The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-12-02
PICKED UP BY q SWINDLER.
The Honest Confession Of a York
County Farmer.

The Honest Confession Of a York
County Farmer.
II thought was the only man
IN York county who needed a guard
ian, would keep my mouth shut; but
as am satisfied that my experience,
if published, will at least serve as a
kind of warning to some Of the more
prudent, I am going to tell you the
whole story as to how I was done out
Of So by slick sharper few weeks
ago."
The speaker was Mr.. J. D. Land, a
well-known citizen Of the Beersheba:
neighborhood. 1t was thus thatthe:
began an interesting recital to-a
reporter Of the Yorkville Enquirer on
Wednesday morning. The laugh was
against him and be knew it; but in
order that the moral Of the story may
not be lost, it is proper to remark, he
is not the man to hold back important
facts on account Of little thing Bkes
that. Mr.. Land is one OF the repre-
sentative citizens of his neighborhood,
and in point Of intelligence, or other
wise compares favorably with the best
citizens Of any other portion Of the
county.
YES" Mr.. Land continued, I
was picked up just as nice as you
please, and as the saying goes, while
I was looking right at him."
1t was about three weeks ago. He
was a nice looking fellow and came
around by my house, representing
himself as the agent of big medicine
house in Galveston, Texas. could
not begin to tell you all he said, for
there was too much Of it; but boiled
down, his concern had found an abso-
lutte cure for indigestion, and be was
engaged in spreading the news. The
consulting corps at the home Office
included the finest medical talent in
the world, and with knowledge OF the
peculiar condition Of a given patient,
this staff could give advice which,
taken in connection with little pow
der he had along, would certainly do
the business within a short time six
months at the very longest. The
treatment had never been known to
fail, and the agent was safe IN not
only Offering return OF the money,
but binding himself toa big forfeiture
in the event an absolute cure was not
effected.
THE wonderful remedy was too
good a thing to give out to everybody
at a nominal price; but in order to
introduce it, agents had been sent out
to hunt up and cure ten cases in each
county in the United States. he had
already found eight subjects in York
county and needed only two more. He
showed me the names Of several OF my
neighbors, and went on to explain
that in addition to the cure the COM
pany was making present Of address
pattern to every female patient and a
macintosh coat to every male patient.
II Mrs. Land and myself were suffer-
ing from Indigestion, and were willing
to submit to a cure, all we had to do
was to take a box Of the powder, I'LL
out the answers on question blank
for the doctors at the home Office, and
pay three dollars to cover certain ex-
penses and we would be admitted on
the ground floor.
'Well it happened that Mrs. Land
had long been a sufferer from lndiges-
tion, and I would pay any reasonable
amount for relief. Although the fel-
low was very plausible, wonderfully
slick would like you to believe that
I was at least a little suspicious. but
anyhow l told him he could put Mrs.
Land on bis list. I went on to say,
too, that as Mrs. Land was to get the
benefit of the medicine, be could send
me the coat. That was all right, be
said, so gave him the three dollars
and my breast measure, and be turned
over a box Of his powder together
with a question blank, and receipt
for my money.
"And that receipt! Why it was
just as good receipt as you ever saw.
he had a whole book of 'em, printed
with stubs, so there could not be any
mistake as to the amount paid OF as
to who paid. My receipt shows no"
I have paid the far away Galveston
medicine house, three dollars Of good
money, and the agent has the record
so he can never target that | am the
very same man who paid him.
1.-The whole transaction was ousl-
ness like and deliberate, and if was
not impressed with the fact that l
had been the recipient Of an unusual
benefaetion, it was certainly not the
fault of the fell w who sold me 6ned
powder and things.
''But after the man was gone, I got
to thinking and it occurred TO me 70
tell Mrs. LAM that I would not take
any Of that powder until we heard
from the questions. l kept On think
ing and the more 1 thought the more
satisfied became that / was not 60
ing to hear from the transaction any
more: that the fellow had just picked
me up and that was all there was OF
it.
:'Hare you ever been picked up that
way? If you have you know how 1T
feels. With that coat that never
came still on my mind, I went to
town and bought one. Pretty soon al
rerward 1 ran across neighbor whose
name l had noticed among the favor
ed ground floor people OF the indiges-