Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-02-09
MONEY TO Ply THE FREIGHT,
On Its Receipt Beautiful Prizes May be
Expected.

having experience of late with a new
form of swindle, which sharperS in the
big cities are working, and a we'll
known Augusta citizen is i'll the num-
Der. Said he to a Journal representa-
tive. yesterday, Il noticed in the
Journal the other day that Maine
woman was notified that she had COR
rectly solved a puzzle in one of the
newspapers, and had been awarded a
piano as prize. 1t would be for
warded to her upon receipt of some
$4,000 to pay freight Of course that
was most transparent sWindie. but IL
doubtless catches some people. In
cur own family we have had a Similer
experience on a smaller scale, but we
did not bite the bait.
My little granddaughter takes lost
of pleasure in solving puzzle pictures
that have been appearing in the Boston
and New York Sunday papers. Some
| thing like d year ago she solved one
| that she thought was parti cu'iirly
| difficult. and to please her l sent her
| solution. with her name to TIE pub
| ishe rs. We heard nothing from it, and
we had forgot IN all about it, when we
received u notice the other day from a
| New York concern that the solution
| sent was correct one and they "ou d
give as prize either a gold watch or a
diamond ring, provided SIS, he for
varded to pay the expense o. packing
| and postage. The communication was
| a lnCs: businesslike one and gave
several references. or Curse we
! thought it was a fraud, but for the Jun
| of the thing l wrote to u Massd chu5ct.s
| lazy, whose name was given rs d
| reference" Here the gentleman jTev
| from his pocket a postal carl which he
| lad received rom the Massachusetts
| lady to whom he had written. The
card read as follows: 1.-The whole
| thing is fraud. The diamond is a
piece of chip set in the smallest brass
| ring. suitable for a child of five years.
| Ny jeweller tells me that the whole
| thing is not worth one cent. They did
not send me the paper. so all l have to
! show for my money is the liutle worth
| less ring. l wrote them not to use my
| name for | have answered 81 letters.
and 50 people have called to see the
| ring since the first of November 1t is
getting to be a nuisance They may
not like me. but l think is would have
| paid them to have sent me good
| ring.
1t would seem that anybody who
tried to work SO plain a snide game as
| this would soon get into trouble with
| the law, particularly with the United
| States authorities for using the mails
| for fraudulent purposes The Augusta
gentleman who tells the Journal about
| this incident cannot understand how
| the name of his granddaughter, and
| the fact that she had sent a solution to
| the puzzle, came into the hands of the
| parties who are working this game.
| They probably secured it with list
of names from the newspaper to which
the solution was sent, or perhaps
| somebody in the employ of that news
paper is working this game upon the
side and using for his own fraudulent
purposes. the names sent to the
office. Other families in the cities |
have had similar communications.
The Boston Globe has this to say of |
the way the same scheme has been |
worked in Boston and its results:
For the past few days the post office |
authorities in this city have been re-
ceiving a large number of complaints |
in relation to mail being sent to chill |
dren throughout Greater Boston in an |
10 cAloli DS lIduuulcnC means |
money from the persons addressed
These letters are sent out by the |
Cliff Publishing Co. of New York City. |
which has offices in the Bible House |
there. The names of the children who |
are receiving these letters were OBJ
tanned by the Cliff Publishing Co. from
q Boston newspaper-not the Globe
which has been conducting prize con-
test. AS children entered the contest |
conducted by the newspaper their !
names were clipped from their replies
ana turned over to the Cliff Publish
ing Co.
The New York concern then in
closed the autograph of the child with |
circular, stating the youngster had !
won the prize, which consisted of a |
handsome diamond ring or a watch. |
ETC., as the case might be, and request
ing that a sum of money to cover pack
ing and express be sent to the Cliff |
Publishing Co.. after which the prize
would be forwarded.
In the more than $50 complaints
which have been received at the post
office within the past few DAYS only,