The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-04-20
the GENTLE ART
OF DOING PEOPLE
Work Of Fakirs While Often
Coarse Is Nevertheless
Effective.
IT is EAsYTO FIND VICTIMS
The haocent Locking Little Want
Ad Is TIE Main Aid of Orators Who
Exist Through Ability TO Film
l-lan She Public.

@h'' - -
The statements OF same advertisers may
be taken literally; some should be taken
With caution, and some should rot be
| taken at all. In the post office department
at Washington. in the flies of the assistant
attorney general, one may study the meth
eds of the black sheep OF the advertising
fold against whom fraud orders have been
issued a fraud order is an order directed
to a postmaster forbidding him TO deliver
letters to i certain person or concern, or
! to cash money orders for them. If a man
| swindles his neighbor without using the
mails the postoftice department viii not
Interfere with him, although the police
may. but if he tempt to make Uncle
Sam a party to the swindle the Old sentle-
man let loose on him a horde OF post
office inspectors, who not only put a stop
to the business. but frequently put the
swindler. himself, behind the bars. The
department issues year in and year out an
average of one fraud order a day, and an
eXaminaion OF the reports of the inspect
orS who have investigated these cases Is
apt to convince one that the long-acceptcd
estimate that there is a sucker born every
minute is much too low. The schemes
most commonly employed are here set
forth:
The Work at Home Scheme.
The chance to earn a few dollar a week
without leaving home appeals TO many wo-
men whose household duties occupy the
greater part of their daylight hours. I'm
fortunately the work-at-home scheme
catches not only the woman whose object
is merely to earn Il little pin-moncy and
who. IN many cases, can afford to lose q
dollar or two without suffering any hard
ship as d consequence. but 1t gathers III as
we'll the working girl, eager to add to her
scanty earnings by engaging in some re-
munerativc work at home.
The worll-at-home scheme is operated in
a variety of ways. but the underlying prin-
ciple is the same in all cases. Sometimes
the work to be done consists in cnsbroid-
ering doilies or in making lace. and in
other cases it consists in filling in with gilt
paint price tickets printed in outline. In
all cases The work is described as easy,
the advertisement assuring the reader
that experience is unnecessary. In all
cases. too, the victim is obliged to huy,
from the promoters of the scheme. ma
terials' or a lace-making machine or son3e
other object before she is given any work.
The following description of a scheme
against which a fraud order was issued
last May will make clear the methods pur-
sued by all fakirs OF the work-at-home
class. The advertisement in this case
reads as follows:
HOME WORK. 5000 to $500; no canvass
ing; 500 to Sc 60 weekly working even
ings: experience unnecessary. Enclose
stamps for ~instructtons. SAMPLES. etc. Adj
S.tSo Z: ,ttSoi & W, 10 N'dlliut StiSSt'
Philadelphia, Pa.
To those who reply to this advertisement
q circular letter is sent stating that the
work required consists IN ming In with
nru,.ls PAM sore Miaao" Irice .lcheLs
ptt",'. ~ oetiH'e o"N " "tiUt' paav's
me- ~ : iieioseu as d SaH'ntc- lne
...u'ai s.@''s .'iat - oih Is eaS''s
that all that is Necessary is to do the work
in a neat manner Two dollars and a haze
ner bi,ndred - offoraI Gov ,tnee 90 a MO ia
es described and the prospective victim is
assured that she can easily gild at least
ore hundred tickets a dav. she viii re-
uuire an .orttit'' of course. tho COS, of
which is renoro,islv Dlt at tho remar lsa bly
low price of 81 10. In return for her dollar
to. tho victim receives a handful of WIN
dow tickets. a small bottle OF bronze nairf
and a hr,sh for annlvjnp it-the actual
value of the articuies furnished. including
hostage being fully covered bv tho eytra
ten cents. The worst. however Is yet TO
come. When tho woman. having parte,
with her money and having spent her timn
! filling In the handful OF tick cts son, bcr ,e-
turns them at her owl expense she 20
ceives. not a check in payment for tho
work done. hut a circular letter statinr.
that her work il ..unsatisfactory" She
may possess the + allen, of a Rosa onheu
and n department store ticket writer rolled
into owe b,,t sbo win never s,ccoc,l ~, s.l
ing . COMBS worth of bronzef, n,ico +iclats
To rho fakirs who sold be,. the .,o,,ttit ;,
Their business is not TO buy hui 10 snll.
and her fare is. nor to sell nm ,o bo sold
..- e.
~ q y"
2ohic"hat s'iiiai U ehI Mo,h-',-hoii'
sene'ie !. II may " uesei.oeo as tHc
ies.ef "iitihs 'o"se. Inc ioi'o"laS Is a
tsPieai advertisement OIL us class:
LAIO1ES-IIarn $40 per hundred writing
short letters. Stamped envelope for par
ucuiafs. Gem MIG. Co., oassopo:ls, Mich.
When the woman anxious to earn an
honest penny replies to this adj she re-
ccives the following reply:
Dear MADAME: We pay at the rate of
$50 per hundred, or 20 cents for each letter
sent US in accordance with our printed cir
cular of Instructions, aud make remit
tances TO you Of all money earned by YOU
ut the end of each week. The letter which
we send you to copy contains only eighty
words, and can be written either with
typewriter or with pen and ink. as you
prefer, and you can readily see that You
can write a number of letters during your