, 1908-06-30
A FOOL AND
HIS MONEY
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
IN GETTING RICH
QUICK.
How sharpers are Able to Pull the
Wool over the Eyes Of the Un-
suspectlna Who Have saved =
Few Dollars from Their Earnings
-Avarice the Main Cause Of Loss.
How shari


Out on the west side there Is a lit
tie gray eyed school teacher who trud.
ges daily the two miles to and from
her work, sta long in ii twilight Of
her furnished room in the evening to
W. the q bills. denying herself all
put the necessaries OF life in order that
she may do penance for her one time
desire to get rich quick" Most OF her
salary every month goes to other poor
women, who were induced to throw
their own savings into tie bottomless
bags OF sharpers through her own
eagerness and innocence. The story
is one. of quiet, obscure heroism, one
OF the ritiful aftermaths that follow
the crash of every one of the 5wlind-
ling schemes that infest C~hicago's sky
scrapers.
1t shall be told for the sake Of others
who may be tempted to follow in the
school teachers steps. Her cwn name
remains secret, Tor she fears that the
board of education would discharge
her il the truth leaked out She shall
be known as Mrs. Armstrong.
In the spring of 1903" said Mrs.
Armstrong, Il had SO, 900 saved from
my earnings of en- years in the Chi
cago public schools. l wanted to make
this $4,000, as | had a peculiar use
for that amount. | was looking around
g. - s--.~s4.--. Iz~ looul -
a school teacher. Mrs. P. of the x
school. who was promoting a profit
able scheme.
Il went to see Mrs. P. and she told
me of an investment company, which
she said was conducted by two estim-
able gentlemen on Dearborn street.
I She said they had some sure scheme
by which dividends OF 8 per cent a
week were paid on investments. l had
known her as a woman of good repu-
| tation. SO I went to the Offices Of the
| company. I now thing Mrs. p. was a
dupe. too.
AT he Offices l met q Joliet man
| whose wife formerly had been a school
| teacher. he told me. and another man
| who said that he had once been a Sun
day school superintendent on the west
| side. They explained the plan, which
was some horse racing scheme. They
said they had a system peculiarly their
own which could not lose and that the
| dividends were u
Il was excited and IT did not take
| me long to decide to give them $500 as
I NV investment. This was in May. l
| got my dividends regularly, SIS a week
for two months, then l put in the rest
OF nv SO 900. sure by this time that l
was goir & to be a rich IN l talk
ed about it among my friends and
/ several Of them gave me their money
to nut in. In all 1 gave the man IS, 500.
TO my six friends he paid IN all 500
in dividends.
"One day we heard that the police
had raided the office as a fraudulent
turf investment scheme. and the doom
OF nv Wild hopes was sounded.
II went immediately to the office Of
the but the man had gone
away That was in June. 1 hunted
for him all that summer and finally
found him living with his wife in apart.
ments on Wayeland place. When |
asked him about the money he said
that a man had cheated him out of it.
He was nervous and he looked
around often az though he thought /
had brought the police with me. Fin
aIIv 7 asked him what he would do. and