Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-05-19
OLD GAME, NEW PLAYS.
Modern Genius Has Improved on the
Gold Brick.

Modern Genius Has Improved on tint
GoId-Briek.
Goldbricking is still practised, but
the style has changed. Where the
crooks used to inveigle some person
into an old cave, there produce an In
dian and a gold brick and sell piece
OF rock for gold. now confidence men
and takers plat a section Of the azure
sky and sell town lots. The fact Is
goldbricking Is as prevalent as ever,
but the crooks are becoming more SCI
entific. That Is the opinion Of E. P.
Boyle, inspector of detectives for Kan
sas City.
Within the last year two men pur-
chased 420 acres Of land in Arkansas.
Their investment was on the basis of
81 an acre. The land would have
made a splendid goat pasture, located
on top of one of the Ozark mountains,
ten miles from the nearest railroad
and unfit for cultivation. These men,
without surveying their tract, made a
plat Of 1t, and advertised that 1t was
within a short distance of a big coal
mine. was on a railroad and eventual
ly would be a big city. Their litera-
ture was very alluring.
They went from town to town, and
on street corners they distributed
their literature. They announced In
each town that fifty lots, no more, no
less, would be given away absolutely
free. The drawing of the lots was to
advertise the country. The public
couldn't lose-it was to get the lots
free. Here was an offer that listened
better than a gold mine. Where did
these men make their money?
Every one of the lots given away
meant that the person accepting
would have to pay for the title-a
mere bagatelle! Especially since the
land itself was obtained for nothing
The man conducting the donation par
ties employed a justice Of the peace
not far from their mountain top VINO
looked after all the deeds. The deeds
were printed by the thousand. de
charged $3.50 for each transaction
AS fifty lots were given away each day
this meant 1925. There were approx
imately 4,2OO lots in the tract, and
when all were disposed Of 1t would
mean a clear profit of more than $lO'-
600. But about the time the scheme
got to working fine, something nap
pened. The government Learned tna'
the mails were being used to defraud
There are many creditable com
panies that buy up valuable land hold
ings in Texas and western states and
sell them in a legitimate way. These
reliable concerns suffer because or the
crook. He will buy for a dollar an
acre, perhaps, a big tract OF alkali
land and advertise that with irriga-
ton 1t may be made veritable para
dies. Lawyers are hired to word the ad-
vertisements alluringly without max
ing the company liable for violating
the postal laws. Goldbrickers have
greater fear of the Federal law than
Of that of the states.
Goldbricking in land Is only one OF
the many modern methods. A Kansas
City doctor not long ago advertised an
electric machine which was an alleged
cure for catarrh and deafness. Tne
stated that the cure
was free. All that was necessary was
for the patient to write and medicine
would be sent. Then when the ailine
person would write the doctor would
send blanks which were to be filled.
After getting a full description ol
the disease-how long the patient had
been ailing, the number Of times other
doctors had attempted to effect cure
the doctor would write to his pros
pective patient that the case was SO
complicated that mere medicine woulo
not cure it-"what you need Is heao
cap" the letter would say. And II
you will agree to take my medicine
for two months at So a month l Will
furnish the headcap." In this way
the doctor hoped to avoid contact with
the postal laws. He was surprised
when arrest followed. Before the ar
rest his business had expanded to such
an extent that twenty-four stenogra,
pliers were kept busy constantly and
il was estimated that he was making
approximately $4,000 year.
Diamonds make big profits TOT
crooks. Last week two prosperous ap-
bearing men entered a Kansas City
jewelry store.
I'VE would like to get a diamond.
The jeweler ascertained the size OF
the stone sought and displayed his
wares. This gave the crooks chance
TO exchange a bogus diamond for one
of the good stones. The trick would
have succeeded had not woman con-
nected with the store seen the ex-
change She told the jeweler.
II have some blue ones here that ]
think you would like to see," said the
jeweler as he opened another drawer
He jerked out an automatic revolver
and pointed 1t at his customers, at the
same time demanding restitution. Tne
oh on1 tho crooks
hurried away.
The Pinkertons recently had theil
attention called to new scheme
crooks who work upon the butcher
and the baker. The first Of the month
when shop keepers mail itemiZed ac'
counts there are men who watch fol
the mail carrier. Perhaps these let
ters are pushed under an office dool
or tossed into a mail box. Crooks
have a faculty Of knowing how to re-
move such letters by means or a small
wire. Once a bill Is in their posses
sion they call the butcher or baker by
telephone. tell him that the account
has been received and that the once
girl will be sent down with check.
When a girl appears at the butchei
shop with a check to pay Mr.. Browns
bill the butcher Immediately remem-
DeTS lIldl DAo"h
the telephone. Everything seems al
right The check Is made out for SIT
more than the bill and the girl Is CIV
en- the difference. Nine times out OF
ten this scheme will work.
George A. Leonard. a postoftice In
spector, says that the old idea tha'
farmers are the readiest victims in the
gold brick schemes is a wrong impress
sion. Mr.. Leonard believes that the
man in the city working for salary
really gets feeced more than any 9TH
er class. They seem ready always tc
put their money into an alleged bo-
nanza-a fake mining scheme. Bu'
mines do not offer the field for crook
edness Of twenty years ago. The peo.
pie are more wary than they useo
to be.
1t was P. T. Barnum who many
years ago observed There's a sucker
born every minute" And Lawrence
Spruce. superintendent Of the Kansas
City district of the Pinkerton service
believes that this is as true today aS
1t was i'm the day of the veteran cir
Gus man.
A well-to-do ranchman while on
visit to Kansas City short time age
made the mistake of writing his name
to a check for $4,000. The ranch
man thought he was signing his ad-
dress in an ordinary memorandum