnitals boarding houses and hotels were IN
ADEQUATE 20 accommodate the patients ana their
naretskerc When the divine healer s mails
were withheld the railroad companies, reaH2-
ing decrease in traffic, ascertd1ned tnat ~
Wes due TO the governments action 1hey mace
complaint that their business was pelng inter
fered with Skful lawyers were efnpoveu 10
defana the cause of the divine healer ana the
RECOMMENDATION company, but ii was hnaliy de-
ri6ed in favor of the government, chiehy De
cauee the divine healer failed to cure an en-
Yloxe Of the Postofice Department here or an
silrnent when the hearing on the case was heio
NAV RE Used FOR 4 HDSPI1 AL