The Marshall republican., 1911-04-21
New Styles in Gold Bricks

crooks used to mveigle some per-
son into an old cave, there pro-
duce an Indian and a gold brick,
and sell a piece Of rock for gold,
now confidence men and takers
plat a section OF the azure sky
and sell town lots. The fact is
g~oidbricking is as prevalent as
ever, but the crooks are becoming
more scientific. That is the opin-
ion OF e. p. Boyle, inspector OF
detectives for Kansas City.
Within the past year two men
purchased 40 acres OF land in
Arkansas. Their investment was
on the basis of a dollar an acre.
The land would have made a splen
did goat pasture, located on the
top Of one of the Ozark mountains
ten miles from the nearest rail-
road and unfit for cultivation.
These men, without surveying the
tract, made a plat OF It, advertise
ed that Il was within a short
distance OF a big coal mine, was
on a railroad, and eventually
would be a big city. Their liter
allure was very alluring.
They went from town to town,
and on street corner they dis
tributed their literature. They an
nounced in each town that fifty
lots, no more, no less, would be
given away absolutely free. The
drawing Of the lots was to adver-
tise the country. The public could
not lose-it was to get the lots
free. Here was an offer that lis
tened better than a gold mine.
| Where did these men make their
money!
Every one OF the lots given
' away meant that the person ac-
cepting would have to pay for
the title-a mere bagatellei Es-
pecially since the land itself was
obtained for nothing. The men
conducting the donation parties
employed n justice of the pease
not far from their mountain top,
who looked after all the deeds.
The deeds were printed by the
thousand. He charged $3.50 for
each transaction. As fifty lots
we're given away each day this
meant 1925. There were approx
mate,y 1900 lots In the tract and
when all were disposed OF II would
mean a clear profit of more than
$4,000. But about the time the
scheme got to working fine, some
thing happened. The government
learned that the mails we're being
used to defraud.
There are many creditable COM
panies that buy up valuable land
holdings In Texas and Western
states and sell them in n legiti-
mate way. These reliable concerns
suffer because of the crook. He
will buy for a dollar an acre, per-
haps, a big tract OF alkali land
and advertise that with irriga-
ton II may be made a veritable
paradise. Lawyers + hired to
word the advertisements alluring-
ly, without making the company
liable for violating the postal laws
Goldbrickers have a greater fear
OF the Federal law than the state
laws.
Goldbricking in land Is only m
Of the modern methods. A Kan
a doctor not long ago advertis
ed an electric machine which was
an alleged cure for catarrh and
deafness. The advertisements stat
ed that the cure was free. All
that was necessary was for the
patient to write and medicine
would be sent. Then when the all
ing person would write, the doc
tor would send blanks which we're
to be filled.
After getting a full description
OF the disease how long the pa
tient had been ailing, the number
IL lines, other doctors had at
tempted to effect a cure-the doc
tor would write his prospective
patient that the disease was so
complicated that mere medicine
would not cure it-"what you need
is a head cap" the letters would
say. "And II you Will agree to take
my medicine for two months at
$s per month, / will furnish the
head-cap," In this way the doc
tor hoped to avoid contact with
the postal laws. He was surprised
when arrest lowed. Before the
arrest his business had expanded
to such an extent that twenty
four stenographers were kept busy
constantly, and it was estimated
that he was making approximate