The Forrest City times., 1905-11-03
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! rfpe Tor trade. They were anxious to go into partnership aud secure Inc | patent rights for the whole state. ! So II was arranged that they shou.d d meet the main grafter at the hotel. In no time he bargained with them to let them have the entire state tor sZ4.ooe, having figured 1t out to their entire satisfaction. how they could ! nave their money all back, and more inside or year. if they would only aaopt plans which he laid out to i push it.
 He would take their farms. at si90 i per acre, to close the deal. the one ! Who owned the farm of 120 acres could pay bis half with his farm. whereas { tle Q one who owned but 100 acres would be obliged to raise 5000. for which l he proposed to give his individual note. This the old grafter coolly re- luSed' Determined 10 make the deal. i however, the farmer arranged for the cash, through his wife's father. who l inortgaged his farm.
 1hese farmers. proud of their pur- chase, and apparently under the im- pfesslon that all their neighbors and friends envied them their good luck, immediately advertised a public aac- ton of all their farm implements. stock, etc, and announced that they Wosld move to town, and at once be- sin operations.
 ms plan they carried out. after which they themselves started out to i sell clothes pounders, as an experi- ment, before hiring agents. Their idea was to begin where the grafters had left off and they took | along the boys who had driven for rhe 1 canvassers.
 They discovered from the start that when they offered their simple, foolish looking piece of wood. with a few holes bored in it, for five dollars. the farmers and their wives would fa,tiy hoot at them. It took less than two eays to convince them that they had been literally swindled out of their farms and cash
 On the evening of the second day out they met by arrangement in a small town, and no more broken hearted men could possibly be imag- med. Neither of these two poor. Gl- sophisticated dupes had had the slight est prospect of obtaining an order.
 Before giving il up they tenacious. y determined to give it one more trial first calling on some of the purchases to see how these people liked the 1 pounders. and find out how the agents managed to sell them So fast.
 At the first house the woman said: "Oh, pshaw, it's no good; am go- ing to give it back when the agent comes around collecting"
 When he comes around collecting?' they exclaimed in amazement "Didn't he collect when he delivered it?"
 Why of course not" she answered he took my order on condition, that he was to leave the thing on % days trial. and at the end of that time he would be around again, and either col lect the five dollars or take back tn, clothes pohnder. I wouldn't accept th. old thing as a gift"
 Continuing their investigation the, learned that not singlA pounder ha, been sold-all had been left on tria,
 The main grafter had provided hl agents with the cash. and after mallin! the delivery the agent would get intt the wagon, and putting the five-dolial bill with his other money, would mail down in his book one more edo! !al collection.
 Of all the swindles and gratis I have known, this particular one has always seemed the most heartless and cold bloOded. These farmers had gone into 1t, believing they were engaging in 8 well-paying, legitimate business and suddenly awakened to the fact thai ! they were absolutely stranded, one oi them in debt to the amount Of g. 900 1 besides.
 
 The above graft, being about the biggest on record, I will now relate i what I believe to be the smallest
 An Irishman, with only three cents in his pocket, was in western mining town where whisky was 15 cents 2 drink Entering q saloon he noticed