The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1907-08-29
SWINDLING BY MAIL.
How the Government Saves People from
Buying Gold Bricks
Bv FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

The machine proved to be toy atsh
and the letter in answer TO a woman,
threat to sue is filed away as a man
of genuine cleverness on the part d
the artful dodger who originated tn
scheme. Bogus detective agencis
were thick in the land for while. Fo
a certain sum of money they would
send a star, certificate of membership
credentials, ETC., to the purchaser, and
not until the astonished victim has
been hauled up before unfeeling mag
istrates for carrying a gun or for i'm.
personating an officer did the luckles
fellow realize that he had been the vic.
tim of a scoundrel.
A Dallas firm found ready market !
for mineral rods" which were sup
posed to discover gold and silver below
the surface of the earth. In order
to stimulate interest in them the firm
offered to buy up all old coins that
might be revealed by this magic Other
schemes of this kind have had sur.
prising success but they, too, have been
suppressed by the government. Nevada,
Mo-, sprung a wonderful school OF mag
netic healing on the public. The pres
ident of the institution guaranteed to
devote a certain time each day to
absent treatment" of his patients for
the sum of IS a month, payable in
advance. Nobody appears to have
been healed, because the president was
busy debating letters to other trusting
souls at the time he should have had
his mind on his prepaid patients 1t
is a pity he came under the govern
ment's displeasure, for he guaranteed
to cure poverty and to give sueq
in business at the rate of 81 mon
a patient
A Florida woman got into trouble
by promising to devote fifteen minutes
q day to each patient when thoughts
from her soul would renew them 10
better and higher life. She was lit
tie more clever than the Missouri man,
having in some way given the govern
ment sufficient absent treatment sue
cessfully to evade the penalty OF the
law, though it has been on her heels
for several years. Physicians with
marvellous new remedies are, thick II
the land, and there is little that they
find themselves unable to cuhs. to
Judge from the optimistic circulars
They raise the dead in their litera-
ture as expeditiously as they raise
money from the pockets Of the LIVING
in reality. Mining enterprises dra"
victims like a honey pot draws ants
and the man at Baker City, Ore, VINO
sold stock in the White Swan mine
found crowd of eager bidders. 81
did a banking company of St LOUIS
Despite its promise to leave its af1airs
to a board of directors and to inVes'
the deposits in United States bonds
the president managed to get for hi'
own use comfortable little fortune
and the depositors got much expert
ence.
Tropical plantations have roman
tic atmosphere that is hard 10 resis
when exploited on paper ABOVE 'h'
name of some firm in Boston. Man.
people have grown wise through onci'
Sans Intervention in schemes OF thi'
kind, and they who drank cneal
brew of coffee, believing 1t to De Iroh
the great plantations in which the'
had an interest, learned that iape.
are easy to buy and certain grades =
coffee easy to repack when no CONE
exists on the wilderness they heipe'
to buy.
Stock and bond purchasers are easI
to find, If the tales that disappoinle'
investors write are true. and the gov
eminent hear many Of tbs"-
1t took the enS'
fully to aS-
Chr-