The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1910-03-03

~ ~ itf.ANNAs unA the prospects were hrFrb+
foT e big crop the next season and the plapta.
ton would probably not require renewal tor
10 or 20 years. He must be a little patiept and
meantime bear in mind that the product az an
acre OF bananas was A. times that of wheat
John shook his head. but sent two more
ten-dollar installments. the last Of which was
returned 20 him unsealed with the word DFie.
utous" stamped in big type slantingwise
seross the envelope. Dared, he asked the VII.
lsge postmaster what that meant.
Means there amt no such company. or
that it's a fraud" explained the postmaster.
John said nothing, but went home looking
very thoughtful Two hundred and seventy dol.
lars gonel
But out Of this experience John derived
one satisfaction. When he received a circular
from the Inland Seas Copper Mining Company
OF New York, offering him large profits on a
small monthly investment. he penciled the
word Fictitious across the top Of It I'm big
letters and sent ii back But copies Of the
same circular caught three men In his county.
Now. II John had but known Il, Fictitious
was stamped all over the banana bait upon
which he had bitten, just as II is stamped
upon the literature of many advertising COM
panies that offer large profits to outside in.
v%estors. only the dupes don't see H.
John is the type OF sucker who was for.
merly caught by the green goods operator
though in paying good money for secondhand
sawdust he would have said nothing about Il
Go Jennie, The only reason why John and
thousands OF others throughout the country
are becoming part owners IN conee, banana
and rubber plantations. gold mines. cotton
fields, irrigation lands. timber lands. OH wells
and many other enterprises Instead OF pur,
chasing green goods and gold bricks and get
ting into and out Of similar games Is because
these latter schemes are no longer profitable
20 their operators on account Of the extreme
risk In conducting them.
Evolution In fraud. as in everything else.
Is the order Of the day. The crooks have been
educating themselves. They have yearned for
a higher order Of things and they have al.
tanned 10 IT, Besides. the higher order Of
things Is the safer order. To sell a man a
brass brick for a gold one is a crime and no
valid defense for Il can be set up In court:
but selling shares in a rubber company. which
is an easier game, is, on the face OF 81. not a
crime. and TO convict such an offender Of fraud
10 often very dificult.
In getting his education the sure-thiue Cd.
orator has passed through various stages OF
progress. The now unsafe shell game. gold
brick and green goods swindles which he oper.
ated with such profitable results In the eight.
les and the early nineties made way for the
halfinterest game which hourished ten years
ago and the employment game which is sim
going on, though not to its former extent. The
half interest advertiser sold you n partnership
ia anything from a peanut stand to a piano
factory and when you had bought II the next
thing was 10 find It, or II you found Il you dis
covered the II belonged 20 somebody else, who
knew nothing about the man who sold Il 10
you. The employment game consists OF an
opportunity 20 sell on high salary the goods
or stock OF a company in which you must first
buy shares. Then when you have paid over
your money you are assigned a territory. gen.
orally a long distance from the company's OF
ace- ana after you have gone, OF your own