The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-04

81 ~ washington ABROAD LQey
- buy antiques which are newer |
than the money paid for them; |
at home they lend willing ears and open
purses to the cry of the bunko man.
The records of the postoffice depart |
ment are rich with examples of the
gullability Of citizens OF the home OF the
brave and the land of the free. No mat |
ter how often some one may think of a
new device for fooling the people. he
can always find a ready market for his
wares.
Old stories about the singed moth do
not hold good when the average person
hears that he can make an unusually
large amount of money by investing
coFrespondingly small sum. Previous
experiences have taught him nothing;
he is willing to pay fer another very ex-
pensive- lesson, which will have, in all
probability, as little effect on him as the
previous one 80 a-
Puzzles and the reward which their
solution may bring have always appeal
ed very strongly to the American pub
lie. If a man can be made rich for life
by solving a mere puzzle, he IS more
than willing to risk the amount OF
subscription to the paper that makes
him such a agnifcent offer
When the postoffice department learns
that a person is engaged in using the
mails for such fraudulent purposes. an
order is issued forbiddfng the delivery or
mail to him or his agents. The matter
of preventing the continuation of the
project SO far as he Is concerned IS not
so easy.
Very often in cases or this kind the
postal authorities say that persons who
have been patronizing "a man affected
by fraud order resent the action or
the departrnent in directing that their
LETTERS shah not be delivered They
argue that II they care to invest money
in the proposed pIar ut is the business
of no one to Interfere. -s
An instance when the government re-
ceived no complaints from the persons
deffauded. and no thanks from them
for exposing the swiHdfe, was that OF
the ssFranco-German Electric Pad com
pany.'
This alleged company advertised for
agents to sell dts goods, offering to pay
/ q large salary and expenses, but before
/ one. could qualify for such position, No
was expected to buy two Of the cleo
! trio pads, the electricity of which con-
sisted Of a mustard plaster. These were
to he sold and testimonials secured cell
ebrating their virtues. After this nau
been done the prospective representa- :
tive of the company was supposed 10
be on the road to wealth
But that was as Tar as ne got me
next communication from his future
employer stated that he would now pc
able to sell the pads for 81 each. ana
as they would only cost him 81, ne
cent onshis. investment. The salary anu
expenses had vanished.
Upon the discovery Of this fraud its
author was arrested, gave Sls0OO pan,
| and skipped. He had made enough OUT
| Of his Utopian scheme for others 10
allow him to indulge IN this little ex-
| travagance. Not a word was heaFa
from his victims. BY American greco
they had been fooled; by America ca n
spunk they would stand for It. Tne
fiddler always has to be paid sooner or
Another undertaking that had for its
sole object the benefit of mankind was
i instituted by a magazine. The Fire
side Favorite' will be its designation,
for charity's sake.
| Thought it would be quite nice little
/ thing for them to offer q puzzle to the
! parent to the action, and In snort
1 while the puzzle appeared with the ad-
! vertisement that the solver would re-
! ceive a quarter of the money which Il
I brought to the owners OF the paper
| And then the inevita BILE stipulation
subscription costing 81.
The puzzle was solved. The fortu-
| nate ones received % cents, just one
quarter of what the Advertisement
brought from each reader. The residue
of the profits was spent by the pro
prietors in the law courts defending
I themselves against the order Issued b.
the postoffice department
Ten yards Of silk for 10 cents was {
bait that no feminine fish could resist
The origfnators of this project made {
tremendous haul. What woman coult
afford to miss such q chance? Tel
Yards of silk to faunt on state occa
sionsi Alas and alack! They received
silk, ana the promised ten yards-bu
1t was sewing silk. 1t might havl
passed muster as material for a dres
in the Pacific Islands but hardly il
| this country.
Clairvoyants and fortune teller
seem to have the greatest hold upoi
! the public. These persons chang
their names as often as they can thinl
of a new one. Exposed from time t
| time they nevertheless continue t
make a good living from men and wo
men who are anxious to learn tn
future. It Is one branch Of the prophe
! | business in which there is no lack 0
Il profit in its own country.
These readers of the future seem {
inspire the greatest faith IN their fol
lowers, and no amount Of advice o
caution from the authorities seem
able to shake It.
Time was when the magazines an
papers were flooded with advertise
|. fnenfs which purporteds to represent
! who answered this little notice Wer
informed by return mail that the bes
possible way to get rich IN q shoE
time was to work Ike the devil an
not spend a cent
4 Good advice this was too. and It
were followed. the schemes Of charIa
, tans would be much more apt t
: gang aglae."