Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-07-30
The Travelling Doctors so"

4u0 SulOokO NOStVA NsI WIN Ok ,sASl
second time within the past three years.,
worked several localities In this county
to q finish: EsfeN fnnnthsngu, hssc-iust,
completed "doing" Benton county as
We CLEAN from the Cedar Rapids Go.
zette, which says ~ One of the clever
est swindles, successful because 1t is so
simple, is being worked on the farmers
of Benton county and the whirlwind of
regret is now In the height of harvest.
The swindler relies entirely upon the
credulity of the victim and the well
known fact that one who has been Bit
ten is not inclined to make himself q
laughing stock for the benefit of his
neighbors. The victims, and there have
been large number of them, have paid
to the clever swindlers sums ranging
from $75 to $3.50, with absolutely no re-
turn, and so quietly was the work done
that near neighbors have been taken in
on the same game, neither knowing
that the other was implicated.
In December, when oil the country.
folk were comfortably Spending the
days within doors, there came dapper
young man to Watkins. He hired q
livery team and spent several days look
ing up the location of invalids among
the farming community. He had an
engaging way about him and the trou-
bles of the family were not long held
from him. Ina few days this young
man disappeared and another took his
place, inquiring more closely into the
health conditions prevailing thereabouts
and locating every invalid in the vicin-
ity and not forgetting to look up their
financial condition. Then he, too, dis
appeared and the fancy CRATER made
his appearance. The two who had
gone before were as nothing compared
with the doctor. He it was who wore
the big diamonds, talked In a low, deep
voice, had the hypnotic stare; in fact,
was the successful medical "grafter."
His plans had been carefully laid be.
fore he reached the point of action.
Every family he knew. To the man of
the house he chad heard from sym
pathetic neighbor that the wife was al
invalid; that the husband, too, was In
falling health and that neither had the
strength to do the work the farm re-
CURED" He was a famous physician
Of high degree who made specially of
such cases; hunted the country over to
find them, simply because of his over
whelming desire to be of benefit to hu.
msnity.
Personal magnetism had much to do
with the success of the graft, for in al
most all cases was the doctor" success
full. He had no difficulty in making
the people believe they were sick, for
he chose for his victims only those who
had been long sick and who had given
up hope. To these he said that local
doctors did not understand the condi-
tions; that he did, but that of course he
should. be obliged to ask. a reasonable
compensation for his work and time.
He was working for the love he bore to
his profession and personally he would
be glad to do the work for the sake of
the cure which was bound to result, but
such action would be against the ethics
of the profession, and he was nothing if
not true and abiding member of the
fraternity of healers. Once successful
in making the invalid believe in his
powers the rest came easily and 1t was
only matter of how much money the
victim was willing to part with.
No one has yet been able to discover
the California and Illinois State Medical
and Surgical Institute, and no address
is given on the agreement, which is the
only thing the victim has in considera-
ton for the note that he is obliged to
to oiHa ser re amount named in the
IIl.I,is we're 'fieaced BY