Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1903-08-12
The Fruit Tree Contract.

For the past few days party of five
have been making Waukon their head
quarters claiming to represent B. +.
Bonnewell 81 Co., nurserymen of Des
Mpipes. Yesterday Sheriff Bulman
surprised two of the party, a.. r.
Ogden and W. Fl. HOey, as they came
from the7dining rooms at tie Meyer
House by reading a warrant for their
arrest. They have been making a
canvass of the territory adjacent to
Waukon in the interest pof the fruit
tree business and in their travels call
ed on John Sweat, colored farmer
living about two miles southwest of
the city. According to the petition
on file they examined his farm and
were surprised to find everything so
suitable to the profitable raising of
fruit, and were so we'll pleased with
the farm that they were very anxious
to use it as an advertisement for their
nursery, and made him proposition
to set out 600 trees, prune them, take
all care of them in fact until they
commenced to bear, when Mr.. Sweat
should pay for them in fruit. They
drew up what was supposed to be such
contract and it was signed and a
duplicate left.
The contract proved TO be straight
order for 600 fruit trees, 200 apple,
200 plum and 200 pear. Payment of
$400 to be made OIL their delivery in
Waukon.
Upon learning the true condition of
the contract Mr.. Sweat came to
Waukon and swore out warrant for
their arrest, as the Code classes the
offense the same as forgery. The case
came up before Justice Thompson at
five O'Clock yesterday afternoon.
There has also been an action COM
menced in the district court to annul
the contract and award Mr.. sweat
damages.
The parties also called OH A. I.
Fuller and were as we'll pleased with
the appearance of his farm. Here they
represented themselves as connected
with the governmental experiment
station and were DESTROYS of setting
out some trees on his place to see how
they would do in this country. What
kind of contract they would have
asked him to sign is not known as he
was not favorably impressed with the
proposition. -Waukon Standard.
The same gang operated from here
and caught farmers to all amount es-
timated at $1,000. One contract was
for S475. All of them find that not
withstanding the smooth promises of
the agents they will be called upon to
pay when delivery is made in Octo-
Der. Another feature of the contract
is that the signer valves the right of
countermanding the order. 1t is a
pretty wise idea to turn loose the bull
dog when grafters come along. Ell
kader Argus.
Yes, and Winnesheik county has
had it's share of suckers in this
graft also. 1t does seem to US that the
time ough: to come pretty soon when
farmers and everybody else will have
sense enough to know what they are
signing before they place their sigma
lures upon any paper or better still,
will not sign paper of any kind for
a stranger nor buy goods of any nature
from unknown parties. But we pre-
sumo that there will always be ''easy
marks for the CRATER to work, the
kind of people who know so much
more than their neighbors. who buy
gold bricks OH the q. t., who "stand
in" with the push, and who save
money by buying goods from mail
order houses instead of home dealers.
Experience is dear teacher, but the
American people must patronize its
school, il seems.