The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-03-08
100000 D|VN[S
N IRE SN|NDLE
CIergmen, Easy Victims of
Get Rich Quick Men.
FORTY MILLION DOLLARS
Have Been GObbled Up in
New York Alone.


tectives, says:
1t is my intention TO roundup ever.
Get-Rich-Quick" concern on Manhattan
Island and to protect the public from al
such swindles in the future.
The trouble has not been with the polio
but with the law which permits get
rich" swindlers to advertise and pursu.
their calling Until the victims themselve!
complain.
At present there is not a 'get-rich
quick concern in the city, and there will
not be another one if 1 can prevent it.
Within the past two years over $4,000
600 has been taken away from the public
by ''get-rich-quick' concerns.
over five million victims have paid out
good money for knowledge which should
have come to them in their schooldays.
These victims include 100000 clergymer
--men of the Gospel who stepped aside in
to the ways Of the flesh and the devil
for financial gain.
One hundred thousand physicians have
given the fees received from hundreds OF
thousands of patients into the hands OF
the swindlers
Clerks by the half million have worked
overtime to make up their losses in a
Were winners.
Men that were originally honest have
been driven to theft to conceal the raids
of the "get-rich-quick" thieves
Good women have given up home and
friends through shame at their losses.
Never before in the history of the hui
man race has such a gigantic swindle
been successfully carried out. Civiliza-
various parts of the country the game
goes on. but not in this city.
Swindling in the "get-rich-quick" form
will undoubtedly prevail so long as the
great crop of human fools exists-and the
fool crop is amending.
1t is almost an unbelievable fact that
there have been almost five million vic
Tins of these swindling concerns during
the past year. IN the aggregate they have
lost fully $4O.0OoO00. all of which has dis
appeared into the pockets of the schemers
1t is supposed to be one of the hardest
things on earth TO induce some human
beings TO part with their money without
adequate security. Yet in these barefaced
swindling schemes 100000 victims are
seen practically falling over each other
to give their money away. How does the
swindler win them? By appealing totheir
love of mystery. No man or woman is
wholly free from this weakness. In every
age and every country thousands have
held out this alluring bait for other thou
sands to nibble at.
And they always nibble. Give me your
money and I'll give you a deed for home
beyond the grave" Give me your money
and I'll cure your disease by your faith"
And the wealth pours in. the stream
being proportional to the depth and dark
ness OF the mystery.
Yet the world would be dreary for the
sentimentalist if it were not for human
credulity. and only the swindlers them
selves can realize how general and deep
~ rooted this credulity is.
All over the country men and women
who think that something can be got for
nothing are sitting on the edges Of their
chairs with their savings in their hands
waiting for the smooth swindler TO find
them.
1t is an easy matter to reach these
suckers" a fancly worded advertise
ment will set them thinking. Are not the
investments guaranteed Are not the
men who hold out such open and splendid
Inducements honorable business men?
The ''get-rich-quick' concerns in this
city sent out at least ten thousand letters
day each As ten of them were dong
business. this meant about one hundred
Thousand letters daily.
These letters containing speciously
wordeJl circulars. held out the inducement
OF sure and speedy fortune.
The replies came by thouss nds. As the
least acceptable amount was s.. ard as
not a penny was ever invested or re-
turned. the enormous profits may be
appreciated.
Some of the concerns claimed 10 he able
TO fix every race. What a streak If
dishonesty there must be in every human
breast when clergymen by the thousand
will bite at such lure Of thievery.
I'VE have the game entirely in our own
hands" says one circular. our corps of
expert clockmen. sheetwriters. cashiers.
rail. ring and paddock watchers are con-
tinually on the alert.
This read plausibly enough but the only
cashier employed was the head thief. who
pocketed the money and gave no return.
Some of the letters Of protest received
by these firms are an epi;ome OF the ira
&C or pathetic.
They are full OF tears prayers and
heartache. They would melt the heart
OF any man hut a coldblooded scoundrel.
The "get-rich" turf swindles. which
have amassed profits aggregsttng $1,000
ooo. are the most plausible among all the
bunco games.
The Franklin Syndicate. which reaped
g harvest Of almost S2.e3o.e0 within
year. was undoubtedly the cornerstone
upon which al the subsequent ''get-ricf-
quick concerns have been founded.
The syndicate issued shares to its sub
ocribers At SO per share. with a guarantee
that there was absolutely no risk Of
losing" In brief all that the public was
called upon TO do was to hand in its
money. and the syndicate would do the
rest This the syndicate did by pocket
ing the entire proceeds.
This sHindling scheme ran for months
without hindrance from the authorities.
simply because there We're no complaints
from the victims
The circulars scattered far and near
throughout the country were speciousiy
wor6ed and well calculated TO WOO the
idle dollar from the pockets of the credu-
lous They were as follows:
Your so or more, according % the num-
~ e shares you take. - invested Tex you