The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1910-05-26
WOMAN'SLEAGUE LEWIS
SHOWN UP BY R-N-Y

Several copies of the Rural New
Yorker have been brought to the
Glacier by John Koberg, which give
considerable information about the
methods of E. G. Lewis, promoter Of
the American Woman's League. The
issue of May Ia, contains the follow
ing editorial:
''Let those who wonder why so many
people are caught in bunko games
read that letter or circular from E..
G. Lewis which is printed on page
567. The parties to whom it was
sent held Lewis notes, which they
thought were as good as the cash they
had sent him. He had for some years
been putting up the most affectionate
bluff about his great devotion to their
interests, but in spite of all this these
people needed their money. Now
comes this letter, and probably eight
people out of ten on reading it over
would say it is direct offer to send
the cash at once. But II you will study
it carefully you will notice that in no
way does it argee to pay any cash at
all. You have the privilege of saying
whether you want cash or stock, but
you have nothing else in sight. After
you gave up the note you release Mr..
Lewis from his personal obligation to
send you any cash. The object Of
this letter evidently is to secure the
personal notes and give in their place
other forms of paper or stock which
are not bankable for collection. Thus
you notice that when these notes are
sent for collection through reputable
banks, where the cash must be paid
before the note is surrendered, they
are refused We have recently been
told that the average woman has no
sence of humor. We doubt if there is
a member of the Woman's League who
cannot see the joker in this letter. /"
The other article referred, to in the
New York farm paper is headed
Loose Methods of Lewis" and re-
produces a note and some letters which
passed between Lewis and a Mr..
White to whom the note had been
given. Lewis offered in his letter to
let White take stock in the formers
trust company in payment of the
note at the rate of $l60 share al
though Lewis insisted that the stock
was worth 5000. The Rural New
Yorker comments further:
MIR. White refused to step into this
trap, AS many other victims did; but
sent the note for collection through
his bank. 1t was presented for pay
ment by the Mechanics American
National Bank, of st. Louis, and pay
ment refused by Lewis. OF course,
anyone can see that the offer to pay
the note in cash was safe bluff.
the object was to induce the holder to
change it for stock in the trust com
pany and then Lewis would not be
under personal oblagtion to pay it in
cash. The trust company stock might
just as we'll be advanced to $500 or $500
or $500 as to $lG0 or 5000. Mr.. Lewis
made the price, but the value of the
stock is quite a different matter. The
promise to pay the note in cash was
a safe bluff, because those who re-
sisted the temptation of trust com
pany stock, and sent on the notes ex-
pecting to get the cash, simply got So
called interim receipt. and no ex-
planation for failure to send the cash,
while the note had passed out Of their
hands. BY this trick, Lewis got
personal possession of these notes, and
in place of them his victims received