The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1906-10-11
Chicago correspondence:

@a$2 cf- n EIES. cago than in any
SNsIIDu ET other city in the
l [SM" H|i wOrl d. Despite
y ~ MS1(y the activity of the
r. GSM police department
IN<SA and the pOstotfice
GA WI authorities, which
&S MR has resulted in
t%csasluhIj& the raiding and
exposure of 450
firms of fraudulent character during
the last two years. every Office building
in the city contains companies which
are operating in the hope that they will
be overlooked for Il few weeks or
months 50 that the nets that they have
cast can lie hauled in full.
\ walk down the Railways of the big
buildings, even those demanding high
rental, will reveal the presence of these
business leeches. The offices are fur
nished in luxury and with an eye to
dazzling the man from the smaller town
and the country who is lured there by
the huge promises made in the adver-
tisements. There are many stenogra>
pliers, clicking away busily. Men are
rushing to and fro from rooms marked
| private" to the cashiers desk. The
telephones are ringing, and an occasion
al glimpse of the "president's Office"
reveals dignitied gentleman sitting at
an expensive table and surrounded by
imposing books and correspondence. 1t
Is a setting that works like charm.
The tentacles of the great system
which has centered in this city for so
many years have swept out into the
! farthermost regions of the West, made
desolate homes, scattered hard earned
savings, and dashed bright hopes. The
| method is simple; the bait alluring.
| Most of the men in the we'll organ
szed companies that prey upon the
| public are well educated. They have
the fever in their blood as thoroughly
| as their victims. They have been
known to bite on the nook cast out by
some of their disguised pals" If
| they would turn their intellects and
energies to legitimate business they
would make respectable fortunes and
be safe. But the lure of the game is
| as strong as that of the underworld
or the wanderlust. Persuasive, clever,
picturesque writing forms the main
asset of the companies at the start.
| Literature is the first necessity and
the money to buy the stamps to mail it.
| Then an office with high sounding
| firm title on the door and large bag
| to hold the coin.
The last year has overturned several
pinnacles of graft. Here is the way the
money has been dropped in Chicago
within year: Matrimonial bureaus,
$1,OOO,OOO; employment agencies,
100000; turf commissioners, $780,
600; charity homes, 100000; wildcat
insurance $1O,O0O.0OO; home building
associations, $6,OOO,OOO; bucketshops,
$5,OOO,OOO; wire tappers, 100000;
book agencies, 81 100000; mines and
oil wells, $SOO0,O0O; medicine compa.
MES $5OO,O0O. A well-informed official
says the American public drops annu-
! ally $1500OO,O0O in these "get-rich.
| quick" concerns.
Detective Sergeant Clifton r. Wool.
bridge says:
Were the census enumerators of
/ the United States to compile n list OF
the sucker public the gulible ones
would aggregate tens of millions.
There is not a township in this great
nation that does not contain its por-
Of
| ready to believe anything from the
rankest catch penny advertisement to
a fallacy in theological dogma. My
investigations for years past into the
! innermOst secrets of swindlers impel
the belief that their faith passes into
the domain of imbecility. Thousands
of men are willing to throw money to
| the man who proclaims that for few
| pennies he will impart the secret of
raising the dead. or how tC make one
dollar make a million, or how to bat
| tie the savantS of science after days
research. Every mail car out of Chi.
cago groans under burden of get
rich-quick' mail to be scattered in ev-
! cry direction. The operatives of these
| schemes are the most dangerous of
criminals. They are received with
| open arms in social and business cir
| cles. They contribute to the churches
| and their wives and daughters visit In
| automobiles and dazzle at social func-
| tions by their silks and diamonds.
Every time a 'get-rich-quick' bub-
bic bursts there follows long, dreary
| story OF misplaced confidence. But as
| soon as active publicity ceases the
dearly bought lesson is forgotten and
the sucker is ready to spring 20 the
next tempting bait. The victims are
| ,p,npV ,n nlon.o. A. -. A.